Victrola XVI with Moorish Marquetry found

[PedroFono]

Hi all,

I've been asked to help on the restoration of the 12 ever made Victrola XVI in Moorish marquetry finish. It was found in Algeria and now is in Spain been restored and will be auctioned soon.

I ask your help to try to decipher some unsolved mysteries of this fascinating machine.

First, some general pictures of how it is now after a deep cleaning and some very small repairs of the marquetry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now comes the mysteries. If you compare it with one of the 2 other (AFAIK) machines that exist nowadays, it has some differences:

See for reference the other machine on this link: https://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4459
As you can see, the newly found machines has no needle cups nor identifying plate and there's no signals of screws or nails holes.

 

 

 

Another very very obvious difference is that this one has an electric motor. I have inspected inside and out the machine and it has not any trace of hole for a crank, nor holes for the spring motor so I can confirm that this machine never had a spring motor.

On the other hand, I have very little knowledge about identifying electric motor brands and, so far, I've never seen this electric motor on a Victrola.
The speed regulator is on top of the motor and there are no other holes that could indicate that it had a different electric motor before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only thing that I don't find normal is that this board has been sawn and removed in a not very professional way (but maybe it was the only possible way to do it without breaking apart all the cabinet):

 

 

Do you recognize this motor?

It also strikes me that there's no holes in the back of the cabinet to dissipate the heat as other Electrolas but this might be normal because this motor does not have the usual resistors to adapt it to different voltages.

And last, there is a hole for a screw that can be seen in all models of Victrola XVI but, in this case, I cannot figure out what it can be used for. It is a screw that is between the tonearm and spindle:

 

 

 

What does that screw is used for?

Thank you vey much in advance for your help!

Pedro Martínez
www.pedrofono.es

 

Edited May 22, 2021 by PedroFono
duplicated picture

[Valecnik]

Really amazing machine.  What a story there must be behind it.

 

[Bruce]

I agree what a spectacular machine.  The craftsmanship is astounding.

 

Sorry I can not help with your questions but will watch this thread in anticipation of the answers.

 

Bruce

[Auxetophone]

Amazing. 

 

This is probably my #1 dream machine. Anything is possible on these low-production custom models, but this one is a bit different than the others I've seen. 

 

The amount of work that went into making these is astounding, and it is certainly in the right hands for restoration! 

[phonogfp]

Pedro, thank you for posting these outstanding images of what must be Victor's most elaborate production cabinet. 

 

The absence of the machine screw that supported the original cast-iron horn component (as well as this cast-iron piece itself) strongly suggests that the original configuration was modified at some point, and that the electric motor now in place was not originally there.  Considering that this machine dates from 1909-1912, the original electric motor was likely not a good performer in this application. 

 

The motor now in place bears a general resemblance to the Westinghouse motors used in early electric Graphophones, early-production Columbia Commercial Graphophones/Dictaphones, early-production Edison Business Phonographs, and Edison coin-operated machines such as the Eclipse.  With the absence of resistors, I would expect this motor is wound for 110 volt DC.  In any event, it looks like a motor from the 1910s.  The specialized turntable with a channel for the string-drive should aid in its eventual identification.  It may be that the pages of The Talking Machine World can shed some light on this motor.

 

Thanks again for posting this stunning machine, and best of luck with its restoration.

 

George P.

[Analogous]

Does anyone have any idea where this marquetry was done?  A lotta love went into this.  The cabinet makers of foreign-cased Victors isn't fully known, is it?  Some British machines had cabinets made in Germany, I believe.  The Spanish machines I've seen look like the product of a different company.

 

John

[phonogfp]

According to Baumbach's Look For the Dog, these cabinets were made in Morocco.

 

George P.

[RodPickett]

Pedro,

 

Congratulations

 

These are rare and beautiful machines.  A collector who formerly lived in my area owns one, but has since moved.

 

You might wish to use the APS Archive Search Function, using the argument Moorish and select those entries that may provide more detail.  Two that I noticed and downloaded were:

 

Antique Phonograph Monthly Newsletter-VOL V-03-1977.pdf

"A special Moorish Marquetry model was announced to the trade on October 12, 1909 at $750."

 

 

Talking Machine World Period Newsletter-1911.pdf

"The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. have shown some splendid Victor windows during the month, the best one being a display of the three highest-priced Victrolas made, the Moorish marquetry, the Vernis Martin and the Circassian walnut shown in a decorated window. The concerts have been well attended, and have become a feature of the business. The Columbia Phonograph Co. report a very"

[PedroFono]

Hi again.

 

So, here are my findings after reading all your posts and some very interesting discussions with the owner one of them and some of the most renowned specialists on Victrolas:

- There's no proof that 12 were made. Until now, two were known to exist but there's only pictures of one. So this is the 3rd one that arrived to nowadays.
- The plain motorboard is the only piece without marquetry and this is consistent with the other documented unit. 
- The marquetry was not made in Morocco but in Spain as stated on the December 15th 1911 issue of the "The Talking Machine World" Newsletter:

 

WANAMAKER VICTROLA EXHIBITION.

 

The largest Victrola exhibition that was ever held in New York was just concluded at the Wanamaker stores. The large auditorium was used, and over three hundred Victrolas were placed on the main floor, which has a seating capacity of nearly one thousand persons. The decorative features produced by flowers, rugs, hangings, lamps and regular "stage settings" gave the appearance of a typical Eastern bazaar.

 

The seats in the gallery were not disturbed, and five to six hundred people remained throughout the day listening to the recitals of the Red Seal record artists which were featured continuously, in fact all day long. The pipe organ accompaniment to these records was wonderful and put the seats at a premium. Many records, principally the Broadway hits and popular numbers, were also accompanied on the piano.

 

The Victrola daily sales were the largest in the history of the Wanamaker store, and exceeded all previous records. No type of Victrola less than $50 were sold, and none but the style XVI at $200 were shown at all in the exhibition. The exhibition was especially attractive, inasmuch as every style wood and finish were represented, not only the $200 style, but it included the De Luxe Louis XV in gold and Verni Martin, also the imported Moorish mother of pearl design made at the Alhambra, which is price marked at $750.

 

The marketing of Victrolas on this high plane is only a continuation of the Wanamaker's method of doing business, and which outgenerals all competitors, and which is wholly due to the experience and foresight of the management, which is vested in the buyer of the New York store musical department, Louis Jay Gerson, who has been in active charge for the past three years.

 

The Alhambra (pronounced [alħamˈraːʔ], lit. 'The Red One') [Sound File] is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 CE on the remains of ancient Roman fortifications, and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid-13th century by the Arab Nasrid emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada, who built its current palace and walls. It was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the conclusion of the Christian Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition), and the palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style.

 

There's since then a tradition of making very fine furniture with the famous "Moorish marquetry" called "Taracea" in Spanish that is still done nowadays. You can see a video of it here: Video of Technique . The technique is basically the same but the materials used are in some cases different due to modern regulations.

 

- The electric motor is from a Columbia electric gramophone or a dictaphone. The connector between the tonearm and horn is not original, (albeit beautifully done) so, the consensus is that this machine came from the Victor factory to Spain to have the marquetry done but, for some unknown reason, it never went back to the USA to be finished with the motor and all Victor hardware.

 

We have decided to remove all the non Victor original components and finish the machine like the factory would have done. That said, I'm looking to buy an entire L-door Victrola with the wood in poor condition but complete to make the transplant of all the components. So, If you have one for sale, please contact me.

 

Regards,

 

Pedro Martinez
www.pedrofono.es

En-us-Alhambra_flat_A.ogg.mp3

[phonogfp]

Pedro,

 

Thank you for posting all this additional information and corrections.  I never spotted that item in the December 1911 issue of The Talking Machine World, and appreciate you bringing it to our attention.

 

Very best of luck to you in this machine's restoration!

 

George P.

[RodPickett]

Pedro

 

Thank you for the documentation of your research.  I took liberty to edit to correct a hyperlink to the YouTube Video and included a sound-file pronunciation of  Alhambra.

[PedroFono]

Thanks a lot!