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Biography

Margaret (Megan) Watts Hughes

Pioneer of visual sound and creator of the Voice Figures

The Mapping Merthyr Through Women’s Histories workshop brought together staff from across the Libraries and Museum service and partner sectors to uncover, honour, and amplify the stories of women who shaped Merthyr. Informed by insights from the valley‑wide Heritage and Herstories community drop‑ins, participants each chose and reflected on a woman’s story that deserves recognition, creating a collective map of Merthyr’s past through diverse female perspectives. This project marks only the beginning — with hopes to continue these workshops and collaborate with more communities across the valley, further enriching and expanding the narrative of local women’s history.

Margaret “Megan” Watts Hughes (1842–1907) was a pioneering inventor and experimenter whose remarkable story began in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil. Growing up amid the sounds of industrial Merthyr, she developed a deep fascination with sound and vibration that would remain with her throughout her life.

In 1885, Margaret invented the eidophone, a device that enabled her to explore and reveal the patterns created by the vibrations of the human voice. Through her experiments she produced intricate, often flower-like images known as Voice Figures, transforming the unseen vibrations of her voice into something tangible and visible.

Today, examples of Margaret’s Voice Figures are held by Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery, reconnecting her pioneering work with the town where her story began.

There is something particularly powerful about reclaiming Margaret’s story today. Women’s voices have too often been overlooked within the stories we tell about our past. Margaret dedicated herself to making the human voice visible; by bringing her achievements back into the light, we make her voice visible too.

Her story reminds us that Merthyr’s heritage is not only industrial. It is also a heritage shaped by women’s creativity, curiosity, innovation and determination, and by voices that deserve to be heard.