'Edison's Telephonoscope': the visual telephone and the satire of electric light mania. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- 'Edison's Telephonoscope': the visual telephone and the satire of electric light mania. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)
- Main Title:
- 'Edison's Telephonoscope': the visual telephone and the satire of electric light mania
- Authors:
- Roberts, Ivy
- Abstract:
- Abstract: For the past 30 years, media historians have consistently interpreted George Du Maurier's 'Edison's Telephonoscope' ( Punch, 1878) as a depiction of television. Scholars treat the illustration as a literary document conveying an image of what Victorians thought television one day might become. But this interpretation is incomplete because it neglects the multiplicity of frames of reference readers bring to the image. Leafing through the December 9 issue of Punch in context strikes the reader with a very different impression of the 'Telephonoscope.' Du Maurier's title resonated with readers, who would have recognised the distance-hearing-and-speaking device not as a visual telephone but in connection with the much-ridiculed 'ear telescope, ' or megaphone, that Edison had tried to promote earlier in the year. Other memorable caricatures, including the 'Museum of Modern Invention' and 'Edison's Anti-Gravity Underclothing, ' appeared on adjacent pages to 'Edison's Telephonoscope.' Punch 's cartoon could be read as a satire of Edison's public image: a statement against technological innovation. This article urges readers to look past surface appearance by examining the reception of 'Edison's Telephonoscope, ' along with the phonograph, megaphone and electric light. By establishing connections to other 1878 events, Edisonian inventions and the misunderstandings that arose from communicating across the Atlantic, this article argues for an interdisciplinary approach thatAbstract: For the past 30 years, media historians have consistently interpreted George Du Maurier's 'Edison's Telephonoscope' ( Punch, 1878) as a depiction of television. Scholars treat the illustration as a literary document conveying an image of what Victorians thought television one day might become. But this interpretation is incomplete because it neglects the multiplicity of frames of reference readers bring to the image. Leafing through the December 9 issue of Punch in context strikes the reader with a very different impression of the 'Telephonoscope.' Du Maurier's title resonated with readers, who would have recognised the distance-hearing-and-speaking device not as a visual telephone but in connection with the much-ridiculed 'ear telescope, ' or megaphone, that Edison had tried to promote earlier in the year. Other memorable caricatures, including the 'Museum of Modern Invention' and 'Edison's Anti-Gravity Underclothing, ' appeared on adjacent pages to 'Edison's Telephonoscope.' Punch 's cartoon could be read as a satire of Edison's public image: a statement against technological innovation. This article urges readers to look past surface appearance by examining the reception of 'Edison's Telephonoscope, ' along with the phonograph, megaphone and electric light. By establishing connections to other 1878 events, Edisonian inventions and the misunderstandings that arose from communicating across the Atlantic, this article argues for an interdisciplinary approach that acknowledges the contexts in which cultural representations circulated. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Early popular visual culture. Volume 15:Issue 1(2017)
- Journal:
- Early popular visual culture
- Issue:
- Volume 15:Issue 1(2017)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 15, Issue 1 (2017)
- Year:
- 2017
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 1
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2017-0015-0001-0000
- Page Start:
- 1
- Page End:
- 25
- Publication Date:
- 2017-01-02
- Subjects:
- Telephonoscope -- Punch -- Thomas Alva Edison -- electricity -- television -- satire
Cinematography -- History -- Periodicals
Visual communication -- History -- Periodicals
Image transmission -- History -- Periodicals
Photography -- History -- Periodicals
Popular culture -- History -- Periodicals
Entertainment events -- History -- Periodicals
778.05 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/repv20/current ↗
http://www.tandfonline.com/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1080/17460654.2016.1232656 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1746-0654
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 3642.999445
British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 1362.xml