Sunday, November 18, 2007

An amazing record label from 1906. The American Record Company. It gives the average view of Indians in the beginning of the 20th century.



This blue shellac record from around 1906 is one made by the American Record Company. It is in many regards a beautiful label. And the records rich blue color adds to the effect. Yet once you look at it and see it, some interesting things come to mind. First off lets look at the label closer.




Here is a close up of the label. it has an American Indian listening to a phonograph.







What does it say here "Music have charms".....Let's think of that statement. Music hath charms to calm the savage beast. So what they are saying here is that the music on this record will calm even an American Indian, who of course in their view was a savage. It is amazing that such a label was made. But in its day it was looked on as perfectly normal. Needless to say the American Record Company did not last long and these labels are quite scarce today.