Louis Drouet 8-Keyed Flute: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This flute was made by Louis François Philippe Drouet in London, England around 1818 to 1819. It is an 8-keyed flute made of ivory with silver ferrules and keys. The flute is stamped:

No Flute is genuine that is not bought at Mr. L. Drouet's Manufactory 358 Oxford Street, London & accompanied by a Certificate under his hand.

Louis François Philippe Drouet (1792-1873) was a flute player, teacher, and composer. In 1818, Drouet established a flute shop in London, and one year later, left the business to his employee Cornelius Ward. The inscription on the medallion is a response to fake Drouet flutes appearing on the market during this time.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1818-1819
• maker: Drouet, Louis F. P.
• Object Name: flute
• Physical Description: ivory (overall material)
• Physical Description: silver (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 26 9/16 in x 1 3/4 in; 67.46875 cm x 4.445 cm
• place made: United Kingdom: England, London
• ID Number: MI.381005
• accession number: 157783
• catalog number: 381005
• Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Hyman Ratner
• 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.