Square Piano
date: label: date made
content: 1833-1837
name: label: maker
content: Babcock, Alpheus
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This square piano was made by Alpheus Babcock, for William Swift, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania around 1833-1837. It is the only surviving Babcock from the period in which he worked as foreman at William Swift’s factory. Alpheus Babcock is best known for his invention of the one-piece metal frame for square pianos, patented December 17, 1825 in Boston. This piano is one of three known pianos with his patented iron frame. This piano is serial number 1517 and has a compass of FF-f4, Babcock patent action, leather top over layers of felt hammers (not original), double-strings, some wound, 2 pedals: moderator and dampers, Babcock’s patented one-piece cast iron frame, and a crotch mahogany veneered case.
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
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: Pianos
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Hugo Worch
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.315690
label: serial number
content: 1517
label: accession number
content: 58488
label: catalog number
content: 315690
objectType: label: Object Name
content: piano
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: iron (strings: material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (hammers: material)
label: Physical Description
content: iron (frame: material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (case: material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 90.6 cm x 177 cm x 73.1 cm; 35 11/16 in x 69 11/16 in x 28 3/4 in