"La Paloma" (The Dove): Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This music box disc was made by Mermod Freres, in St. Croix, Switzerland, around 1896-1898. It is Stella Disc #120 - "La Paloma" (The Dove), by Sebastián Yradier [Sebastián Iradier Salaverri (Salaberri)]. This disc is playable in Mermod Freres music box models, #63, #84, #126, #168, and #268, which can accommodate 17-1/4” diameter discs.

According to the accession correspondence, the music box and accompanying discs were purchased by the donor in Worcester, Massachusetts, July 25. 1901

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1896-1898
• maker: Mermod Freres
• Object Name: music box disc
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 17 1/4 in; 43.815 cm
• place made: Switzerland
• ID Number: MI.381443.31
• catalog number: 381443.31
• accession number: 159680
• Credit Line: Gift of Louella C. Perry (through: James E. Farrell)
• 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.