The Allen Koenigsberg Phonograph Collection
Lot 3013:
Description
Souvenir program from the 1890 Electrical Exhibition. The 1890 Electrical Exhibition at the Lenox Lyceum was a major cultural and technological milestone that successfully repackaged Thomas Edison’s massive showcase from the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle. Running from April 7 through May 15, 1890, the event was organized to benefit the New York Exchange for Woman’s Work, drawing high-society crowds and introducing foundational consumer technologies to the American public. Following his celebrity reception in Paris, Edison shipped 232 cases of exhibits directly from France to the Lenox Lyceum (located at 59th Street and Madison Avenue in New York City). The exhibition served as the official commercial public debut for the Edison Talking Doll. A dozen intricately dressed dolls housing miniature internal wax-cylinder phonographs recited nursery rhymes like “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for fascinated attendees. Souvenir booklet is in fair and fragile condition with tears and paper loss to the covers. Measures 12″ tall, 9.5″ wide. From the Allen Koenigsberg collection.
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