Victor Talking Machine Company

Founded in Camden, New Jersey, in 1901, Victor Talking Machine Company grew out of the work of machinist and entrepreneur Eldridge R. Johnson and the gramophone innovations associated with Emile Berliner. The company quickly became one of the most important names in early recorded music and home sound technology.

Victor was especially famous for popularizing the Victrola, a phonograph designed to fit more naturally into the home, and for building a major catalog of recordings across classical, popular, and other genres. Its Red Seal releases helped bring celebrated performers to a wide audience, while its "His Master's Voice" trademark became one of the best-known images in recording history.

In 1929, Victor merged with the Radio Corporation of America and became RCA Victor. Even after the original company name changed, its influence carried on through the record business, the phonograph industry, and the long history of recorded music in the United States.