An un-disciplinary 19th-century invention: Margaret Watts Hughes’ Voice Figures and the eidophone

In 1885, Watts Hughes made an important advance on Chladni’s sound figures, using her voice to produce visualizations of sound with a device called an eidophone. In particular, over the past 25 years, several media artworks have been inspired by this invention. This prompts a closer un-disciplinary look at the contexts in which a woman from a Welsh working-class background invented a tool that was widely reported across Europe and the US and is still known today. Watts Hughes’ invention provides a special un-disciplinary case study from the past because it lies at the intersection of several areas, including vocal pedagogy, music, physics, medicine, esotericism, and the arts and crafts. The article situates the invention within the context of Watts Hughes’s singing method and Manuel Garcia’s laryngoscope. Furthermore, the text examines the role of the eidophone in physics, laryngology and speech therapy. This involves combining various methods, including sound and technology studies, visual studies, and the history of science and culture. Particular attention is paid to women’s history and class-related issues.