Edison Gold Moulded Records - National Phonograph Company
Edison Gold Moulded Records were created in 1901 by the National Phonograph Company founded by Thomas Edison. These were engraved wax cylinders that were mass produced by using gold electrodes in molds. These cylinders were then sold to consumers to place into phonographs, which in turn would play music or voice recordings. This makes these cylinders one of the earliest methods of sound reproduction. (1)
The record shown here features Thomas Edison, his portrait, his company, and the type of phonograph record at the forefront of this design, along with the slogan of his company. The design featured here is primarily text-based, and one side of the label is dedicated to the patent disclaimer. There is little to no identifying information on the artist or the name of the work on the front label, except for on the lid of the cylinder, albeit in small text compared to the cylinder ID and “Edison Records” circling this information. This record in particular is Cal Stewart’s Ground Hog Day At Pumkin Center, which has been recorded and archived online for viewers to listen to (see Stewart, Cal in Notes). (2)
Given Thomas Edison’s lineage of inventions, such as the telephone and telegraph, (3; 4) Gold Moulded Records and its design serves not only as a cultural artifact of one of the most well known inventors of that era, but also as a marker of technological progress. At the time of the phonograph’s invention, Edison theorized the potential uses of the machine, including but not limited to dictation, educational use, and – most importantly – music. (5) The phonograph, in a way, was an important step in audio reproduction, and paved the way for more advanced and clear methods of playing music and sounds. As for the label’s design, record designs as of today are more personalized to the bands and artists as opposed to the record studios themselves, such as the case here with the National Phonograph Company. This serves as point of progression of album branding. On a related note, the audio of the records is also worth preserving, especially as the wax degrades and becomes more fragile. (6)
Notes
1. Library of Congress. “History of the Cylinder Phonograph.” Accessed May 1, 2024, https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-sound-recordings/history-of-the-cylinder-phonograph/.
2. Stewart, Cal. Ground Hog Day At Pumkin Center. Cylinder 10093. National Phonograph Company, 1909, The Library of Historical Audio Recordings at i78s, https://i78s.org/preview/840355acbfab47d1e503a53c04179162
3. Library of Congress. “History of the Cylinder Phonograph.”
4. Stephens, Carlene E. “‘Speculative Imaginations’: Listening to 1889, Then and Now.” The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 22, no. 4 (2023): 455. doi:10.1017/S1537781423000245.
5. Edison, Thomas A. “The Phonograph and Its Future.” The North American Review 126, no. 262 (1878): 532-33.
6. Stephens, Carlene E. “‘Speculative Imaginations.’” 464.
