The Victor Talking Machine Company was founded by Eldridge R. Johnson and
was headquarter in Camden, New Jersey. It was one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. In September of 1906, Johnson and a team
of engineers designed a new line of phonographs with the turntable and amplifying
horn tucked away inside a wooden cabinet. This was not done for reasons of audio fidelity, but for visual effect. They wanted it to look less like a piece of machinery
and more like a piece of furniture. These internal horn machines, trademarked
with the name Victrola, were first marketed to the public beginning on August 22,
1906 and were an immediate hit.

Soon an extensive line of Victrolas was marketed, ranging from small tabletop
models selling for $15, through many sizes and designs of cabinets intended to
go with the decor of middle-class homes in the $100 to $250 range, up to $600 Chippendale and Queen Anne-style cabinets of fine wood with gold trim designed
to look at home in elegant mansions.Victrolas became by far the most popular
brand of home phonograph, and sold in great numbers until the end of the
1920s. RCA Victor continued to market phonographs with the “Victrola”
name until the early 1970s.

Eldridge R. Johnson of the Victor Talking Machine Company