Music & Musical Instruments

The Museum's music collections contain more than 5,000 instruments of American and European heritage. These include a quartet of 18th-century Stradivari stringed instruments, Tito Puente's autographed timbales, and the Yellow Cloud guitar that belonged to Prince, to name only a few. Music collections also include jukeboxes and synthesizers, square-dancing outfits and sheet music, archival materials, oral histories, and recordings of performances at the museum. The vast Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated Sheet Music is a remarkable window into the American past in words, music, and visual imagery. The Duke Ellington and Ruth Ellington Boatwright collections contain handwritten music compositions, sound recordings, business records, and other materials documenting the career of this renowned musician. In various ways, our collections find expression in performances of the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and in other public programs.

This banjo was made by William Boucher, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland in 1846. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wood shell, red painted metal hoop, 6 brackets, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by William Boucher, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland in 1846. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wood shell, red painted metal hoop, 6 brackets, and friction pegs. Stamped on back of the neck:

W.BOUCHER.JR
BALTIMORE

William Boucher was a drum maker and musical instrument dealer in Baltimore, Maryland. He became the first commercial maker of banjos, perhaps through his association with the celebrated minstrel banjoist Joel Walker Sweeney.

His instruments were important in standardizing the form of the banjo in its transition from a homemade rural instrument to urban commercial manufacture. The basic shape and string arrangement has changed little up to the present day. Boucher’s design copied important features of earlier home-made African American instruments: the skin head, short thumb string and fretless neck. He added a scrolled peghead similar to those used by guitar makers W. Stauffer and C. F. Martin, and replaced the traditional gourd body with a thin, bentwood rim construction with screw-tightening brackets similar to that used for drumheads. Boucher’s innovations were well-adapted to commercial mass-production and urban musical tastes and played a large part in the subsequent worldwide enthusiasm for the banjo.

These commercial “improvements” were never adopted by many traditional rural musicians, who continued to make good sounding instruments that were entirely adequate for their musical needs from locally available materials, at little or no expense.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1846
maker
Boucher, Jr., William
ID Number
MI.094765
catalog number
94765
accession number
22989
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in Marengo County, Alabama around 1850-1884. It is a Four-String Fretless Banjo. It was collected in in 1884 in Marengo County, Alabama by Dr.
Description
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in Marengo County, Alabama around 1850-1884. It is a Four-String Fretless Banjo. It was collected in in 1884 in Marengo County, Alabama by Dr. Edward Palmer for the Smithsonian's "frontier collection.” Although roughly made, with whittled tuning pegs and a tacked-on untanned animal skin head, the grooves worn into the fretless neck show that it was well used. The banjo is a typical example of many homemade instruments that used locally available materials to make instruments which could produce powerful results in the hands of a skilled musician.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1884
ID Number
MI.075008
catalog number
75008
accession number
14145
This banjo was made by William Boucher, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wood shell, gold painted metal hoop, 14 brackets, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by William Boucher, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wood shell, gold painted metal hoop, 14 brackets, and friction pegs. Stamped on back of the neck:

W.BOUCHER.JR
BALTIMORE

William Boucher was a drum maker and musical instrument dealer in Baltimore, Maryland. He became the first commercial maker of banjos, perhaps through his association with the celebrated minstrel banjoist Joel Walker Sweeney.

His instruments were important in standardizing the form of the banjo in its transition from a homemade rural instrument to urban commercial manufacture. The basic shape and string arrangement has changed little up to the present day. Boucher’s design copied important features of earlier home-made African American instruments: the skin head, short thumb string and fretless neck. He added a scrolled peghead similar to those used by guitar makers W. Stauffer and C. F. Martin, and replaced the traditional gourd body with a thin, bentwood rim construction with screw-tightening brackets similar to that used for drumheads. Boucher’s innovations were well-adapted to commercial mass-production and urban musical tastes and played a large part in the subsequent worldwide enthusiasm for the banjo.

These commercial “improvements” were never adopted by many traditional rural musicians, who continued to make good sounding instruments that were entirely adequate for their musical needs from locally available materials, at little or no expense.

Location
Currently not on view
Currently not on view (string fragments)
date made
1847
maker
Boucher, Jr., William
ID Number
MI.094766
catalog number
94766
accession number
22989
This banjo was made by William Boucher, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland in 1845. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wood shell with a decorative strip, red painted metal hoops, 6 brackets, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by William Boucher, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland in 1845. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wood shell with a decorative strip, red painted metal hoops, 6 brackets, and friction pegs. The banjo is stamped:

W.BOUCHER.JR
BALTIMORE

William Boucher was a drum maker and musical instrument dealer in Baltimore, Maryland. He became the first commercial maker of banjos, perhaps through his association with the celebrated minstrel banjoist Joel Walker Sweeney.

His instruments were important in standardizing the form of the banjo in its transition from a homemade rural instrument to urban commercial manufacture. The basic shape and string arrangement has changed little up to the present day. Boucher’s design copied important features of earlier home-made African American instruments: the skin head, short thumb string and fretless neck. He added a scrolled peghead similar to those used by guitar makers W. Stauffer and C. F. Martin, and replaced the traditional gourd body with a thin, bentwood rim construction with screw-tightening brackets similar to that used for drumheads. Boucher’s innovations were well-adapted to commercial mass-production and urban musical tastes and played a large part in the subsequent worldwide enthusiasm for the banjo.

These commercial “improvements” were never adopted by many traditional rural musicians, who continued to make good sounding instruments that were entirely adequate for their musical needs from locally available materials, at little or no expense.

date made
1845
maker
Boucher, Jr., William
ID Number
MI.094764
catalog number
94764
accession number
22989
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a rosewood veneer hoop, sixteen brackets, rosewood veneer fingerboard, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a rosewood veneer hoop, sixteen brackets, rosewood veneer fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the lower part of the fingerboard.:

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6959), for $6.20.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880 - 1882
ID Number
MI.055718
catalog number
55718
accession number
11535
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a nickel-covered hoop, twenty-four brackets, black walnut fingerboard, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a nickel-covered hoop, twenty-four brackets, black walnut fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the lower part of the fingerboard:

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6969), for $10.00.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880 - 1882
ID Number
MI.055719
catalog number
55719
accession number
11535
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a five-string piccolo banjo with a rosewood veneered hoop, sixteen brackets, rosewood veneered fingerboard, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a five-string piccolo banjo with a rosewood veneered hoop, sixteen brackets, rosewood veneered fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the bottom of the fingerboard.

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument was sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6974).

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880 - 1882
ID Number
MI.055723
catalog number
55723
accession number
11535
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a rosewood veneered hoop, twenty-four brackets, German Silver covered fingerboard, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a rosewood veneered hoop, twenty-four brackets, German Silver covered fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion marked on the peghead:

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument was sold as a piccolo banjo (#6975).

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880 - 1882
ID Number
MI.055720
catalog number
55720
accession number
11535
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a metal covered wood hoop, twenty-four brackets, walnut fingerboard, and friction pegs.
Description

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a metal covered wood hoop, twenty-four brackets, walnut fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the bottom of the fingerboard:

J.H.J.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument was sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6972).

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880 - 1882
ID Number
MI.055721
catalog number
55721
accession number
11535
This banjo was made by George Teed of New York, New York around 1862. It is a Six-String Banjo, with 17 frets, 8 brackets with a brass hoop, and resonator made from rosewood veneer with inlaid design. The brass hoop is etched:George Teed[ ] 8th 1862This banjo features U. S.
Description

This banjo was made by George Teed of New York, New York around 1862. It is a Six-String Banjo, with 17 frets, 8 brackets with a brass hoop, and resonator made from rosewood veneer with inlaid design. The brass hoop is etched:

George Teed
[ ] 8th 1862

This banjo features U. S. Patent #34913 dated April 8, 1862, by George Teed for an improvement in banjos.

Teed is listed in the New York City directory from 1860-1861 as a turner with a home address of 497 E. Houston. Like many craftsmen in the woodworking trades, Teed may have made banjos as a secondary business.

This early commercial banjo has top-tensioning screws to adjust the tightness of the head and a closed back resonator body designed to project the sound outwards towards the audience. Like similar mid-century banjos patented by Henry Dobson, it may have been actually made by the Buckbee company of New York.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1862
maker
Teed, George
ID Number
MI.68.06
catalog number
68.06
accession number
275703
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1920. It is a Four-String banjo made from a tin pan. The neck appears to be commercially made. There are four Grover tuning pegs. Stamped on tuning peg rings:GROVERPAT. PEND.Currently not on view
Description

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1920. It is a Four-String banjo made from a tin pan. The neck appears to be commercially made. There are four Grover tuning pegs. Stamped on tuning peg rings:

GROVER
PAT. PEND.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880-1920
ID Number
1981.0530.09
accession number
1981.0530
catalog number
1981.0530.09
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1848-1855.
Description
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1848-1855. It is a Five-String Banjo with a walnut or mahogany shell, metal hoop, twelve brackets, rosewood neck with a unique silhouette below the 5th string tuner, an unusual rectangle-shaped peghead, friction pegs, and an early style machine peg for the 5th string.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1848-1855
ID Number
MI.380526
catalog number
380526
accession number
153640
This banjo was made by Elmer Thompson of Staten Island, New York around 1917-1919 while waiting to be discharged from the U.S. Army during World War I.
Description

This banjo was made by Elmer Thompson of Staten Island, New York around 1917-1919 while waiting to be discharged from the U.S. Army during World War I. It is a Four-String Banjo, with a body made from the base of a German Howitzer shell, the neck from the stock of a rifle, with 12 frets, and the tuning pegs from French machine-gun bullets.

After the War Thompson continued to play this banjo in Staten Island working as an electronics engineer with the Philco Corporation of America. Retiring in 1959, he played this banjo in a seven-piece dance orchestra in Debary, Florida known as the Dee Dee Beehive. He was an active inventor, with 30 patents to his credit recorded in the U.S. Patent Office.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1917-1919
maker
Thompson, Elmer
ID Number
1984.0975.01
accession number
1984.0975
catalog number
1984.0975.01
This banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927.
Description

This banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, Mastertone TB-5 Model, short neck, serial number 8693-1, with black walnut shell, black walnut neck, rosewood fingerboard with iridescent ivoroid and marquetry strippings, inlay of white pearl designs, similar ornamentation applied to peghead, 4:1 geared pegs with pearl buttons, electrical lights inside the head, gold-tone metal parts, and a laminated and arched flange resonator with marquetry and ivoroid inlays.

This banjo was custom made for vaudevillian performer Vivian Chenoweth Hayes with jeweled accents on the peghead and inscribed with “Vivian.”

Vivian Hayes toured with her husband Ed Hayes and sister Frances as "Ed Hayes and His Banjo Girls" from 1927-1930.

As indicated in a 1926 Gibson Banjo Catalog testimonial: “The new Gison Mastertone Tenor-banjo is assuredly a marvel instrument. Its snappy tone, coupled with the rich tonal qualities and its ease of playing, make it an instrument which can be used for all purposes – dance, radio and concert.”

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1927
user
Hayes, Vivian Chenoweth
maker
Gibson, Inc.
ID Number
1992.0481.01
accession number
1992.0481
catalog number
1992.0481.01
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1930-1940. It is a Five-String Banjo, with 5 brackets. It was sold through Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Description
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1930-1940. It is a Five-String Banjo, with 5 brackets. It was sold through Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogs, and is typical of the inexpensive instruments which became easily available at that time to musical enthusiasts through mass-marketing and mail order convenience.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930-1940
ID Number
1987.0055.03
catalog number
1987.0055.03
accession number
1987.0055
This banjo was made by The A.C. Fairbanks Company of Boston, Massachusetts in 1899.
Description

This banjo was made by The A.C. Fairbanks Company of Boston, Massachusetts in 1899. It is a Five-String Banjo, Regent model, serial #18151, with a metal clad wood rim and maple neck, 28 brackets, ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl inlay, 22 frets, pearwood headstock with mother-of-pearl inlay, four ivory (one replacement) and one wood tuning peg. There is an engraved metal plate on the dowel stick:

The A.C.FAIRBANKS Co
MAKERS
- BOSTON, MASS. –

Albert Conant Fairbanks began making banjos in 1868 with William A. Cole, a well-known Boston banjo player and teacher. Around 1888, the A.C. Fairbanks Co., Fairbanks was joined by David L. Day. Six years later, Fairbanks sold his interest in the company to businessmen Cummings & Dodge. In 1904, the Vega Co. acquired the business and continued to produce popular banjos made by Fairbanks.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1899
maker
A. C. Fairbanks Co.
ID Number
1999.0296.01
serial number
18151
accession number
1999.0296
catalog number
1999.0296.01
This banjo was made by the Vega Instrument Company Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1965.
Description

This banjo was made by the Vega Instrument Company Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1965. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, "Vega-Vox IV" model, serial #A-125768, maple neck with mahogany inlay, carved heel, 19-fret ebony fretboard with 8 square pearl inlays, headstock with “Vega” and star motif, gold-tone tuners with white plastic buttons, gold-tone metal hardware, Tu-ba-phone tone ring with “barbell” cutouts, and resonator with “De-Luxe Vegavox” star, with flowers and intricate designs.

As listed in a 1964 Vega banjo flyer, the Vega-Vox IV banjos are custom-built on special order only. This model banjo sold for $930.00 plus $75.00 extra for the carved neck.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965
maker
Vega Instrument Co., Inc.
ID Number
1998.0074.01
catalog number
1998.0074.01
accession number
1998.0074
serial number
A-125768
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in North Carolina around 1875-1925. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wooden neck and rim. Fragments of an untanned skin (possibly groundhog) head are still nailed to the rim.
Description
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in North Carolina around 1875-1925. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wooden neck and rim. Fragments of an untanned skin (possibly groundhog) head are still nailed to the rim. Although in derelict condition when acquired by the Smithsonian, the deep grooves worn into the fretless neck attest to the many hours of music this instrument gave to its owner.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875-1899
ID Number
MI.65.0717
catalog number
65.0717
accession number
258254
This banjo was made by John Huron in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1996.
Description

This banjo was made by John Huron in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1996. It is a Five-String Fretless “Mountain Banjo,” serial #MB-042, with a cherry wood body, rosewood tuners and tailpiece, and a groundhog hide head.

John Huron is a builder and player of a variety of historical instruments. He has combined music, history, and folklore in classes and demonstrations throughout the United States to preserve the heritage of Appalachian instruments and music.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1996
maker
Huron, John
ID Number
1997.3031.01
catalog number
1997.3031.01
nonaccession number
1997.3031
This banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927.
Description

This banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, Mastertone TB-5 Model, serial number 8693-2, with black walnut shell, black walnut neck, rosewood fingerboard with iridescent ivoroid and marquetry strippings, inlay of white pearl designs, similar ornamentation applied to peghead, 4:1 geared pegs with pearl buttons, gold-tone metal parts, and a laminated and arched flange resonator with marquetry and ivoroid inlays.

This banjo was custom made for vaudevillian performer Frances Chenoweth Coan with jeweled accents on the peghead and inscribed with “Frances.”

Frances Chenoweth toured with her sister Vivian Hayes and Vivian’s husband Ed Hayes as "Ed Hayes and His Banjo Girls" from 1927-1930.

As indicated in a 1926 Gibson Banjo Catalog testimonial: “The new Gison Mastertone Tenor-banjo is assuredly a marvel instrument. Its snappy tone, coupled with the rich tonal qualities and its ease of playing, make it an instrument which can be used for all purposes – dance, radio and concert.”

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1927
user
Chenoweth, Frances
Coan, Frances Chenoweth
maker
Gibson, Inc.
ID Number
1992.0482.01
accession number
1992.0482
catalog number
1992.0482.01
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century. It is a Five-String Banjo, with a wood shell, and friction pegs.
Description
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century. It is a Five-String Banjo, with a wood shell, and friction pegs. The head of the banjo is painted with a scene depicting an African-American man and woman and a yellow squash plant. The head is fastened with decorative nails.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1900
late 19th century
ID Number
MI.381927
catalog number
381927
accession number
160028
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in Tennessee around 1925-1960. It is a Five-String Bnajo, made from two wood round discs separated by a smaller wood disc. Ten carriage bolts connect the two large discs together.
Description
This banjo was made by an unknown maker in Tennessee around 1925-1960. It is a Five-String Bnajo, made from two wood round discs separated by a smaller wood disc. Ten carriage bolts connect the two large discs together. The neck and peghead are carved from a single piece of wood and attached to the body with a carriage bolt. Animal skin is stretched over a wood ring and inserted into the hole in the top disc to serve as a banjo head. The tailpiece is made from a piece of metal and is secured by a bolt.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1925-1960
unspecified
Maxwell Fund, Mary E.
ID Number
MI.78.08
accession number
301219
catalog number
78.08
This banjo was made by Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan around 1940-1942.
Description

This banjo was made by Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan around 1940-1942. It is a Five-String Banjo, style RB-100, marked #7075-4, with a maple shell, neck, and resonator, sunburst finish on the back (the neck may have been refinished as it doesn’t appear to have the same sunburst finish), rosewood fingerboard with pearl position dots, 24 brackets, 2:1 Grover tuners, and a friction fifth-string peg. The peghead shape is unique to style 00 banjos. There is no tone ring or brass hoop but only a bead turned in the top of the rim to serve as a bearing for the head. Silkscreened on peghead:

Gibson

The RB-100 banjo is described in a 1937 Gibson catalog X:

”So that anyone can own a genuine Gibson regular banjo, we have created this fine model for only $27.50. Similar to style TB-00 on page 48 except has 27” scale with 22 frets and five strings.”

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940=1942
1940-1942
maker
Gibson, Inc.
ID Number
1981.0157.01
accession number
1981.0157
catalog number
1981.0157.01
This banjo was made by Samuel Swain Stewart Co. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1889.
Description

This banjo was made by Samuel Swain Stewart Co. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1889. It is a Five-String Banjo, serial #6682, with a metal-covered wooden hoop, 26 metal brackets, dark wood veneered fretboard and peghead, with shell inlay, rosewood neck, carved heel, and friction pegs. The banjo’s dowel stick is stamped:

TRADE
S.S.S. [in a peghead outline]
MARK

(There is a metal plate on the dowel stick) stamped:

S.S.STEWART
1889
PHILAD'A

Samuel Swain Stewart was a noted banjoist, one of the most prolific makers and popularizers of the banjo during the late 19th century. He was a determined advocate of "finger-style" (today's classic) technique, as opposed to the traditional "stroke style" (today's clawhammer or frailing) technique.

Through such writings as his pamphlet The Banjo Philosophically. Its Construction, Its Capabilities, Its place as a Musical Instrument. Its possibilities, and Its Future, he pursued a determined campaign to "elevate" the image of the banjo by disparaging and even denying its African American and minstrel show origins. He produced banjos in a wide range of styles and costs and was influential in creating the popular enthusiasm for fretted instrument clubs and orchestras which persisted into the 1930's.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1889
maker
Samuel Swain Stewart Co.
ID Number
MI.73.27
accession number
303139
catalog number
73.27

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