Harmonica used by Arthur Lee: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A metal and plastic harmonica used by Arthur Lee. The harmonica is etched with lettering on the top and bottom. The lettering on the top of the harmonica reads “HOHNER Special 20 / MARINE BAND.” The letter “A” is etched on the top right side of the harmonica. The etched lettering on the bottom of the harmonica reads “M. HOHNER / MADE IN GERMANY.” The harmonica has ten holes on each of its sides. Numbers are etched in the metal above each hole.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1980
• Manufactured by: Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG, German, founded 1857
• Used by: Arthur Lee, American, 1945 - 2006
• Type: harmonicas
• Type: musical instruments
• Medium: metal and plastic
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 3/4 × 4 × 1 1/8 in. (1.9 × 10.2 × 2.9 cm)
• Place made: Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Rock and roll (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2014.41.4
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Diane Lee in memory of Arthur Taylor Lee
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.