The Smithsonian”™s National Museum of American History announced plans to restore hitherto unheard experimental sound recordings made by Alexander Graham Bell.
The restoration work will focus on hundreds of records created by Bell and his colleagues at Volta Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and at Bell”™s property in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, between 1881 and 1892. The National Museum of American History, through an ongoing collaborative project with the Library of Congress and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, recovered sound from 20 experimental Volta Laboratory recordings in 2011, 2013 and 2019, including the only two documented recordings of Bell”™s voice.
This project, which includes grant funding from the Save America”™s Treasures program and matching support by Linda and Mike Curb and Seal Storage Technology, will permit the museum to acquire and operate the specialized equipment needed for restoring all of Bell’s recordings.
“Over the three-year duration of this remarkable project, ”˜Hearing History: Recovering Sound from Alexander Graham Bell”™s Experimental Records,”™ we will preserve and make accessible for the first time about 300 recordings that have been in the museum”™s collections for over a century, unheard by anyone.” said Anthea M. Hartig, the museum”™s Elizabeth MacMillan Director. “We are grateful to this public-private partnership in funding this dynamic and innovative work.”
