Picturing a Voice

In the late 1800s Welsh singer and philanthropist Margaret Watts-Hughes invented a device called an Eidophone that combined the auditory with optical phenomena. It consisted of a mouthpiece leading to a receiving chamber, over which was stretched a rubber membrane, or diaphragm. Her experiments with this device involved sprinkling a variety of powders onto its surface, then singing into it to see how far these powders would leap. Beautiful images were produced by placing the Eidophone's diaphragm face up: the figure would then be sung into existence, and the glass plate then placed on top to capture it. She called the images "Impression Figures".

Single pitch Impression Figure by Margaret Watts-Hughes, pigment on glass, date unknown.
 Courtesy of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery.

Plant forms, an Impression Figure by Margaret Watts-Hughes, pigment on glass, date unknown.
Courtesy of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery.

Plant forms, an Impression Figure by Margaret Watts-Hughes, pigment on glass, date unknown.
Courtesy of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery.

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