The "Virtuose" (Virtuoso)

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This machine is typical of the numerous small French companies which made (or just sold under their own brand) cylinder phonographs at the begining of the century.  The mechanism, identical to the Columbia Graphophone Type B, was the mostly often copied one.  Some companies got them directly from Pathe.  This reversible model has a nickled "cor de chasse" (hunting) horn.  The three cylinder boxes with the same top label are all Virtuose cylinders as advertised below.  The ad above was found in the Illustrated Supplement of the "Petit Journal" newspaper of November 1899 from the Maleville company of Libourne, France, a well known company selling goods including phonographs by mail on credit.

Advertisements published in French newspapers .

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