Eldridge johnson biography
- Eldridge Reeves Johnson (February 6, 1867 in Wilmington, Delaware – November 14, 1945 in Moorestown, New Jersey) was an American businessman and engineer who founded the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901 and built it into the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading.
- Johnson, who lived across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey, was an inventor, machinist and model maker.
- Eldridge Reeves Johnson was an American businessman and engineer who founded the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901 and built it into the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph.
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Preferred Citation
Preferred CitationItem Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Related Materials
Related MaterialsThere are additional artifacts and records of Eldridge Reeves Johnson at the Delaware State Museums.
Acquisition Information
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The American Heritage Center is in the process of converting its older container lists to a more accessible format. This link is to an older version of a container list.
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Phonograph.
- Sound recording industry -- United States.
Corporate Names
- Victor Talking Machine Company.
Geographical Name •
Eldridge Johnson
- Birthdate
- 1867/02/18
- Birthplace
- Wilmington, DE, USA
- Death date
- 1945/11/14
- Associated organizations
- Victor Talking Machine Company
- Fields of study
- Sound recording
Biography
Eldridge Johnson was the co-founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company. Victor produced early record players and records. Victor ultimately became one of the largest companies in the United States and Johnson one of the richest men.
Johnson, like fellow recording pioneer Oberlin Smith, began his career as a mechanical engineer. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1867, but did not become involved in the sound recording industry until 1896. By that time, Johnson was the owner of a small machine shop in Camden, New Jersey. Emile Berliner asked Johnson to design a spring-driven “motor” for his invention, the gramophone. The gramophone was the first record player that played music off of disks, not cylinders such as Edison’s phonograph. Berliner needed a spring-driven motor because most people still did not have electricity in their homes.
Johnson found Berliner’s gramo
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Eldridge Johnson, A Brief Background On The Founder Of Victor
When Thomas Edison developed the “phonograph” in 1877, it was described to have a mechanical or acoustic type of recording system. This means that pure acoustic energy was used and was transferred mechanically to reproduce the audio signal. Therefore, no electricity was incorporated in the system.
Later, extensive efforts were made to develop a new recording system that was easier to use than the early version. This way, it is more possible and more economic to mass produce the recordings.
The Flat Disk “Gramophone”
The flat disk “gramophone,” developed by Emil Berliner, had a cutting stylus that moved parallel or laterally to the disk surface. This process is known as the “lateral” recording process. In 1887, Berliner earned the first patent of recording technology while his flat disk system was granted patent in 1888. He referred to the latter system as the “Gramophone.” Compared to the Edison wax cylinders, Berliner’s gramophone recording sounded louder and had a stronger disk. However, they were also noisy w
Eldridge Johnson
- Birthdate
- 1867/02/18
- Birthplace
- Wilmington, DE, USA
- Death date
- 1945/11/14
- Associated organizations
- Victor Talking Machine Company
- Fields of study
- Sound recording
Biography
Eldridge Johnson was the co-founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company. Victor produced early record players and records. Victor ultimately became one of the largest companies in the United States and Johnson one of the richest men.
Johnson, like fellow recording pioneer Oberlin Smith, began his career as a mechanical engineer. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1867, but did not become involved in the sound recording industry until 1896. By that time, Johnson was the owner of a small machine shop in Camden, New Jersey. Emile Berliner asked Johnson to design a spring-driven “motor” for his invention, the gramophone. The gramophone was the first record player that played music off of disks, not cylinders such as Edison’s phonograph. Berliner needed a spring-driven motor because most people still did not have electricity in their homes.
Johnson found Berliner’s gramo
- •
Eldridge Johnson, A Brief Background On The Founder Of Victor
When Thomas Edison developed the “phonograph” in 1877, it was described to have a mechanical or acoustic type of recording system. This means that pure acoustic energy was used and was transferred mechanically to reproduce the audio signal. Therefore, no electricity was incorporated in the system.
Later, extensive efforts were made to develop a new recording system that was easier to use than the early version. This way, it is more possible and more economic to mass produce the recordings.
The Flat Disk “Gramophone”
The flat disk “gramophone,” developed by Emil Berliner, had a cutting stylus that moved parallel or laterally to the disk surface. This process is known as the “lateral” recording process. In 1887, Berliner earned the first patent of recording technology while his flat disk system was granted patent in 1888. He referred to the latter system as the “Gramophone.” Compared to the Edison wax cylinders, Berliner’s gramophone recording sounded louder and had a stronger disk. However, they were also noisy w
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