Handbell: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This handbell was made by Schulmerich Carillons, inc. in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, in 1962. It is made of cast bronze with a leather handle. This handbell is part of a 25-note set of English-type handbells (G4 – G6).

This set of handbells was made for Trinity Baptist Church in Norfolk, Virginia and used in the church’s music programs. The bells continued in use by the choir until 1983, when Schulmerich replaced them with a new set.

The bells feature U. S. Patent #3139855, filed on January 15, 1963 and granted on July 7, 1964 to Jacob G. Kunz, deceased, and Montgomery County Bank and Trust Company and Bertha L. Kuntz, executors, assignors to Schulmerich Electronics, Inc. for improvements in handbells.

Materials, dates and provenance

• manufacture date: 1962
• manufacturer: Schulmerich Carillons, Inc.
• Object Name: bell
• Physical Description: bronze (overall material)
• place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Sellersville
• ID Number: 1984.0763.25
• accession number: 1984.0763
• catalog number: 1984.0763.25
• Credit Line: Gift of Schulmerich Carillons, Inc. (through Ronald O. Beach)
• 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.