# Sounds and Images **Opening (not a real abstract):** Listen to one of the earliest surviving recordings—for example the plea on behalf of the survivors of the battle of Balaclava made by Florence Nightingale, 30 July 1890. Nightingale recited the words, ‘When I am no longer even a memory, just a name, I hope my voice may perpetuate the great work of my life. God bless my dear old comrades of Balaclava and bring them safe to shore.’ From this a series of wax cylinders were made and sold on the open market to raise money for the veterans. In recent years, the Wellcome Institute has restored its surviving cylinder and transcoded what was originally recorded into an MP3 file downloadable on its website. Through 120 years, and through a series of mechanical, electronic and computational processes, you can hear Nightingale’s voice, you can hear the sounds she made on that occasion in July 1890.1 **Authors:** [[Martin]]