Clapper Fiddle: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This fiddle was made in Middle Appalachia in the first half of the 20th century. This instrument is unique in its design and construction, incorporating a wooden clapper extending from beneath the end of

the fingerboard. The clapper is free to vibrate against the top of the fiddle, presumably created to add a buzzing or percussion effect to accompany the tune being played. The narrow body and design of

the tailpiece has no apparent accommodation for holding the fiddle between the performer's shoulder and chin.

The donor of the instrument, Mr. Wallace Kuralt, bought it at a flea market in North Carolina in the 1960s. He believes the proprietor bought the fiddle from another flea market source in or around the border between New Hope, Pennsylvania and Lambertville, New Jersey. The provenance of the instrument is most likely a rural community in the mid-Atlantic region of the east coast of the United States.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1900-1950
• Object Name: fiddle
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 23 in x 3 1/2 in x 4 in; 58.42 cm x 8.89 cm x 10.16 cm
• Place Made: United States
• ID Number: 1992.0517.01
• accession number: 1992.0517
• catalog number: 1992.0517.01
• Credit Line: Gift of Wallace Kuralt
• 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.