The Allen Koenigsberg Phonograph Collection
Lot 3031:
Description
This historically profound, late-nineteenth-century Imperial Russian guest book and commemorative ledger, bound in premium dark brown grained leather with opulent gilt-embossed lettering, stands as a spectacular testament to the global dawn of recorded sound. The front cover dramatically announces the contents as an “Edison Album”, opening to exquisite pink-and-green floral end papers and heavy card pages framed in crimson borders. The primary document within is a highly significant, formal handwritten entry in Russian script dated October 30, 1889, from St. Petersburg, meticulously detailing an early high-society demonstration of Thomas Edison’s phonograph by Julius Block. The page is signed by an extraordinary assembly of Tsarist dignitaries, including Countess Vorontsova-Dashkova; Count Vorontsov-Dashkov (Minister of the Imperial Court); Ivan Durnovo (Minister of Internal Affairs); Pyotr Vannovsky (General-Adjutant and Minister of War); N. Petrov (State Secretary and Privy Councillor); and Apollon Konstantinov (Head of the Chief Staff of the Minister of Ways of Communication). Accompanying the ledger are two phenomenal vintage advertising clippings: an illustrated satirical print humorously depicting the Tsar of Russia’s absolute amazement upon hearing the phonograph (“The Phonograph in Russia, Delight and Astonishment of the Czar to hear Mrs. Potts Irons are Shipped”), measuring 4.75″ wide by 2.75″ tall, and a multi-ad clipping featuring F.W. Devoe & Co. Mixed Paints alongside “The Wizard Coin Box” by Bride & Co. The leather binding displays age-appropriate wear, including rubbing to the corners, minor surface scuffs, and edge loss, while the interior pages and advertising elements exhibit expected handling marks, light toning, and minor staining, though remaining structurally sound and remarkably well-preserved. H 13.25″, W 10.5″, D 1″. Please see photos for condition. From the Allen Koenigsberg collection.
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