Underwood Manuflex Finger Excercise Machine
date: label: Date made
content: ca. 1950
name: label: maker
content: Underwood
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>This finger and wrist exerciser was made by the Manuflex Company, in Portland, Oregon, about 1950. It is an Underwood Manuflex, has a black plastic base with black plastic "palm" or channeled base to rest fingers and palm. Base has six metal pins. "Palm" and the finger channels are attached underneath by springs which can be moved, positioned, and held by the metal pins on the base. The "palm" rests on the base and can be removed. Comes with manual and cloth cover.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>According to the brochure collected with the Manuflex:</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p> “Underwood Manuflex is a practical, efficient device for manipulating and stretching joints of the fingers and wrist…and for strengthening intrinsic muscles of the hand. Instantly adjustable for many variations of movement.”</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>Austrian-American violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler’s endorsement appears in <i>The Violinist</i> magazine from August, 1918:</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>“Some must, unfortunately, practice incessantly on technical difficulties which have long been mastered mentally. <i>Through the application of the MANUFLEX the fingers are quickly made supple and responsive. Instead of wasting time, nervous energy, will power and imagination on tedious practice to accomplish this, the hands are brought to their best condition in a few moments by mechanical means.</i> This should mean much to every player and <i>Give more time for the cultivation of artistry. I therefore earnestly recommend Mr. Underwood’s invention to artists and students alike for daily use.</i></p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Oregon, Portland
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Health & Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Albert S. Benoist
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2002.0099.01
label: accession number
content: 2002.0099
label: catalog number
content: 2002.0099.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: finger exerciser
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 7.5 cm x 28 cm x 22 cm; 2 15/16 in x 11 in x 8 11/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall, storage: 2 1/2 in x 22 7/16 in x 14 1/2 in; 6.35 cm x 56.99125 cm x 36.83 cm