Welcome to Samantha's World 1904 - The American Girls Collection

American Girl™ 1999

 

"The whole world was changing, or so it seemed to Samantha Parkington...Samantha Parkington is a fictional character. But the time and place of her story --America at the beginning of the twentieth century-- was real."

"In this book, you will travel back in time and experience the changing world that Samantha knew." Thus begins "Welcome to Samantha's World 1904."

For Friends of the Phonograph, several examples of pop culture phonographia are seen in Samantha's world -- as a machine that plays recorded music; a dance instructor; a machine for the parlor; and as miniatures in doll houses.

In the chapter Newangled Notions a phonograph is described in the context of Hot dogs, Nickelodeons and Skyscapers.

 

 

 

In the chapter Meet the Confinos the fictional story is told of Victoria Confino and her family who immigrated to America in 1913 from Kastoria, Turkey. In New York City they lived in a three-room tenement. Victoria loved school but her father said that she was needed at home to care for the younger children. An illustration shows Victoria playing the phonograph in their apartment and teaching her younger brother Turkish dances.

 

 

A full view of the Corfino living room with its phonograph.

 

 

 

 

In this dollhouse there is a miniature phonograph and horn in the upper right attic room; also in the room directly below the attic is another phonograph on the dresser.

 

 

 

 

The American Girl Collection sold a battery-operated phonograph for their American Girl Dolls in 2009 called "Rebecca's Phonograph Set" which included a phonograph with working crank handle, 3 records that play 'songs of the day' and album to store the records.