Washboard owned by Bo Diddley: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A wood and brass "The Brass King No. 801" washboard manufactured by the National Washboard Company and owned by Bo Diddley. The large, family-size washboard consists of a wood rectangular frame with a central body of textured brass ridges. Along the top of both sides is faded red and black paint. One side reads: [THE / BRASS / KING / TOP NOTCH / SOAP SAVING / FRONT DRAIN]. Paint on reverse side of washboard reads [National Washboard Co. / No / NATIONAL / 801 / TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT OFF MADE IN U.S.A. / MEMPHIS / CHICAGO].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1950s-1960s
• Manufactured by: National Washboard Company, American, 1903 - 1970s
• Owned by: Bo Diddley, American, 1928 - 2008
• Type: musical instruments
• Medium: paint on wood with brass
• Dimensions: 22 7/8 × 13 × 2 in. (58.1 × 33 × 5.1 cm)
• Place made: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Men
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Rock and roll (Music)
• Object number: 2013.177.7
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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 underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.