Nicole Freres (France) musical boxes and cabinets

The history of the music box dates back to 1796, when the Swiss watchmaker Antoine Favre perfected the concept of musical devices of reduced dimensions. The cylinder musical box evolved in the early 19th century from clocks with bell chimes. Instead of bells the music was created by tiny teeth as in the teeth in a comb being 'flicked' by the pins in a rotating cylinder. The early boxes had plain cases, and the spring mechanism which drove the cylinder was wound by a key. This was replaced by a ratchet lever. From 1860 the cases became more ornate with more... inlays and banding. The movements were enhanced with complications such as bellow, drums and bells, the latter of which were often hidden under decorative butterflies or bees. Another advance was to include additional cylinders, and while the box could only play a single cylinder at one time, the cylinders were interchangeable, thus increasing the repertoire of the box. Popularity and thus production of cylinder musical boxes declined in the late 19th century as they were superseded by the disc musical box. The music in these was created by a revolving disc with protrusions which strike keyed teeth. The discs were easier and cheaper to produce than the pinned cylinders of the musical box, the discs could be changed, and popular tunes could be put on disc overnight. The disc musical box reached its apogee of popularity between 1885 and 1914. There are two basic models of the disc musical box, the free-standing where the disc is vertical, and the table model, where the disc is usually horizontal. Many of the free-standing models could be in excess of 200 cm in height. For commercial use, models were made with a "penny in-the-slot" mechanism for use in public houses. Sometimes musical movements, both cylinder and disc, were incorporated in clocks. less...

Nicole Frères was a prominent Swiss manufacturer of musical boxes during the 19th century. The company was founded in 1814 by Jean-Louis Nicole, in the village of Sainte-Croix, Switzerland.

Initially, the company produced a variety of metal products, including watch parts and tools. However, in the early 1820s, they began to focus on musical boxes, which were becoming increasingly popular in Europe at the time.

Nicole Frères quickly gained a reputation for producing some of the finest musical boxes in the world. Their boxes were known for their exceptional quality and were highly prized by collectors and enthusiasts more... .

In the 1830s, Nicole Frères began to experiment with new designs and innovations, including the introduction of interchangeable cylinders, which allowed customers to change the tunes played by their musical boxes. This was a significant development that made the boxes even more versatile and desirable.

Over the years, Nicole Frères continued to refine and improve their designs, introducing new features and techniques that set them apart from their competitors. They were particularly renowned for their use of high-quality materials and intricate craftsmanship.

In the latter part of the 19th century, Nicole Frères expanded their operations, opening a factory in Geneva and establishing sales offices in Paris and London. They continued to produce musical boxes well into the 20th century, though the popularity of these devices began to wane with the rise of other forms of home entertainment less...