Ithaca, New York
Autophone Co – Harry Bishop Horton

Wood, metal, leather, fabric
ca.  1878
Height: 10.25 in; Width: 10 in; Depth: 2.5 in
Wind Instruments – Free Reeds

Metal label attached to front: MANUFACTURED / BY THE / Autophone Co / ITHACA N.Y. / H.B. HORTON

Note attached on the bottom reads: Directions (complete instructions on playing the ‘autophone,’ what to do and what not to do.)

An early (1878) mechanical musical instrument known as an organette, made by the Autophone Company in Ithaca, New York.  The organette was a mechanical free-reed programmable (automatic) musical instrument first manufactured in the late 1870s.  This organette is a hand pressure operated model with 22 free reeds, designed to play printed perforated scores (cardboard music strips). It is constructed of wood and brass with leather bellows. It originated in Winchester, CT and was created by inventor Harry Bishop Horton (1819-1885), who described it as an ‘autophone’ in his ‘for improvements’ U.S. Patent #211821, dated December 3, 1878.

Various patents credit Henry Bishop Horton who was co-founder of the Ithaca Calendar Clock Co.  In 1865, he invented the calendar clock attachments that allowed for the leap year and other improvements, which have since been extensively manufactured by the Ithaca Calendar Clock company.

Resource: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_605790