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“Lady Stewart #3” 5-string banjo

ca. 1890-1891
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 681
Philadelphia banjo maker S. S. Stewart sought to "elevate" the banjo to the violin and piano’s perceived level of respectability in middle class homes of the Victorian era. To meet the needs of amateur clubs and orchestra, he produced a broad range of banjo sizes from piccolo to cello banjos. Marketed specifically to women, instruments such as this highly decorative, but small, banjo were often highly decorated. This banjo has marquetry on the wooden rim’s interior, engravings on the German silver cladding, a carved heal, and extensive pearl inlay in the fingerboard and headstock.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: “Lady Stewart #3” 5-string banjo
  • Maker: Samuel Swain Stewart
  • Date: ca. 1890-1891
  • Geography: United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Calfskin head, various woods (including ebony), metal hardware and cladding over rim, mother of pearl and abalone inlays, ebony fingerboard, nylon strings, ivory tuning pegs, ivory tail piece ornament and ebony nut
  • Dimensions: 31” L x2-1/4” D x 9-1/4” diameter
  • Classification: Musical instruments
  • Object Number: 2026.448.1
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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