[The following note describes a series of company records and has no document records attached to it. To see the document records in the volumes and folders described here, use the "Which Series Notes?" button to enter the Series Notes or use the "Next Text" button to move to the first item in the series.]
Compagnie Française du Phonographe Edison was organized in Paris during September 1904 to sell Edison phonographs and records and, eventually, to manufacture records for sale. Joseph L. M. Kaltenecker was the first managing director of the company; James H. White of the National Phonograph Co., Ltd., was the first chairman of the board. The company was controlled by the National Phonograph Co. until 1911 and by the Foreign Department of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., thereafter. It became inactive after 1918, but it was not dissolved until 1924. The records consist of correspondence, minutes, journals, ledgers, and financial statements. Correspondence regarding the organization, structure, and policies of the company can also be found in the National Phonograph Company Records (Company Records Series).
The selected records are arranged in the following order: (1) corporate records (1904-1924); (2) merchandise ledger (1904-1923); and (3) financial statements (1905-1914). The items not selected consist of a general ledger (1904-1923); two unbound ledgers (1907-1923); two journals (1907-1923); and two cash books (1908-1914).