Thibouville-Lamy 13-Keyed Clarinet: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This clarinet was made by Jérome Thibouville-Lamy in Paris, France around 1876 to 1880. It is a 13-keyed clarinet in C, made of grenadilla with German silver ferrules and round keys. It is stamped:

Jérome Thibouville (1833 - after 1905) was one of the first in France to recognize the potential of inexpensive mass-produced musical instruments for distribution to the general public. Through his direction, keyboard, string, brass and woodwind instruments, accordions, music boxes and instrument accessories were manufactured in many grades and commercial qualities under the name Thibouville-Lamy. By 1867 he was the sole proprietor of the firm, with musical instrument factories in Grenelle (brass), La Couture (woodwinds), and Mirecourt (strings), that employed a labor force of "about 1000 workmen, women and employees." To avoid confusion in the trade and to distinguish his firm from other instrument makers established under that name, Jérome Thibouville joined his name to Lamy, after his wife, Marguerite Hyacinthe Lamy. In 1891, the firm Jérome Thibouville-Lamy published in New York its first American catalog, featuring specific instruments designed for the U.S. market.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1876 - 1880
• maker: Thibouville-Lamy, Jerome
• Object Name: clarinet
• Physical Description: grenadilla (overall material)
• Physical Description: German silver (overall material)
• Measurements: mouthpiece: 3 3/4 in x 1 1/4 in; 9.525 cm x 3.175 cm
• Measurements: barrel: 1 5/8 in x 1 1/4 in; 4.1275 cm x 3.175 cm
• Measurements: upper joint: 7 in x 2 in; 17.78 cm x 5.08 cm
• Measurements: lower joint: 8 3/4 in x 1 7/8 in; 22.225 cm x 4.7625 cm
• Measurements: bell: 4 1/8 in x 2 13/16 in; 10.4775 cm x 7.14375 cm
• Measurements: overall: 19 1/4 in x 2 3/4 in; 48.895 cm x 6.985 cm
• place made: France: Île-de-France, Paris
• ID Number: MI.055620
• accession number: 11535
• catalog number: 55620
• Credit Line: Gift of J. Howard Foote
• 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.