Wood violin case from the Sugg McDonald house: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black wood violin case with metal handle and locking mechanism. In addition to locking mechanism, the case has two metal swinging latches. The interior of violin case has red felt lining where the violin’s body is placed. The rest of the interior is wood lined with tan paper. The interior has two containers that are attached to walls of case. A white paper label is adhered to inside of case. The label features logo for case maker George S. Bond and black print that reads: [Original / G.S.B / Improved / Trade Mark. / None genuine / unless the / impress of this / trade mark / is on / the bottom of / the Case. The left side of the label has worn away. The bottom of the case has the George S. Bond trademark stamped into it.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1850-1900
• Manufactured by: George S. Bond
• Owned by: Vernon Sugg McDonald, American, 1906 - 1982
• Type: cases (containers)
• Type: musical instruments
• Medium: wood with metal , felt and paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 4 3/4 × 31 7/8 × 9 1/4 in. (12.1 × 81 × 23.5 cm)
• Place collected: Sugg McDonald House, Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Black interiors
• Topic: Music
• Object number: 2014.316.2.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Bob and Sherri Brennan in memory of Vernon Sugg McDonald
• 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.