The Sweetest Story Ever Told: Museum Object and Cultural History
The Sweetest Story Ever Told: Date: 1902. Recorded by: John Scantlebury Macdonald, Canadian, 1871 - 1931. Manufactured by: Victor Talking Machine Company, 1901 - 1929.

The object in the museum catalogue
A shellac 78-rpm record manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company. The label in the center, in gold, has an image of a dog near a phonograph with the caption that reads: [His Master’s Voice]. The gold reads: [Victor Record / The Sweetest Story Ever Told / Harry Macdonough / 1305 / Victor Talking Machine Co / Camden NJ / Patented]. The label has some wear.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date: 1902
- Recorded by: John Scantlebury Macdonald, Canadian, 1871 - 1931
- Manufactured by: Victor Talking Machine Company, 1901 - 1929
- Owned by: Vernon Sugg McDonald, American, 1906 - 1982
- Owned by: Mary Elizabeth Sugg, American, 1839 - 1915
- Type: 78 rpm records
- Medium: shellac
- Dimensions: Diameter: 7 × 1/8 in. (17.8 × 0.3 cm)
- Place collected: Sugg McDonald House, Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America
- Topic: African American
- Topic: Black interiors
- Topic: Popular music
- Object number: 2014.316.4.7
- Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Bob and Sherri Brennan in memory of Vernon Sugg McDonald
- Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
