Christian Frederick Martin worked for Johann Georg Stauffer (1778–1853) in Vienna, rising to foreman in the factory and ultimately leaving for New York in 1833, where he set up shop on Hudson Street. He was the founder of C. F. Martin & Co., the company that produced many forms of twentieth-century guitars, including the "Dreadnought." The instrument exhibited here closely resembles the Stauffer guitar (1979.390) in the Museum's collection. This guitar has a one-piece back and sides of bird's-eye maple; the top is spruce. Like the Stauffer guitar, the neck angle can be adjusted with a key mechanism.

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