Germany, Cologne

Circa 1900

Stollwerck Chocolate company, Gebruder Junghans A.G. (mechanism)

Metal, mica; mechanical work, press work, decalcomania

21 × 28 × 12 cm, 0.5 kg

On the base upper panel: ‘B.s.g.d.G.’, on the bottom panel: the image of a trade mark in the shape of an eight-rayed star with the inscription ‘Junghans’ and the letter ‘J’. On the key: ‘5-350’

On the base upper panel: ‘B.s.g.d.G.’, on the bottom panel: the image of a trade mark in the shape of an eight-rayed star with the inscription ‘Junghans’ and the letter ‘J’. On the key: ‘5-350’

The toy gramophone is housed in a case with a protruding convex base, and cylindrical shape hollow metal upper part. The gramophone is painted with dark green color paint and with hand painted goldish pattern in the form of crowns, waves, a chain of beads and a latticework of arcs. Four gramophone records made of wax pulp with paper pads are inside the upper part. The painted upper panel has a circular raised area for the central hole of a gramophone record.  A pin connected to a spring motor mounted in the base is on the base upper panel with an ornament of sun rays. A bracket with a cone-shaped horn with a sound box with a needle and a lever for switching on the mechanism in the slot is on the base lateral surface; a pin for winding the spring is on the bottom panel with the trade mark. Goldish ornament in the form of waves and vines with bunches of grapes, framed by chains of beads and stripes on dark green surface is the horn external side. When the record is fixed and the mechanism is switched on, the case rotates with the record, the needle moves along the sound track of the record, transmits mechanical vibrations to the diaphragm that converts them into sound, which is amplified by the horn. The set includes five 8 cm diameter gramophone records and the central aperture diameter of 2.3 cm, a horn and a key.

Music media: gramophone record.

These gramophones were merchandised as the perfect Christmas gift for children and were designed to play a tune on a record made of chocolate.
The discs were wrapped in foil, and it was on the foil that the music was recorded so that the music could be played through the gramophone (the needle did not directly touch the chocolate).
The records were advertised as ‘talking Stollwerck chocolate’, an ideal gift for children who could eat the record as soon as they got tired of listening to the song; a ‘wax’ copy of the record was also provided.

Инв.944.1-3/УВЗ