Upright piano used by Thom Bell at Philadelphia International Records: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

An aqua blue painted upright piano used by producer and arranger Thom Bell in his office at Philadelphia International Records. The lid of the piano is hinged and can open to reveal the frame, hammer rail and hammers. At the top of the frame in the upper left corner on raised text with black paint is “STEINWAY & SONS NEW YORK HAMBURG.” On the frame back near the manufacturer’s name is the serial number in black text “96711.” (year: 1900) The top front panel of the piano is cut out with rectangle and is ridged with scalloped edges. Stylized curved upper front side board are on either side of the front. The piano has a fall board that opens to reveal the keyboard. The keyboard is caped on either side with side arms. Attached to the bottom right of the keyboard is a drawer slide on a vinyl covered wood arm. The front legs of the piano feature curved and ribbed detailing. The piano rests on four caster wheels. The bottom front panel can be opened. The back of piano features a metal screen on the top and bottom halves.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1900
• Manufactured by: Steinway & Sons, American, founded 1853
• Used by: Thom Bell, Jamaican American, born 1943
• Subject of: Philadelphia International Records, American, 1971 - 2001
• Type: upright pianos
• Medium: wood with metal, cabled yarn and paint
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 52 3/16 × 62 1/16 × 27 1/2 in. (132.6 × 157.6 × 69.9 cm)
• Place used: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Object number: 2015.203
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Legendary producer Thom Bell
• 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.