Horstmann & Sons Snare Drum: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This snare drum was made by William H. Horstmann & Sons, In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, around 1830-1857. It has a dark-brown stained wood shell with a pattern of 64 brass tacks around the sound hole, and two skin heads. There are two black-painted wood hoops drilled with 10 holes each for rope which is laced through leather ears, used to tighten the hoops. The printed label is inscribed:

WM.H.HORSTMANN & SONS, MILITARY FURNISHERS No. 51 North Third Street PHILADELPHIA

Hortsmann, born in Germany, emigrated to the United States and established himself as a maker of fringe, laces, and trimmings in Philadelphia, in 1815. William Horstmann & Sons were located at North Third Street between 1830 and 1857, manufacturing and importing everything from textiles and trimmings to military goods including drums, pistols, and swords. As the company expanded, Horstmann & Sons moved the factory to 5th and Cherry Streets and their storefront to 2223 Chestnut Street. Later the company would grow to two stores in New York and an agency in Paris. William Horstmann retired from the company in 1845, and his sons, William and Sigmund continued the family business until 1872.

According to the donor, this drum was picked up by a soldier by the name of Dunlevy from the Battle of the Wilderness, fought on May 5-6, near Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1864.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1830 - 1857
• maker: Horstmann, William H. & Sons
• Object Name: drum
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: paint (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 16 1/2 in x 16 3/4 in x 16 3/4 in; 41.91 cm x 42.545 cm x 42.545 cm
• place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• ID Number: MI.070935
• accession number: 279458
• catalog number: 70935
• Credit Line: Gift of Wesley P. Rodgers
• 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.