Albert Practice Violin Patent Model: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This practice mute violin was invented by Charles Francis Albert in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1877. The violin was awarded U.S. Patent number 189,677, on April 17, 1877. Charles Francis Albert was born in Freiburg (Baden), Germany in 1842. His father, John, and brother, Eugene John Albert, emigrated to Philadelphia, where Charles eventually joined them. Once there, he invented several accessories for the violinist. A string gauge, a triple-wound "Albert G-string," a rosin formulation, a chin rest, and this practice violin are among those new ideas he introduced. Albert’s patent for a practice violin specifies his intention to create an instrument that represented a violin in overall size and feel, but would have reduced sound for practice, a collapsible configuration for easy transport, and an adjustable bridge to set the strings closer or farther from the fingerboard to accommodate the proficiency level of the player. Albert states in this patent document, "these subdued tones permit the player to practice without that injury to the nervous system which results from long-continued playing on an ordinary instrument. Learners, moreover, can practice without disturbing their neighbors."

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1886-1900
• patent date: 1877-04-17
• patentee: Albert, Charles Francis
• Object Name: violin
• Measurements: overall: 23 5/8 in x 7 3/4 in x 2 1/2 in; 60.0075 cm x 19.685 cm x 6.35 cm
• Place Made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• ID Number: 1987.0365.01
• catalog number: 1987.0365.01
• accession number: 1987.0365
• patent number: 189677
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.