This violin was made by John Albert in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876. Albert, born in Freiburg, Germany, was a lawyer and an amateur violin maker who immigrated to America in 1848. He settled in Philadelphia and quickly established an excellent reputation as a violin maker. This Albert "Concert Violin" was a prize-winning entry at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. John Albert died in 1887 after a long collaboration with his son, E. J. Albert. This violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce, back of North American maple cut on the slab with strong, irregular, horizontal figure, ribs of similar North American maple, mildly figured maple neck, pegbox and scroll, and a semi-transparent reddish-brown varnish.
Obverse Image: Eagle with shield, arrows, and branch at left.
Obverse Text: THIRTY / 30 / N. 140 / THE PRESIDENT, DIRECTORS, & COMPANY OF THE BANK OF THE UNITED STATES, PROMISE TO PAY TO R KEEN OR BEARER ON DEMAND, THIRTY DOLLARS. / PHILADELPHIA, THE 30 DAY OF DECR 1791
Surveyor's vernier compass marked "Wm. J. Young Maker Philadelphia." William J. Young began using this particular signature around 1840, and began putting serial numbers on his instruments in the early 1850s. The variation arc on the north arm extends 27 degrees either way. The vernier is moved by rack and pinion located on the south arm and hidden under a brass plate, and reads to 5 minutes. There is a circular level vial on the south arm and an outkeeper on the north arm. The face is dark, and the needle ring was probably silvered originally.
This compass belonged to David Newton Ellis (1850-1926), the County Surveyor of Monroe County, West Virginia.
Ref.: D. J. Warner, "William J. Young. From Craft to Industry in a Skilled Trade," Pennsylvania History 52 (1985): 53-68.
This shipping crate side was used by Barker, Moore & Mein Medicine Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the early 20th century. The crate contained a half dozen bottles, sold for 84 cents. The Barker, Moore & Mein Medicine Company sold a variety of powders and liniments for medicinal purposes, and were well-known for their “Komic” picture souvenirs that depicted a variety of mishaps that could be solved by the company’s products.