Edward Riley 8-Keyed Flute: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This flute was made by Edward Riley, Sr. in New York, New York around 1814 to 1831. It is an 8-keyed flute made of rosewood with silver ferrules, crown cap, and keys. This flute is stamped:

Edward Riley (1769-1829) was a music teacher, music publisher, and musical instrument seller. Instruments stamped with his name may have made by makers John Firth and William Hall.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1814-1831
• maker: Riley, Sr., Edward
• maker: Riley, Sr., Edward
• Object Name: flute
• Physical Description: rosewood (overall material)
• Physical Description: silver (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 26 1/4 in x 1 1/2 in; 66.675 cm x 3.81 cm
• place made: United States: New York, New York
• ID Number: 1983.0234.06
• accession number: 1983.0234
• catalog number: 1983.0234.06
• Credit Line: Gift of Rev. Jeffrey Cave in honor of Sarah Hill Cave
• 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.