EDISON, Thomas A. (1847-1931). Autograph letter signed (''Thos A Edison'') to J.J. Carty, Orange, New York, 14 August 1918; with photographic print, inscribed below on the mount: ''To JJ Carty / Thos A Edison.'' Letter, 212 x 275mm; photograph, 165 x...

EDISON, Thomas A. (1847-1931). Autograph letter signed ("Thos A Edison") to J.J. Carty, Orange, New York, 14 August 1918; with photographic print, inscribed below on the mount: "To JJ Carty / Thos A Edison." Letter, 212 x 275mm; photograph, 165 x 125mm, mounted on cardboard.

Edison writes to electrical engineer John Joseph Carty, memorializing his 12 August 1877 milestone: "I was the first person to speak into the first phonograph. The first words spoken by me into the original model, and that were reproduced, were 'Mary had a little lamb' and the other three lines of that verse." Carty (1861-32) served as a chief engineer at AT and was the eighth recipient of the Edison Medal. He played a major role in developing the first transcontinental telephone line. Provenance: Doyle, 15 June 1994, lot 7.

Pre-Lot Text
PROPERTY FROM THE ROGER D. JUDD COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL LETTERS, DOCUMENTS AND MANUSCRIPTS