Object Details
Description
This fiddle was made in Middle Appalachia in the first half of the 20th century. This instrument is unique in its design and construction, incorporating a wooden clapper extending from beneath the end of
the fingerboard. The clapper is free to vibrate against the top of the fiddle, presumably created to add a buzzing or percussion effect to accompany the tune being played. The narrow body and design of
the tailpiece has no apparent accommodation for holding the fiddle between the performer's shoulder and chin.
The donor of the instrument, Mr. Wallace Kuralt, bought it at a flea market in North Carolina in the 1960s. He believes the proprietor bought the fiddle from another flea market source in or around the border between New Hope, Pennsylvania and Lambertville, New Jersey. The provenance of the instrument is most likely a rural community in the mid-Atlantic region of the east coast of the United States.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Wallace Kuralt
Date made
1900-1950
ID Number
1992.0517.01
accession number
1992.0517
catalog number
1992.0517.01
Object Name
fiddle
Physical Description
wood (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 23 in x 3 1/2 in x 4 in; 58.42 cm x 8.89 cm x 10.16 cm
Place Made
United States
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
Music & Musical Instruments
Violins
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_606945