The Mechanical Talking Head: An Early Speech Synthesiser

Photo of the Euphonia
The Euphonia, a mechanical speech synthesiser. Public domain photo, sourced from Atlas Obscura.

In a dimly-lit room in the back of London’s Egyptian Hall, a few curious people had gathered.  Each had paid a shilling for the privilege of seeing the object standing in the centre of the room.  A grotesque device it was — the mask of a woman’s face, framed in the fashionable ringlets of the day, Read the rest