“Horn Violin” Patent Model
date: label: Date made
content: 1854
notes: label: Description
content: This “Horn Violin” was patented by Sewall Short of New London, Connecticut in 1854 and received U.S. Patent number 10,867. The violin was made by Derazey in Mirecourt, France around 1850. Short’s patent application describes fitting a brass “horn” and pegbox to the body and neck of a normal violin. By hollowing the wooden neck, sound vibrations are transmitted from the body through the amplifying “horn.” The tone and power of the instrument was said to be much improved. The violin neck has been overlaid with brass for strength and is made of a table of one-piece spruce, one-piece maple back with irregular fine to broad horizontal figure, ribs of medium figured maple, brass covered maple neck and pegbox with attached “horn” bell, and an orange-brown varnish.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Connecticut, New London
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
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content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Violins
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content: Patent Models
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.251398
label: accession number
content: 48889
label: catalog number
content: 251398
label: patent number
content: 10,867
objectType: label: Object Name
content: violin
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: spruce (table material)
label: Physical Description
content: maple (back material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 25 in x 8 1/4 in x 5 1/8 in; 63.5 cm x 20.955 cm x 13.0175 cm