Ashborn Five-String Fretless Banjo
date: label: date made
content: 1852-1875
name: label: maker
content: Ashborn, James
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This banjo was made by James Ashborn of Wolcottville, Connecticut around 1852-1875. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with 12 brackets, stained maple neck, rosewood veneer fingerboard, and a stained maple hoop. The peghead is stamped:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>J. ASHBORN PATENT 1852</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This banjo features U. S. Patent #9268 dated September 21, 1852, by James Ashborn, for an improved tuning peg.<p>
label: Description
content: <p>James Ashborn was the first to apply mass production principles to banjo and guitar making. His efficient factory in Connecticut was the source for high quality musical instruments distributed through New York wholesalers in the rapidly expanding 19th century market, signifying the instrument’s transition from homemade artifact to a profitable commercial product.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Connecticut, Wolcottville
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Banjos
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.67.002
label: catalog number
content: 67.002
label: accession number
content: 272575
objectType: label: Object Name
content: banjo
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: maple (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rosewood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: animal skin (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 39 in x 13 1/2 in x 3 in; 99.06 cm x 34.29 cm x 7.62 cm