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Miller (James Arthur) papers
M0347
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: James Arthur Miller papers
Creator:
Miller, James A.
source:
Miller, Ellen
Identifier/Call Number: M0347
Identifier/Call Number: 2281
Physical Description:
5 Linear Feet
(7 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1912-1971
Abstract: The papers of sound recording engineer James Arthur Miller (1891-1971) include correspondence, press, reports & articles,
patents, as well as equipment, prototypes, and personal ephemera.
Open for research; material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Ellen Miller, 1981 and 1994.
James Arthur Miller (1891-1971) was an inventor, engineer and businessman best known for his 1930s audio recording system
Millertape. Miller was born in Crescent City, California and graduated from Stanford University in 1913 after having built
his first radio in 1907. Miller became involved with Palo Alto's Federal Telegraph Company along with C.F. Elwell, Lee De
Forest, and others, and later installed radio stations overseas while serving in the Navy during the First World War, most
notably the Lafayette station in Bordeaux, France.
Miller moved to Hollywood and founded the Vitavox Company in 1928, developing sound recording and reproduction technology
for motion pictures. Vitavox was purchased by Warner Brothers in 1929, and Miller worked for Warner's Brunswick Radio Corporation.
In 1931 Miller began work on what he termed Millertape or Millerfilm, partnering with Dutch electronics firm Philips and forming
the Philips-Miller company. The Philips-Miller system, which used a mechanically-engraved tape that was played back optically,
was in use by European broadcasters such the BBC and Radio Luxembourg in the mid to late 1930s. Miller later focused on radio
transcription in the U.S. and formed the Miller Broadcasting Company to manage experimental tape transmissions on stations
such as WQXR, WOR and WTIC. By the later 1940s Miller had also become involved in phonograph record pressing, consulting with
the Lang-Worth transcription company to produce 8" discs, and prototyping discs made with a small tabletop press. Miller passed
away October 12, 1971 at the age of 80 in Madrid, Spain.
[identification of item], James Arthur Miller papers (M0347). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford
Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Collection includes Miller company press & promotional publications, reports & articles by Miller, patents, correspondence,
and photographs, as well as equipment, prototypes, and personal ephemera, especially related to Stanford and Palo Alto history.
Correspondence, although limited, includes letters to and from Edwin H. Armstrong, Sherman Fairchild, C.F. Elwell, J.H. de
Boer, Edison's Henry Lanahan, and Frederick J. Philips. In 1940 Miller wrote Leopold Stokowski asking for permission to attend
the Philadelphia Symphony's experimental recordings at Bell Labs (with a brief signed reply by Stokowski).
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not
an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission
or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns. Some materials
are believed to be in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use of public domain materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Electrical engineering
Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Equipment and supplies
Sound on film
Radio -- History
Motion picture industry
Miller, Ellen