Phonograph:Victor Victrola XVI

In 1906 the Victor Talking Machine Company revolutionized the American home by introducing its Victrola cabinet phonograph. With the unsightly horn and turntable concealed in an attractive mahogany case, the Victrola turned the standard phonograph of the day into an attractive piece of furniture rivaling the piano for its place in the middle-class American living room. The basic Victrola XVI became the best-selling phonograph in the country: this model set the design standards for a decade and became the generic name for any American floor-model phonograph. The Victrola provided the music as the dance craze of the 1910s gave rise to an American passion for dancing at home. In 1914 Americans bought more than 500,000 phonographs annually; by 1921 yearly production exceeded 100 million. In 1917 Victor introduced 46 different Victrola designs like this one in an attempt to boost its image as a high-quality phonograph. Victor made relatively few of these unique patterns, which were available through special order only.