Antique Pathé Portable Gramophone 108. France 1920s.

Nostalgic antique Pathé portable gramophone, a very rare model that has survived to our days in excellent condition. The gramophone was made in France circa 1920 and is in great working order. The motor has been checked and fine-tuned so today it can play antique records with no problem at all. The gramophone sounds fine and provides a soft and reliable operation; moreover, the rest of its component parts have also been carefully restored in order to show off the wonderful look that we can appreciate in the photographs. This is a portable small-sized model, quite similar to the cameraphones that became so popular in the first half of the 20th century. The gramophone bears the Pathé signature embossed in the metal reproducer or soundbox. We can also see a circle with a rooster engraved inside, the brand logo. It also bears a riveted plate with the model and the serial number: TYPE 108 Nº 366. The wooden suitcase is covered of black leather, shiny, even and good-looking, and the rest of the component parts and pieces are made of chrome-plated metal. They are in outstanding condition, with no traces of rust and as shiny as the first day. The gramophone also preserves the original crank that brings the motor to life, with a lovely beech-wooden handle in a great golden brown color. Overall this amazing antique Pathe gramophone is a real collectors piece, quite attractive and working greatly.Pathé Fréres - History The company was founded as Société Pathé Frères in Paris, France in 1896, by the four brothers Charles, Émile, Théophile and Jacques Pathé. During the first part of the 20th century, Pathé became the largest film equipment and production company in the world, as well as a major producer of phonograph records. Charles Pathé had helped open a gramophone shop in 1894 and established a phonograph factory at Chatou. Having decided to expand the record business to include film equipment, the company expanded dramatically. To finance its growth, the company took the name Compagnie Générale des Établissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes. In 1902, Pathé acquired the Lumière brothers' patents; by 1909, they had built more than 200 movie theaters in France and Belgium. By the following year they had facilities in Madrid, Moscow, Rome and New York City plus Australia and Japan. Prior to the outbreak of World War I, Pathé dominated Europe's market in motion picture cameras and projectors.