Edison’s Concrete Piano
NOT CONTENT TO SOLVE THE world’s housing problems, in 1911 Thomas Edison took on the furniture industry, to the enthusiastic delight (as usual) of the press. Boasting that concrete furniture could be made just as attractive as wood and far more lasting and durable, he began molding some common household pieces.
Using air-impregnated “foam” concrete developed in his laboratory, Edison claimed that the weight could be kept down to about 150 percent of a comparable object made of wood. Furthermore, with highly polished molds, the effect could be equal in appearance and pleasantly colored, with either mirrorsmooth or wood-grain finish.
“Imagine,” he said, “a newly wed couple having to go into installment debt to buy $450 worth of new household furnishings of dubious or poor quality, or having an opportunity to buy my concrete furniture for less than $200—furniture that would outlast their marriage!” Bedroom sets were even projected to sell under the Edison name in the five-to-six-dollar price range, though one suspects that the mattresses might have been a little firm.
During 1911 Edison molded a piano, a bathtub, and sample cabinets for his phonographs, which he particularly hoped would catch on. In December he shipped a pair of the consoles on a round trip to Chicago and New Orleans, accompanied by press releases to all the city newspapers along the way. With typical showmanship, he attached signs to the sides of the crates reading, “Please drop and abuse this package.”
At the end of January 1912 the Edison castings were scheduled to be exhibited at the annual cement-industry show in New York City. To the dismay of the promoters, Edison never showed up. There was no explanation, and Edison declined to discuss concrete furniture from that day on. Though there is no documentation, it can be speculated that the cases with the phonograph cabinets, which were supposed to be opened and displayed at the show, arrived home in no condition to attend the event. Regardless of its value and appearance, Edison’s concrete furniture just never caught on.
