• HOME
  
• CATALOG
  
• SPECIALS
  
• ARTICLES
  
• ARCHIVES
  
• LINKS
  
• NEWS
  
• COMPANY INFO
  
• CONTACTS

American Recording Pioneers / Photo Feature

INSIDE THE EARLY RECORDING STUDIOS

Rare glimpes inside early recording studios, from the collections of the Edison National Historic Site and the Library of Congress

Billy Jones in the Victor studio, c. 1920. The negative was marked
"Victor Roberts," a pseudonym that Jones used only on Victor. (LOC)

John Young recording for Edison as "Harry Anthony," date unknown. Note the
cloth-draped ceiling and the horned Stroh violins (middle row). (ENHS)

Jacques Urlus in the Edison studio, date unknown. (ENHS)

Thomas Chalmers in the Edison studio, date unknown. (ENHS)

Edison staffers George Werner and Fred C. Burt in the Columbia Street
recording room in West Orange, New Jersey (January 22, 1917). This
studio was used primarily for experimental work. (ENHS)

The Columbia Orchestra in Columbia's New York studio. Date is unknown,
but the conductor is not Charles Prince, probably dating this photo to
some time after his departure in 1921. (LOC)

Paul Specht & his Orchestra in Columbia's New York studio, date unknown.
Specht signed with Columbia in 1922, and the Georgians—a "hot" unit from
his band—were one of Columbia's best sellers in the early 1920s.
Note the sheet music suspended in mid-air. (LOC)

The International Novelty Orchestra, a house group under the direction of
Nat Shilkret (center, holding baton), after the introduction of
Western Electric equipment. (LOC)

Billy Murray, probably at one of the Victor studios,
in the later 1920s. (LOC)

Photo restorations ©2007 by Allan Sutton; all rights reserved.
Unrestored public-domain versions of these images may be obtained
at the EHNS and Library of Congress websites.