The 1888 Crystal Palace recordings

Enter Colonel Gouraud

On 14th October 1887 Edison and Colonel George E. Gouraud reached an agreement on the international marketing of the phonograph. But Gouraud had to wait another eight months before he could get his hands on a phonograph and start to demonstrate it in Europe.

Who was Colonel Gouraud?

Col Gouraud drawn by "Ape" and published in Vanity Fair on 13th April 1889

**Col Gouraud drawn by "Ape" and published in Vanity Fair on 13th April 1889.**

He was born George Edward Gouraud in New York, NY, U.S.A. or "near Niagara in 1841". According to the notice of his death in The Times on 20th February 1912, he died aged 70 in Vevey, Switzerland, on 17th February 1912.

He was the son of François Fauvel Gouraud, agent of the Giroux company of Paris who had an arrangement with Daguerre to sell what was known as the Daguerreotype camera in North America. Gouraud arrived in New York in late 1839 and acted as representative in the US, in much the same way as George Gouraud represented Edison in London over forty years later. François Gouraud's wife died of tuberculosis in May 1847 and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. François himself died of tuberculosis a month later and was buried with her on 17th June 1847. George and his brother were orphans in a foreign country. You read more about Gouraud's family and descendants here.

Gouraud's trail goes cold for a few years, and he resurfaces during the American Civil War when he served with the 55th Massachusetts and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the citation reading:

While under severe fire of the enemy, which drove back the command, rendered valuable assistance in rallying the men.

This happened at Honey Hill, South Carolina on 30th November 1864. At that time he was just Captain Gouraud.

According to the Report of the battle at Honey Hill by Brigadier General John P. Hatch, U.S. Army, Commanding Coast Division:

Capt. G. E. Gouraud, of General Foster's staff, won the praise of all, and is particularly commended for gallantry.

Earlier, in 1862, when he was Lieutenant Gouraud, he was involved in a small engagement near Newberne, North Carolina:

The commanding officer sent orders by Lt. George E. Gouraud, acting adjutant, for the cavalry to fall back. Just as Lieutenant Gouraud delivered his orders he noticed a soldier of C Company fall from his horse badly wounded. Gouraud called for assistance to get the wounded man on his horse. Kenyon jumped from his horse, threw his reins to the comrade next to him, ran to where the wounded man lay, lifted him to his feet and hoisted him across the pommel of Gouraud’s saddle where Gouraud held him and putting spurs to his horse swiftly carried the man out of danger.

Gouraud acted as Edison's agent and was behind the Edison Telephone Company of London, Ltd., incorporated in 1879 and a number of European and other telephone companies using Edison's technology. He was also active in promoting Edison's electric lighting in Europe, for example the generating station at Holborn Viaduct in London.

His home was called Little Menlo, an impressive house on Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, in South London - at that time still in leafy Surrey. The house was named after the location of Edison's workshop in New Jersey - Menlo Park. It was an all-electric house, or as all-electric as could be achieved in the 1880s. Gouraud's boots were cleaned by electricity, his carpets brushed by electricity, lighting was by electricity and he rode a tricycle with an electric motor. He also had a direct telephone connecting to the Crystal Palace and could listen to concerts relayed from the Palace by telephone.

According to the New York Times, the billiard room was converted into "a combination of a ballroom, theatre, music room, studio, reading room, salle d’armes and hall of science".

Drawing of Little Menlo

It was against this backdrop that Gouraud become Edison's European agent for the phonograph.

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