Margaret Watts Hughes and the Shape of the Human Voice
Megan Watts Hughes (1842–1907), generally known as Margaret, was a passionate Welsh singer and inventor, who became one of the first women to present an invention at the Royal Society in London in 1887, when she unveiled her eidophone. It was a device that made possible to visualize the human voice. Before the arrival of sound recorders (the first recordings on wax cylinders were taking their first steps), the study of the human voice and singing was limited to the expertise of the trained ears of the teachers. It was known since the end of the 18th century that sound created geometric patterns in the sand, but it was considered necessary to improve the technique to find the right method with which to visually record a vocalized note. That was Margaret’s effort.
Mrs. Watts Hughes was also there. She is the lady who sings flower forms on to flat surfaces arranged for the purpose, by emitting notes through a sort of pipe, a performance at which I assisted one-day last season, and which may very possibly lead to considerable developments.
This quotation, taken from Notes from a diary, 1889–1891, by M. E. Grant Duff, sums up the fascination that this invention aroused in its time. Between 1891 and 1904 Margaret held various public demonstrations, as well as published articles and a book about her invention or, as she also defined…
