Trumpet Kazoo: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This kazoo was made by the Kazoo Company, in Buffalo, New York, around 1900 to 1910. It is a trumpet kazoo made of metal. Printed paper instructions are attached to the top of the kazoo. This instrument features U.S. Patent #700986 dated May 27, 1902, by George D. Smith, for improvements in a musical toys or kazoos.

This kazoo was used by William T. Armstrong (1879-1965), orchestra leader and musician in vaudeville and silent film theaters. Armstrong grew up in South River, New Jersey and began playing drums at the age of 14. He continued his musical career through the mid-1910s, after which, Armstrong began work in banking and finance. This artifact is part of a collection of drums, sound effect instruments, and other percussion instruments used by Armstrong.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1902
• Object Name: kazoo
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 1 3/8 in x 1 1/8 in x 4 13/16 in; 3.4925 cm x 2.8575 cm x 12.22375 cm
• place made: United States: New York, Buffalo
• ID Number: 1984.0335.27
• accession number: 1984.0335
• catalog number: 1984.0335.27
• patent number: 700986
• Credit Line: Gift of Pamela A. Carlin and Evelyn A. Mark in memory of William T. Armstrong
• 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.