Vogt Snare Drum: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This snare drum was made by Ernest Vogt, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in1864. It has a blue-painted shell with a painted eagle design with a banner held in the eagle’s beak inscribed “REG: U.S. INFANTRY,” and two skin heads. There are two red-painted wood hoops drilled with 10 holes each for rope which is laced through leather ears, used to tighten the hoops. The shell is reinforced with brass tacks in a design unique to the workmanship of Ernest Vogt.

The label on the inside of the shell indicates Vogt received a government contract on December 29, 1864. Approximately 2,000 regiment drums under this contract, were made from the workshop of Ernest Vogt.

This drum was previously owned by the donor's grandfather, Samuel Kyle (1845-1924). Samuel Kyle served as a private in Company K, 22nd Regiment of New Jersey. Kyle was mustered in Septemebr 2, 1862 and mustered out June 22, 1863. As was the practice of the era, Kyle acquired this drum as a memento at the end of his tour of duty.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1864
• maker: Vogt, Ernest
• Object Name: drum
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: paint (overall material)
• Physical Description: leather (overall material)
• Physical Description: rope (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 15 in x 17 1/2 in x 17 1/2 in; 38.1 cm x 44.45 cm x 44.45 cm
• place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• ID Number: MI.069758
• accession number: 274169
• catalog number: 69758
• Credit Line: Gift of John S. Kyle
• 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.