ticketsMember | Make a donation

Piccolo Banjo

ca. 1900
Not on view
This piccolo banjo is a "Bay State" brand made by the John C. Haynes Co., a major music wholesaler and the largest stringed instrument manufacturer in Boston, MA., at the end of the 19th century. By the 1880s the banjo had become fashionable as an amateur parlor instrument. With its popularity came the craze for banjo orchestras, in which a series of banjos of different sizes and pitches were played ensemble style. With its short fingerboard and rim measuring only 7" in diameter, the piccolo banjo was tuned an octave higher than the standard banjo and was the highest pitched instrument in the banjo orchestra.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Piccolo Banjo
  • Date: ca. 1900
  • Geography: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Cherry and maple wood, various materials
  • Dimensions: Overall: 18.5 x 57cm (7 5/16 x 22 7/16in.)
  • Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
  • Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
  • Object Number: 89.4.2887
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Pipe Organ, Thomas Appleton American, Mahogany veneer, rosewood veneer, pine, gilt, ivory, ebony, maple, walnut, chestnut, metal, American
Pipe Organ
Thomas Appleton
1830
Les Paul prototype recording model, serial no. 001, Gibson American, Mahogany, maple, rosewood, metal, plastic, American
Les Paul prototype recording model, serial no. 001
Gibson
1982
Keyed bugle in E-flat, Henry Sibley American, Silver, American
Keyed bugle in E-flat
Henry Sibley
1840
Clarinet in A, William S. Haynes Co., Silver, American
Clarinet in A
William S. Haynes Co.
1930
Valve Trumpet, Elbridge G. Wright American, Brass, nickel-silver, American
Valve Trumpet
Elbridge G. Wright
ca. 1845

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.