William Henry Potter 6-Keyed Flute
date: label: Date made
content: 1808-1810
name: label: maker
content: Potter, William Henry
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This flute was made by William Henry Potter in London, England around 1808 to 1810. It is a 6-keyed flute made of boxwood with ivory ferrules, an ivory crown cap, and silver keys. This flute is accessioned with a period walnut case. The flute is stamped:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>PATENT<br>6<br>WILLM.HENY<br>POTTER<br>JOHNSON'S COURT<br>FLEET STREET<br>LONDON</p>
label: Description
content: <p>William Henry Potter (1760-1848) was granted British Patent #3136 on May 28, 1808 for “Improvements in German flutes and other musical instruments.” The patent specification indicates:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>“These consist in giving a sliding motion to the valves by which the holes of German flutes and other wind musical instruments, usually stopped by keys with valves, are stopped and opened. The valve is kept close by a spring across the instrument to a flat metal plate let into the flute, and having a hole through it to admit the wind. The spring is shown attached to various parts of the keys of a German flute, but the same or a similar description is stated as applicable to all other wind musical instruments.”</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, London
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: Flutes
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Captain & Mrs. Noel S. O’Reilly
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1982.0719.01
label: accession number
content: 1982.0719
label: patent number
content: 3136
label: catalog number
content: 1982.0719.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: flute
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: boxwood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ivory (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: silver (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 27 in x 1 1/2 in; 68.58 cm x 3.81 cm