American Five-String Fretless Banjo: Museum Object and Cultural History
American Five-String Fretless Banjo: date made: 1800-1899. Object Name: banjo. Physical Description: wood (overall material).
The object in the museum catalogue
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in Bristol, Tennessee during the 19th century. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo. The banjo has a commercial neck cut down and joined to a 4 bracket hoop of welded wrought iron, perhaps salvaged from an iron wagon wheel rim. Although now unplayable, the combination of a small diameter head and heavy rim would have produced a loud and clear tone.
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: 1800-1899
- Object Name: banjo
- Physical Description: wood (overall material)
- Physical Description: metal (overall material)
- Physical Description: animal skin (overall material)
- Measurements: overall: 28 1/2 in x 6 1/2 in x 2 in; 72.39 cm x 16.51 cm x 5.08 cm
- place made: United States: Tennessee, Bristol
- ID Number: MI.66.155
- catalog number: 66.155
- accession number: 263346
- Credit Line: Gift of Peck Daniel
- 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.
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