Enoch J. Rector

 
ENOCH RECTOR, was an inventor in various fields, but mainly of improvements in the motion picture field. He worked as as aide of Edison on Sound Reproduction in around 1894. He is best known for his invention of a new type of camera shutter, and was at one time a boxing film promotor.

Cinema historian Terry Ramsaye has claimed that Enoch Rector, during his association with the Woodville Latham's Kinetoscope Exhibition Company, invented the 'Latham loop', a key feature of modern cinema cameras and projectors, in 1895. However, in 1927 this was challenged and stared stated that that Eugene Lauste - one of his partners - was responsible for this important invention.

Rectorphone

Link to ROMFI
 
Perhaps inspired by his work with Edison, Enoch J. Rector invented this very simple and cheap phonograph. This machine was distributed by many small companies as the Baird-North Company and Bacigalupi. This phonograph is distinguishable through its bare simplicity, the mandrel made out of four formed sheet metal pieces and the reproducer carriage also of pressed sheet metal, having a simple single point in contact with the feed screw, that moved the reproducer and horn across the 2 minute cylinder. Horn was similarly simple, made of cardboard.



The machine is neither marked with a manufacturers name, nor a serial number. It is believed that Rector only made this 1 style.
 

ecentx Record