Columbia Phonograph Co.

Columbia Phonograph Company, Washington, DC. Please do not confuse with Columbia Phonograph Company Gen'l or Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc. - (Columbia Phonograph Company). Note, though, that between 1937 and 1939, Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc. appears on labels abbreviated as Columbia Phonograph Co. Founded in 1889 (as a semi independent subsidiary of North America Phonograph Co. established by Jesse Lippencott in 1888) by stenographer, lawyer and New Jersey native Edward Easton (1856-1915) and a group of investors, the company derived its name from the District of Columbia, where it was headquartered. Initially established to handle sales of American Graphophone Company products in Washington D.C., Delaware and Maryland. Under Easton's leadership the company built up a local monopoly on sales and service of Edison phonographs and phonograph cylinders. As was the custom of some of the regional "phonograph" companies, "Columbia" produced many commercial cylinder recordings of its own, and its catalog of musical records in 1891 comprised 10 pages. As of 1891 Easton was also the general manger of affiliated company American Graphophone Company. By May 1893 he had acquired enough stock in this company to assume control. In 1894, following the collapse of North America Phonograph Co., Easton arranged to consolidate his two firms, Columbia Phonograph Co. and American Graphophone Company, the former company handling research and manufacturing and the latter handling marketing, sales and distribution. Both companies retaining separate corporate identities. The merged principal company was incorporated as Columbia Phonograph Company Gen'l on 21st May 1894. In 1913 Columbia Phonograph Company Gen'l was renamed Columbia Graphophone Company.