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| acrylic on canvas, 24x30 inches Why are gramophones featured so much in my paintings? I think it's because the outside horn gramophones are the perfect blend of romance and technology. They were comparatively portable and gave people who did not have musical talent a way to share music with a loved one. Some of that music can be heard on this blog's music player in the form of a block of songs by the Irish tenor John McCormack who in his day, was an international superstar. McCormack sang both opera as well as more popular songs including his famous and somewhat spooky "I Hear You Calling Me", a ballad about someone pining for his love who has crossed over. |
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In the more fanciful paintings I'm doing, the gramophone is not only a symbol of
romance but in a way an almost steampunk (springpunk?) propulsion system as
across the night sky. One might imagine the boat would move faster or slower
depending on what was spinning on the spring powered turntable.
The gramophone is once again my 1907 Columbia BI Sterling. I'm rather partial to
the Victor outside horn machines of the same era, but I actually own the
Columbia. Those who are experts on these machines probably have noticed that
my Columbia is missing the turntable ring and that the crank is in a slightly odd
place. That's because the original motor was replaced with a double spring Victrola
motor and the modifications were made with great care and to the untrained eye
appear as original. The cabinet was refinished by Roger Rudd of the Kentucky
Antique Phonograph Society and a reproduction "Columbia Disc Graphophone "
label affixed to the front. I bought the machine from Brian Gorrell, a friend of mine
who with Roger restore old gramophones and other antique phonographs. I got
this machine knowing it was modified from the original and because of that more
affordably. The stronger Victor motor probably plays better than the original. With
a fresh needle and a good record it plays as well as it did in 1907.
romance but in a way an almost steampunk (springpunk?) propulsion system as
across the night sky. One might imagine the boat would move faster or slower
depending on what was spinning on the spring powered turntable.
The gramophone is once again my 1907 Columbia BI Sterling. I'm rather partial to
the Victor outside horn machines of the same era, but I actually own the
Columbia. Those who are experts on these machines probably have noticed that
my Columbia is missing the turntable ring and that the crank is in a slightly odd
place. That's because the original motor was replaced with a double spring Victrola
motor and the modifications were made with great care and to the untrained eye
appear as original. The cabinet was refinished by Roger Rudd of the Kentucky
Antique Phonograph Society and a reproduction "Columbia Disc Graphophone "
label affixed to the front. I bought the machine from Brian Gorrell, a friend of mine
who with Roger restore old gramophones and other antique phonographs. I got
this machine knowing it was modified from the original and because of that more
affordably. The stronger Victor motor probably plays better than the original. With
a fresh needle and a good record it plays as well as it did in 1907.