Gourd Folk Fiddle
date: label: Date made
content: 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: This folk fiddle was made in St. Mary's County, Maryland in the 19th century by an unknown maker. This fiddle and its accompanying bow are probably from the black slave cultural tradition of the American plantation. The instrument is made with a skin top nailed to a gourd body, and was recovered from an outbuilding of a large estate in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. This folk fiddle is made of a table of hide fastened with fifty-five iron nails to the gourd body which has two “slit” soundholes, neck of walnut with pegbox and four ash pegs, and a hardwood fingerboard and bone nut. The bow made for the fiddle is modeled after classical bow design.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Maryland, Saint Marys county
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: Cultures & Communities
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content: Family & Social Life
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content: Violins
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.75.44
label: accession number
content: 316462
label: catalog number
content: 75.44
objectType: label: Object Name
content: fiddle
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: gourd (body material)
label: Physical Description
content: walnut (neck material)
label: Physical Description
content: skin (table material)
label: Physical Description
content: iron (nails material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 23 3/4 in x 6 in x 6 in; 60.325 cm x 15.24 cm x 15.24 cm