On September 10, 1889, during a two-month trip to Europe, Edison was invited to a grand luncheon at the Restaurant Brébant on the first level of the Eiffel Tower. After the meal the celebrants were invited up to the very top of the tower, where Gustave Eiffel kept an apartment, for cognac and cigars. At that reception Edison presented Eiffel with a 'spectacle' Class M phonograph. The phonograph is still in the apartment atop the tower at almost 1,000 feet, and is on display along with wax figures of Edison, Eiffel, and Eiffel's daughter.

During the reception Edison autographed a place card for one of the engineers who had attended the luncheon, and noted the unique location and the date. The card was also signed by Gustave Eiffel and composer Charles Gounod. It is a rare artifact of the only meeting of these two towering (pun intended) figures of 19th century science.