Science
[EDISON
(Thomas Alva, 1847-1931, American Inventor of the Phonograph), Alexander Graham BELL (1847-1922, Scots-born American Inventor of the Telephone) & Sir Joseph Wilson SWAN (1828-1914, English Physicist, invented an electric lamp which anticipated Edison's and later produced the incandescent lamp)
Excellent vintage unsigned group photo
showing the three scientists in a group standing and seated at a table with a telephone (?) on it, annotated on the verso with the names and place, 6½ x 5 in mount 10 x 8, Mento Laboraties, no date, c.
Item Date: 1885
Background
This photo shows Edison and his helpers after a 72 hour marathon to develop the Perfected Phonograph. While the photo references Bell and Swann, neither are in the photo. The items on the table are a Gannett battery used to power the phonograph and the things that look like tubes are wax cylinder records. The images includes Colonel Gouraud (edison's sales agent in the UK) - he is the one holding the hat, John Ott - standing to the right of Edison, W.K.L. Dickson (standing all the way to the left), Charles Batchelor (his business partner) - standing next to Dickson.
Stock No. 29971