Dulcimer Pick, used by Jean Ritchie
name: label: user
content: Ritchie, Jean
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This dulcimer pick is made of plastic. It was previously owned and used by American folk music singer and songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player, Jean Ritchie. She made it from a Mazola margarine top, and it was her favorite type of pick.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>Jean Ritchie (1922-2015) became known as "The Mother of Folk" for her contributions to American folk music. She was instrumental in introducing the dulcimer to a wider audience as well as making dulcimers with her husband George Pickow (the maker of the "Wedding" dulcimer, Cat. #2015.0234.01).</p>
label: Description
content: <p>In 1952, Jean Ritchie received a Fulbright scholarship to research folk songs and music that originated in Britain and Ireland, which subsequently made their way to the United States. Ritchie performed these songs in concerts throughout England and included some of the songs in her recording Field Trip, in 1954. After Jean Ritchie's return to the United States, she continued to perform and record. In 1959, she performed at the first Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island. Jean Ritchie recorded over 30 albums and authored 7 books throughout her career. In 1977, she received the <i>Rolling Stone</i> Magazine Critics award for her album <i>None But One.</i></p>
label: Description
content: <p>In 2002, Jean Ritchie received a National Endowment for the Arts heritage fellowship. She continued to perform until 2009, when she suffered a stroke. A tribute album, <i>Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie</i> was released in 2014 and featured musicians Janis Ian, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, and Kathie Mattea.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Dulcimers
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Peter Pickow
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2015.0234.10
label: accession number
content: 2015.0234
label: catalog number
content: 2015.0234.10
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pick
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 3/4 in x 2 7/8 in; 6.985 cm x 7.3025 cm