John Philip Sousa's Baton: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

America's "March King," John Philip Sousa, used this silver-tipped baton to conduct his world-famous band. A masterful composer of music to get people moving, Sousa also popularized classical music, first as leader of the U.S. Marine Band and then touring with his own Sousa Band. His stirring military marches, including "The Stars and Stripes Forever," expressed the nationalistic spirit of their times, but they have also gained an enduring appeal as part of the country's patriotic repertoire.

Materials, dates and provenance

• user: Sousa, John Philip
• Object Name: baton
• Physical Description: silver (overall material)
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 15 in x 1/2 in; 38.1 cm x 1.27 cm
• ID Number: 1987.0142.01
• accession number: 1987.0142
• catalog number: 1987.0142.01
• Credit Line: Gift of John Philip Sousa III and Thomas A. Sousa
• 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.