Alfred G. Badger Boehm System Flute: Museum Object and Cultural History
Alfred G. Badger Boehm System Flute: Date made: 1848 - 1875. maker: Badger, Alfred G.. Object Name: flute.
The object in the museum catalogue
This flute was made by Alfred G. Badger in New York, New York around 1848 to 1875. It is a Boehm system flute made of rosewood with silver ferrules, keys, and embouchure plate. This flute is marked:
A. G. Badger of New York City was among the irst American to produce Boehm flutes. In the 1830's, German flutist Theobald Boehm had developed a new key and fingering system to increase the flute's volume of sound and to improve the intonation.
In 1846, judges at the Massachusetts State Fair awarded Badger a silver medla for his two Boehm flutes and commended these instruments for being "in true tune and of beautiful workmanship."
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date made: 1848 - 1875
- maker: Badger, Alfred G.
- Object Name: flute
- Physical Description: cork (overall material)
- Physical Description: rosewood (overall material)
- Physical Description: silver (overall material)
- Measurements: flute: 26 7/8 in x 2 in; 68.2625 cm x 5.08 cm
- Measurements: thumb rest: 1 5/16 in x 5/8 in; 3.33375 cm x 1.5875 cm
- place made: United States: New York, New York
- ID Number: MI.263596
- catalog number: 263596
- accession number: 52880
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert E. Seel
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
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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.
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