Piano from Pilgrim Baptist Church used by Thomas Dorsey: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This piano is paneled with wood and structured around a cast iron frame. When the piano's fallboard is open, the piano 'name' or maker is seen in the center of the fallboard's underside in stylized gold lettering which reads [Conover]. The piano has all 88 keys of its key board still in place. There is also a small locking mechanism in the center of the key bed. The cast iron frame is tinted gold with manufacturer and patent information stamped throughout in varying methods and sizes. On the second frame metal bar closest to the keyboard there is raised text which reads [CUPOLA CONSTRUCTON BELL METAL FRAME CAPO D'ASTRO BRIDGE]. In a small triangular depression in the frame on the right, close to the keyboard, is the manufacturer's stamp as well as the piano serial number [66/CONOVER/MFR'D BY/The/Cable/Company/Chicago/259608]. On the top right side of the plate are the patent dates stamped near the treble bridge [1 6 20/PAT. 11 23 20/5 3 21]. On the front right portion of the plate is the name of the frame style in script lettering surrounded in an oval of stylized foliage [FAIRY GRAND]. On the wood of the sound board, centered above the hammer rail, is the soundboard trademark logo in a dark green rectangle with square, gold corners. The letters inside the logo are gold [CROWNSTAY/REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.]. In the middle of the left edge of the frame is the stamped number [66]. At the back edge of the frame are additional stamped numbers [7-17]. The top board prop for the lid is located on the right side of the frame.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1930s
• Created by: The Cable Piano Company, American, founded 1880
• Used by: Thomas Andrew Dorsey, American, 1899 - 1993
• Subject of: Pilgrim Baptist Church, American, founded 1922
• Type: baby grand pianos
• Medium: wood, metal, wire and vinyl
• Dimensions: H x W x D (piano main body): 38 × 55 1/2 × 57 in. (96.5 × 141 × 144.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (piano leg at wideset point): 24 × 17 in. (61 × 43.2 cm)
• Place used: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Baptist
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Religion
• Topic: The Black Church
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2015.134.1a-g
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Rev. Richard C. Keller, Jr., Mr. Edward G. Keller and Ms. Paulene Austin Keller
• 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.