Blair & Baldwin Snare Drum

Blair & Baldwin Snare Drum

Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description (Brief)

This snare drum was made by Blair and Baldwin in Boston, Massachusetts, around 1892-1893. It has a wood shell and skin heads. The hoops are made of wood and have 12 sets of metal hooks for rope which is laced through leather and metal tensioning ears. The drum has a gut snare and a leather carrying strap. There is a printed label inside the shell that inscribed:

BLAIR AND BOSTON
Brighton district
BOSTON, MASS.

This drum was used by William T. Armstrong (1879-1965), orchestra leader and musician in vaudeville and silent film theaters. Armstrong grew up in South River, New Jersey and began playing drums at the age of 14. He continued his musical career through the mid-1910s, after which, Armstrong began work in banking and finance. This artifact is part of a collection of drums, sound effect instruments, and other percussion instruments used by Armstrong.

Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
drum
date made
1892-1893
place made
United States: Massachusetts, Boston
Physical Description
wood (overall material)
metal (overall material)
ID Number
1984.0335.02
accession number
1984.0335
catalog number
1984.0335.02
Credit Line
Gift of Pamela A. Carlin and Evelyn A. Mark in memory of William T. Armstrong
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
Music & Musical Instruments
Popular Entertainment
Percussion
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.