M.S. Rau is an antique store in New Orleans. It sells only the finest, most luxurious, and most unusual art and furnishings available. It collection includes this mechanical marvel: the Hupfeld Phonolist-Violina Model B music cabinet.
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Yes, it’s a player piano. But it also has three self-playing violins, which was a revolutionary invention when it was developed in the first years of the Twentieth Century in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It rose to worldwide fame at the 1910 World’s Fair in Belgium and was produced in great quantities. 63 survive to this day, including this example at M.S. Rau, which is in perfect working order. Its purchase comes with 50 rolls of music, which is a small selection of the 900 that were eventually composed during this mechanical marvel’s heyday.
Source: neatorama