Upright piano and reed organ

Unknown

mid-19th century · Various materials · Musical Instruments

Technical description: vertical rectangular rosewood-veneer case with fretwork grille backed with red cloth over keys, case top having cyma profile; varnished soundboard, large oblong pierced tuning pins, seemingly haphazard assortment of free reeds, bellows lined with American printed paper including part of a piano-accompanied song and a scrap from a life insurance company bearing the word "Baltimore"; compass c-e3 (41 keys), ivory naturals with plain wood fronts, ebony accidentals; 2 pedals, left raising dampers, right pumping bellows; keys padded at back ends and so heavily leaded as to stop the ventil perfectly when at rest; upright action with unusual simple escapement; forward action of hammer interrupted by let-off screw; spring facilitates hammer return; felt-covered hammers with top 6 hammers leather covered; no back-check; regulating screws on rail in front of hammer-butts produce escapement of hammer after stroke; originally double-strung throughout, none wound; strings bend around hitchpins with both ends attached to tuning pins; bridge backpinned throughout. (L. Libin 1976)

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-19th century

Medium

Various materials

Culture

American

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889