Le phonographe Edison, à la section des États-Unis

The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, and was a device to record and play back the sound of human voice. The first version of Edison's phonograph had been exhibited in Paris in the 1878 World fair. By 1889, the product had been refined and perfected. Instead of the metal cylinder (on which a small needle would engrave the sound patterns), Edison used a device covered with wax, which allowed for a better preservation of the soundtrack. The crowd here is shown listening to the records at the 1889 World Fair.