Concert Quadruple Harmonica: Museum Object and Cultural History
Concert Quadruple Harmonica: date made: 1878 - 1880. Object Name: harmonica. Physical Description: metal (overall material).
The object in the museum catalogue
This harmonica was made by an unknown maker, possibly Germany, around 1878-1880, and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It is a Concert model, with 24 holes on two edges and 48 reeds. This harmonica is comprised of 4 connected wood harmonicas eached tune to a different key, covered in metal, with zinc reed plates and bone reed plate covers. There is a metal handle at each side of the harmonica.
John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold as a Concert harmonica (#5747), for $12.00.
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: 1878 - 1880
- Object Name: harmonica
- Physical Description: metal (overall material)
- Physical Description: wood (overall material)
- Physical Description: bone (overall material)
- Measurements: overall: 2 in x 6 1/4 in x 2 in; 5.08 cm x 15.875 cm x 5.08 cm
- place made: Germany
- ID Number: MI.055667
- accession number: 11535
- catalog number: 55667
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Howard Foote
- 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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