Brett Brehm Livres

What stories remain hidden behind one of the most significant inventions of the nineteenth century? This work reexamines the development of mechanical sound recording technology by exploring the connections among writers, scientists, and artists in France and the United States. It bridges visual culture and sound studies, placing poet and inventor Charles Cros and his lover, concert pianist Nina de Villard, at the center of modern aesthetic and scientific movements. Cros's scientific pursuits included color photography, telecommunications, and mechanical sound reproduction, while his poetry inspired the Surrealists. His literary and scientific contributions resonate with contemporary technological media issues. For nearly two decades, de Villard hosted an intellectually daring salon that attracted numerous literary and artistic luminaries, serving as a precursor to the famous Chat Noir cabaret. Together, Cros and Villard offer a fresh perspective on urban modernity icons like Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, and Walt Whitman, illuminating their works in a new light. This exploration reveals the prehistory of the phonograph, the aesthetics of sound reproducibility, and the genealogy of audiovisual experimentation in movements such as Dada and Futurism, enriching our understanding of modern mediascapes.