Victor Victrola the Sixteenth

The Victor Victrola XVI was, for much of its life, Victor's top-of-the-line talking machine. The model was first introduced (as just the Victor Victrola) in 1906, and was the first inside-horn talking machine. The style of the cabinet evolved over the years. This particular cabinet style was introduced in 1912, and remained basically unchanged until the mid-1920s.

The machine illustrated is in the Vernis-Martin finish. This elaborate gold-leaf and hand painted finish cost an additional $200 at the time (doubling the cost of the Victrola). The Vernis-Martin Victrolas were not common when they were new, and are seldom encountered today. The fragileness of the finish is one of the main reasons that these delightful instruments did not survive as well as the more common finished Victrolas.