Violin Fingerboard Patent Model
date: label: Date made
content: 1853
name: label: patentee
content: Robertson, William
notes: label: Description
content: This keyed fingerboard was patented by William Robertson of New York, New York on November 8, 1853 and received U.S. Patent number 10,213. Robertson’s invention is for a mechanical-keyed fingerboard that is placed over the strings of a normal violin to assist amateurs. The fingerboard has thirty-two buttons that can be depressed to change pitch without bringing the fingers directly in contact with the strings. The instrument is a commercial Mirecourt violin with heavily crazed varnish made around 1850. This violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce, two-piece back of maple with even medium-fine gently descending figure, ribs of similar maple, plain field maple neck, pegbox and scroll, and a semi-opaque yellow-orange varnish.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: New York, New York City
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: Violins
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.66.094
label: catalog number
content: 66.094
label: accession number
content: 249602
label: patent number
content: 10213
objectType: label: Object Name
content: violin
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: spruce (table material)
label: Physical Description
content: maple (back material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 23 1/2 in x 8 in x 2 3/4 in; 59.69 cm x 20.32 cm x 6.985 cm