Schematic of a piano with light equipment added
Permanent ID:
11781Date:
circa 1910Inscription:
This photograph represents a strictly secondary idea what I feel was deliberately foisted on to my parent patent by electrical influence of using light-color play arrangements in an automatic musical instrument. I saw to it that such light arrangements were to be distinctly stated as being entirely separate and distinct from the sound making parts.It will be hard for future ages to realize how completely at the time the electric aggregations held control over practically every door of opportunity. My patent attorneys held a retainer fee from the General Electric their attitude towards a client who had a valuable electric method was biased. They would have thought nothing of short stopping the hopes of the [illegible] duel to favor their wealthy electrical patron who had [illegible] much more to give them.
It is unbelieveable how neat + impossible it was for the [illegible] duel to run through the [illegible] everywhere placed in his way.
(Recto, on scrapbook page)