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In the 1908-1910 era pianos were still considered the best, most wholesome and educational form of home entertainment and music by the upper crust, so Edison had his work cut out for him convincing middle class moms that ready-made music wouldn't be a corrupting influence on the home. This ad, aimed overtly at women, from LHJ, resembles an Ivory Soap solicitation in style, with its wholesome depiction of family. Most ads for pianos, it appears, were in the male targeted magazines like World's Work, since men, usually, would ultimately decide about such a considerable ($1,000 app. ) purchase. By 1910, with many middle class men choosing to buy automobiles ($1,000 to $4,000) the phonograph (as only Edison called it) must have seemed like a bargain at $40.00. Autos were considered 'toys' back then. Edison (who unveiled his kinetophone in 1910--talking picture machine) also invested a lot of his energy in a home movie system, and educational films, perhaps feeling that parents would ultimately succumb to the media reports about the evils of the Nickelodeon. Or maybe he was disillusioned about all the movie making competition--he lost the patent war on the cinematograph.
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