Tuebner Bowed Zither
date: label: date made
content: 1891 - 1895
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This bowed zither was made by William A. Tuebner in Baltimore, Maryland, around 1891-1895. It is made of a two-piece arched table of walnut with stylized inverted f-holes and inlaid purfling, back of pine, veneered with rosewood, ribs of pine, veneered with rosewood bearing ornamental wood purfling inlays connecting table and back, a stained veneered wooden fingerboard with 29 metal frets, 5 mother-of-pearl eyes and ornamental colored wood edge inlay, a metal tuning machine with 4 mother-of-pearl tuners, 3 bone feet with metal points, a metal tailpiece fastened to body with 3 screws, and transparent varnish. There is a printed label inside the instrument:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>Wm. Tuebner<br>MANUFACTURER<br>of<br>Musical Stringed Instruments<br>BALTIMORE</p>
label: Description
content: <p>(and stamped on the metal tuning device):</p>
label: Description
content: <p>W.A. TUEBNER<br>PATS SEP. 15 1891</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This instrument features U. S. Patent #459603, date September 15, 1891, by William A. Tuebner (Tuebnée) for a mechanical tuning device for holding and regulating pitch which can be adapted to a wide range of string instruments. The concept is demonstrated in use on this bowed zither in mandolin form.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Maryland, Baltimore
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.247692
label: catalog number
content: 247692
label: accession number
content: 47477
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Zither
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: walnut (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: pine (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rosewood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: mother-of-pearl (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 20 7/8 in x 11 3/8 in x 2 3/8 in; 53.0225 cm x 28.8925 cm x 6.0325 cm
label: Measurements
content: side: 1 1/4 in; 3.175 cm
label: Measurements
content: vib string: 16 5/16 in; 41.43375 cm