American Five-String Fretless Banjo

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Object Details

Description

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1878-1882. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with 9 brackets with eagles and 1 bracket with a shield (replacement), and a metal covered wood hoop. The brackets are similar to those on commercially-made banjos available through musical instruments distributors such as J. Howard Foote. This instrument was rebuilt by Kyle Creed of Galax, Virginia around 1965.

Location

Currently not on view

date made

1878-1882

ID Number

MI.70.21

catalog number

70.21

accession number

290542

Object Name

banjo

Physical Description

wood (overall material)

metal (overall material)

animal skin (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 34 1/2 in x 11 in x 2 1/2 in; 87.63 cm x 27.94 cm x 6.35 cm

place made

United States: Virginia, Galax

See more items in

Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments

Music & Musical Instruments

Banjos

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Metadata Usage

CC0

Link to Original Record

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a4-31fa-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record ID

nmah_605686