Bosstone Autoharp Zither
date: label: manufacture date
content: 1924-1926
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This zither was made by The Bosstone Co. in Boston, Massachusetts, around 1924-1926. It is a Bosstone Grand Autoharp, made of wood, with a metal strip attached over bass strings with 4 felt attachments for playing chords. There are 15 pairs of melody strings, 4 groups of strings with 4 strings in each group of bass chords, with a tuning pin for each string.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>The instrument is lyre-shaped with a turned column across the curved right side. There is a paper foil ornamental band around the sound hole in gold to simulate inlay, and a paper foil decoration of a still life depicting musical instruments, music and foliage in the top left of the instrument. There is a paper foil musical staff across the lower section with chords and scale with numbers and letter names, and a decal design on bottom edge. The strings are attached to the base of the instrument and pass over an angled bridge, which is made of wood painted gold with a thin steel strip in the middle. There is a printed label inside the instrument:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>Price 35.00<br>Bosstone Grand<br>Manufactured by the Bosstone Co.<br>150 Liverpool Street, E. Boston, Mass.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>Accessioned with a Harp Music catalog, factory workmanship certificate, advertising form with envelope, and a set of paper music charts.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
label: Location
content: Currently not on view (tuning key)
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston, East Boston
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of William Lutz
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.66.196
label: catalog number
content: 66.196
label: accession number
content: 271968
objectType: label: Object Name
content: zither
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: german silver (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: felt (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 21 3/4 in x 13 1/4 in x 2 in; 55.245 cm x 33.655 cm x 5.08 cm