Australian Phonographs
In the late 19th century, there were no local, commercially made phonographs in Australia. Phonographs produced under patent by Edison, Columbia or Pathé were shipped to Australia in small numbers, often to businessmen who used them to sell tickets at expo shows.
Edison was the most successful, with his growing reputation and reliable supply. As public demand grew, it became cost effective to ship the parts in large numbers and contract local Australian ‘jobbers’ to assemble the complete machines. Sometimes local cabinets were built to save on costs.
Here is an advert in the Bulletin from November 1898 for the ‘Albert Graphophone’. It is clearly a Columbia Eagle Graphophone in a locally made cabinet.
The heyday of the Phonograph was between 1900 and 1910, when large numbers of Edison ‘Standard’, ‘Gem’ and ‘Fireside’ models were sold. Phonograph cylinders were largely superseded by disc records by the 1910s, although Edison cylinders continued until 1929.
Uniquely Australian:
EDISON Standard with 11-panel cygnet horn:
Phonograph Horns:
It is well documented that local Phonograph horns were made for the Australian market. Unlike the black American versions, these came in black, maroon, green, and blue.
Another very Australian feature was the 11-panel cygnet horn. Most American cygnet horns comprise of only 10 panels.
The Edison A85 (1917):
These were exported from the United States to Australia and New Zealand. Rarely found anywhere else, they were seemingly a uniquely Australasian Phonograph.