overall: 36 in x 11 3/4 in x 2 1/4 in; 91.44 cm x 29.845 cm x 5.715 cm
Object Name:
banjo
Place made:
United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Date made:
ca 1889
Description:
<p>This banjo was made by Samuel Swain Stewart Co. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1889. It is a Five-String Banjo, serial #6682, with a metal-covered wooden hoop, 26 metal brackets, dark wood veneered fretboard and peghead, with shell inlay, rosewood neck, carved heel, and friction pegs. The banjo’s dowel stick is stamped:</p>
<p>TRADE<br>S.S.S. [in a peghead outline]<br>MARK</p>
<p>(There is a metal plate on the dowel stick) stamped:</p>
<p>S.S.STEWART<br>1889<br>PHILAD'A</p>
<p>Samuel Swain Stewart was a noted banjoist, one of the most prolific makers and popularizers of the banjo during the late 19th century. He was a determined advocate of "finger-style" (today's <i>classic</i>) technique, as opposed to the traditional "stroke style" (today's <i>clawhammer</i> or <i>frailing</i>) technique.</p>
<p>Through such writings as his pamphlet <i>The Banjo Philosophically. Its Construction, Its Capabilities, Its place as a Musical Instrument. Its possibilities, and Its Future,</i> he pursued a determined campaign to "elevate" the image of the banjo by disparaging and even denying its African American and minstrel show origins. He produced banjos in a wide range of styles and costs and was influential in creating the popular enthusiasm for fretted instrument clubs and orchestras which persisted into the 1930's.</p>
