Couesnon & Cie. Albert System Clarinet: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This clarinet was made by Couesnon & Cie in Paris, France around 1888 to 1892. It is an Albert System clarinet in C, Lafayette model, made of ebony with nickel silver ferrules and keys. The barrel is made of hard rubber. This clarinet is stamped:

Lafayette is a trade-name for Couesnon & Cie. and named after the street in Paris where the company had its headquarters.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1888-1892
• maker: Couesnon & Cie
• Object Name: clarinet
• Physical Description: ebony (overall material)
• Physical Description: nickel silver (overall material)
• Physical Description: rubber (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 20 1/2 in x 3 in; 52.07 cm x 7.62 cm
• Measurements: cap: 2 5/8 in x 1 1/4 in; 6.6675 cm x 3.175 cm
• Measurements: mouthpiece: 3 1/2 in x 1 5/16 in; 8.89 cm x 3.33375 cm
• Measurements: barrel: 1 15/16 in x 1 1/4 in; 4.92125 cm x 3.175 cm
• Measurements: upper joint: 7 13/16 in x 2 3/8 in; 19.84375 cm x 6.0325 cm
• place made: France: Île-de-France, Paris
• ID Number: MI.391879
• accession number: 193820
• catalog number: 391879
• Credit Line: Gift of Stephen C. Van Fleet
• 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.