J. W. Pepper Sousaphone
date: label: date made
content: 1898-1902
name: label: maker
content: J. W. Pepper & Son
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This sousaphone was made by J.W. Pepper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, around 1898-1902. It is a BB-flat sousaphone, serial #46725, made of brass with 3 Perinet piston valves. This instrument is engraved:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>J.W. PEPPER<br>IMPORTER<br>PHILADELPHIA</p>
label: Description
content: <p>James Welsh Pepper (1853-1919), was an American music publisher and musical instrument maker and importer Pepper started his business as a small print shop and teaching music lessons, in 1875. By 1877, he opened a retail store in Philadelphia, selling sheet music and musical instruments. When a second location was opened in New York in 1880, Pepper established a relationship with London-born musical instrument maker, Henry Distin, to manufacture instruments for sale in his shops. By 1886, Pepper had expanded his business with a shop in Chicago. In 1910, Pepper discontinued manufacturing instruments but continued to import instruments from Europe until the beginning of WWI. After Pepper’s death in 1919, the focus of the business was on music publishing.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Thomas R. McAllister
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.73.37
label: catalog number
content: 73.37
label: accession number
content: 304390
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Sousaphone
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: bell: 27 1/2 in x 31 1/2 in; 69.85 cm x 80.01 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: sousaphone body: 11 in x 28 in x 35 1/2 in; 27.94 cm x 71.12 cm x 90.17 cm