Conn B-Flat Cornet, used by Walter F. Smith: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This cornet was made by C. G. Conn in Elkhart, Indiana in 1915. It is a B-flat cornet, New Wonder model serial #139231, made of highly engraved silver plated brass with gold plate inside the bell, and has 3 piston valves. The bell is engraved:

This cornet was previously owned by Walter F. Smith (1859-1937), cornetist in the Sousa Band (1893-1896) and the United States Marine Band (1885-1893 and 1898-1921).

Walter F. Smith joined the Sousa Band in 1893 and was made acting leader. In this role, Smith conducted Washington, D.C. concerts, various touring concerts, and also went with the band to perform in the inaugural ceremonies for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This experience was a huge success and an article from the Stanley Barney Smith Collection in the Western Michigan University Archives states:

“Played to an audience of 50,000… Although the hour set for appearance of Sousa’s old organization was 3 o’clock, the crowds began pouring into the great playground after luncheon… By 2 o’clock the crowd extended from Van Buren Street to Harrison, lined the East side of Michigan ten to twenty deep. Conductor Smith began his part without any delay and without any preliminaries… Every number was enthusiastically cheered and it is scarcely necessary to say the program was as near perfection as may be.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1915
• user: Smith, Walter F.
• referenced: Sousa, John Philip
• maker: C. G. Conn
• Object Name: cornet
• Physical Description: brass (overall material)
• Physical Description: silver (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 17 1/2 in x 5 in x 6 1/2 in; 44.45 cm x 12.7 cm x 16.51 cm
• place made: United States: Indiana, Elkhart
• ID Number: 1981.0425.01
• accession number: 1981.0425
• catalog number: 1981.0425.01
• serial number: 139231
• Credit Line: Gift of Edna M. Smith
• 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.