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Description
The 22 Inch Edison's Talking Phonograph Doll was made with imported German Simon Halbig 719 bisque heads on a distinctive ball jointed composition and wood body with a pressed metal torso, originally fitted with a mechanism for playing a wax record. The head is marked S & H 719 DEP.
This darling doll has blue glass sleep eyes, feathered brows, fine painted upper and lower lashes, open mouth with molded upper teeth and pierced ears. The wig is antique brown human hair, matching her brows. Dressed in an antique cotton and lace dress, a full set of matched underclothes, cotton socks and antique shoes, she is the perfect child of her time. A lace frilled cotton bonnet compliments her outfit antique outfit.
The mechanism is missing from this doll. Reading the history below, it is probable that she never had one.
Despite several years of experimentation and development, the Edison Talking Doll was a dismal failure that was only marketed for a few short weeks in early 1890
The doll was an almost instant failure for several reasons. The crank mechanism had to be turned at a steady speed in order to hear the one individually recorded nursery rhyme. The steel needle caused the wax record to wear out extremely rapidly. Plus the high price was equal to about two weeks salary for the average family.
Although 2,500 dolls had been shipped to Edison's Toy Manufacturing Company in March 1890, less than 500 dolls were actually sold and most of those were returned by unhappy customers. Production ceased at the beginning of May1890 and the dolls were withdrawn from the market. Returned dolls, along with the large remaining stocks of unsold dolls at the Edison factory, were sold off with the phonographs removed.
All Edison dolls are very scarce today but those with their original phonograph intact are extremely rare, with only a few survivors known to exist. The majority of Edison dolls today have no phonograph mechanism. A small number have been fitted with a replica mechanism.
Item#111717gh
Shipping
Shipping to internationally and especially Italy, Spain and Russia we will now ONLY ship your purchases Federal Express Economy or Priority.
Please email ahead of time for a quote if you are in a country other than the USA - especially Russia, Spain, or Italy. All of our prices listed are QUOTES. Federal Express gets your purchases to you in 3 to 5 days and you have to sign for it so we will need your phone number because Federal Express will call you to make sure you are home for your delivery.
International shipments may have to go through customs. Customer is responsible for all duties and customs fees. We are not responsible for any delays in delivery due to customs or postal delays.
About Us
Turn of the Century Antiques, located on antique row, stood out from the crowd from the beginning. Set back from the street, the expanse of green lawn, attractive landscaping and convenient parking enhance the building and provide a welcome break from the usual tarmac and concrete. The face is executed in a trompe l'oeil Victorian style, and as you step through the door you will immediately realize that you've entered a special place. Dolls and toys are our passion at Turn of the Century Antiques. Our related accessories intermingle with beautiful French fashion ladies, character babies, French Bebes and fine chinas. Early fabric dolls and animals share their spaces with antique playthings. The most popular modern dolls through the 1960's stand with equal pride in their places.
Contact Us
We are available via phone for you 9:30am-5:30pm Tuesday through Saturday MST. We are closed Sunday and Monday, however we do email throughout the weekend.
