American Five-String Fretless Banjo: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in North Carolina around 1875-1925. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wooden neck and rim. Fragments of an untanned skin (possibly groundhog) head are still nailed to the rim. Although in derelict condition when acquired by the Smithsonian, the deep grooves worn into the fretless neck attest to the many hours of music this instrument gave to its owner.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1875-1899
• Object Name: banjo
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: animal skin (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 32 1/2 in x 10 1/4 in x 2 1/2 in; 82.55 cm x 26.035 cm x 6.35 cm
• place made: United States: North Carolina
• ID Number: MI.65.0717
• catalog number: 65.0717
• accession number: 258254
• 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.