Name/Title
Pathé “Jeunesse”Entry/Object ID
273Description
Pathé Frères, France, ca. 1910
Historical Background
The name “Jeunesse” (“Youth”) already reveals the target audience: this small gramophone was specifically designed for young listeners. It belonged to the Pathé-Salon series and was the smallest model of the line. Its sturdy wooden case with an integrated aluminum horn was meant to protect the instrument from damage by youthful users while still offering an elegant design.
Technology and Features
Dimensions: 26 × 26 × 33 cm
Horn: fixed aluminum horn, built into the cabinet for protection
Reproducer: Pathé soundbox with sapphire stylus, designed for vertical-cut records (up to Ø 21 cm)
Record format: exclusively Pathé discs with inside-out vertical grooves (saphir records)
Design and Target Audience
The Pathé Jeunesse combines a plain, almost “bunker-like” construction with a certain charm. Affordable yet solidly built, it was an ideal entry-level machine for children and teenagers being introduced to the modern world of recorded sound.
Rarity and Significance
Today, the Pathé Jeunesse is a sought-after collector’s item, as only relatively few examples have survived. It illustrates Pathé’s strategy of covering the entire gramophone market with products for different audiences – from luxury machines to models designed for the young.
The example on display at the Edisonium Mariazell is particularly well-preserved and vividly conveys the educational and social intent behind Pathé’s production around 1910.
