Heirloom Saxon violin and bow: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

An heirloom Saxon violin (a) and bow (b), with black case (2020.28.2). The violin is constructed of light brown wood, maple on the back and pine or spruce on the front. It features a black chinrest, fingerboard and tailpiece with fine tuners. On the crotch of the bridge is a maker's mark reading ‘Wurlitzer Wilhelmy.’ On the reverse of the violin near the neck is carved the letters HEM. The violin has had numerous repairs and modifications over the years. The bow (b) is similar in hue to the violin with an embellished frog with mother of pearl inlay.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1820s - 1870s
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Joseph Fox
• Type: violins
• Type: musical instruments
• Medium: wood with metal and pearl
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2020.28.1a Violin): 3 5/8 × 7 5/8 × 23 in. (9.2 × 19.4 × 58.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2020.28.1b Bow): 1 × 1/2 × 28 5/8 in. (2.5 × 1.3 × 72.7 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Slavery
• Object number: 2020.28.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Clarence P. Cameron
• 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.