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

The object in the museum catalogue

This banjo was made by James Ashborn of Wolcottville, Connecticut around 1852-1875. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with 12 brackets, stained maple neck, rosewood veneer fingerboard, and a stained maple hoop. The peghead is stamped:

This banjo features U. S. Patent #9268 dated September 21, 1852, by James Ashborn, for an improved tuning peg.

James Ashborn was the first to apply mass production principles to banjo and guitar making. His efficient factory in Connecticut was the source for high quality musical instruments distributed through New York wholesalers in the rapidly expanding 19th century market, signifying the instrument’s transition from homemade artifact to a profitable commercial product.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1852-1875
• maker: Ashborn, James
• Object Name: banjo
• Physical Description: maple (overall material)
• Physical Description: rosewood (overall material)
• Physical Description: animal skin (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 39 in x 13 1/2 in x 3 in; 99.06 cm x 34.29 cm x 7.62 cm
• place made: United States: Connecticut, Wolcottville
• ID Number: MI.67.002
• catalog number: 67.002
• accession number: 272575
• 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.