Pocket Cornet: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This cornet was made by an unknown maker in Europe around 1880-1900. It is a pocket cornet made of brass with 3 piston valves.

This cornet was used by Fritz A. Blomberg (1864-1938), who immigrated from Kristinsham, Sweden to the United States on the Prussian Line, with ports of departure from Glasgow, Scotland and Moville and Galway, Ireland. The ship arrived in Boston on July 25, 1892. Passenger and Crew lists for the Prussian Line indicate that Fritz A. Blomberg could read and write and his occupation was a cigar maker. Blomberg received his American citizenship on November 25, 1903. According to relatives, Fritz A. Blomberg was prominent in music circles in the Boston area.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1880-1900
• Object Name: cornet
• Physical Description: brass (overall material)
• Measurements: cornet: 9 5/8 in x 3 3/4 in x 6 7/16 in; 24.4475 cm x 9.525 cm x 16.35125 cm
• Measurements: largest mouthpiece: 3 3/16 in x 1 1/16 in; 8.09625 cm x 2.69875 cm
• Measurements: longest receiver: 5 13/16 in x 1 in x 1/4 in; 14.76375 cm x 2.54 cm x .635 cm
• Measurements: overall: 9 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in x 6 in; 24.13 cm x 11.43 cm x 15.24 cm
• place made: Europe
• ID Number: 1990.0322.01
• accession number: 1990.0322
• catalog number: 1990.0322.01
• Credit Line: Gift of Vincent S. and Patricia D. Pettinato in Memory of John and Elsa Swanson
• 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.