Pioneer Brand Harmonica: Museum Object and Cultural History

Pioneer Brand Harmonica: Object Name: harmonica. Physical Description: wood (overall material). Physical Description: metal (overall material).

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team•Updated September 29, 2026•2 min read•✓ Fact-checked

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The object in the museum catalogue

This harmonica was made by unknown maker in the Republic of Ireland, undetermined date. It is a Pioneer Brand model with 8 single holes and 16 reeds. This harmonica has a red stained wooden comb with metal cover plates attached to the top and bottom with screws. It is embossed:

Materials, dates and provenance

Object Name: harmonica
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
Physical Description: metal (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 3/4 in x 4 in x 1 in; 1.905 cm x 10.16 cm x 2.54 cm
Measurements: overall: 3/4 in x 4 in x 1 1/16 in; 1.905 cm x 10.16 cm x 2.69875 cm
place made: Ireland
ID Number: 1988.0783.536
accession number: 1988.0783
catalog number: 1988.0783.536
Credit Line: The Peter Kassan Collection
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.