[D8822ABC], Letter from George Taylor Denison to Thomas Alva Edison, September 15th, 1888
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D8822ABC
→ View document with UniversalViewer
→ View document on Archive.org
→ Re-use this digital object via a IIIF manifest
Title
[D8822ABC], Letter from George Taylor Denison to Thomas Alva Edison, September 15th, 1888
Editor's Notes
"I have just seen your Phonograph and hope you will excuse my taking the liberty of saying a word about it. I saw your first instrument some years ago which worked with tin foil, and then wished to write to you, but could not overcome my aversion to intruding upon a perfect stranger. ### The great difficulty that struck me with the tin foil was that in order to record the sound the substance should be as yielding and plastic as possible while on the other hand to reproduce it the substance should be hard and rigid in order to produce clearly the same sound. The tin foil seemed to reproduce a greater volume of sound than the wax but the wax produced a greater accuracy of tone. ### Now I simply wish to suggest whether the sound might not be recordable upon some substance that would be soft & yielding allowing full play for every vibration, and then by some process be hardened before attempting to reproduce--as for example having the wase slightly warmed while receiving the impression, and cold when reproducing sound. A chemist might suggest some means of securing a recording substance which could by chemical action be hardened, and made lasting. ### I hope you will excuse me as a stranger taking the liberty of writing to you in this strain but I do it with the best intent."
Author
Recipient
Date
1888-09-15
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8822-F
Microfilm ID
122:745
Document ID
D8822ABC
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University