John Matthias Stroh applies for the Stroh violin patent

Background. Johannes Matthias Augustus Stroh, born in Frankfurt-am-Main, was a German-born English engineer and inventor who developed sound-recording devices. He invented the Stroh violin, also known as the Stroviol, in London in 1899. This instrument features a metal resonator and horn attached to its body for mechanical amplification, distinguishing it from standard wooden violins.

Patent Application. On 4 May 1899, Stroh applied for UK Patent GB9418, titled 'Improvements in Violins and other Stringed Instruments.' The patent was accepted on 24 March 1900. The application covered the Stroh violin, a stringed instrument whose metal resonator and horn mechanically amplify its sound.

Recording Use. The Stroh violin was significantly louder than standard violins, making it useful for early phonographic recording. It improved sound quality compared to wooden violins, which recorded poorly with acoustic-mechanical methods. Stroh violins were common in recording studios until record companies switched to electric microphone technology in the second half of the 1920s.