Wornum Upright Piano: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This upright piano was made by Robert Wornum in London, England about 1814. It is a tall cabinet upright, almost 6 feet tall. The nameboard inscription reads “New Harmonic & Cabinet Piano Forts / Robert Wornum late Wilkinson & Wornum / N°. 42 Wigmore Street Cavendish Square & N°. 3 Welbeck Street London” This piano is serial number 122 and a compass of FF-f4, long English sticker action, escapement at bottom, leather hammers, triple-strings, 2 pedals: keyboard shift and dampers, wood frame, straight-strung, and a wood case with a front silk panel.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1813-1815
• maker: Wornum, Jr., Robert
• Object Name: piano
• Physical Description: iron (strings material)
• Physical Description: leather (hammers material)
• Physical Description: wood (frame: material)
• Physical Description: silk (case;l material)
• Measurements: overall: 58 1/4 in x 42 1/4 in x 21 1/2 in; 147.955 cm x 107.315 cm x 54.61 cm
• Place Made: United Kingdom: England, London
• ID Number: MI.317023
• accession number: 67012
• catalog number: 317023
• serial number: 122
• Credit Line: Gift of Hugo Worch
• 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.