23 key Lachenal anglo

[mb42]

Hi All,

I'm a noob here and have just acquired a Lachanel Anglo 23 key (22 + air) steel reeds, 7 fold (6 ribs). I can only find reference to 20 key models. Can anyone shed light about the age or other history of this configuration. S/N 77156.

Thanks

Edited September 11, 2022 by mb42

[Daniel Hersh]

There's a little info about 22-key Anglos at https://concertina.co.uk/stock-selection/anglo-concertinas/lachenal-22-key-anglo-in-c-g-7726/ .  I'll let the Lachenal dating experts comment on the date.

 

Those look like steel reeds to me.  They're in brass frames which were standard in vintage British-made concertinas.

[mb42]

Thanks Daniel, you're correct about the frames being brass with steel reeds. I have updated the description.

[Takayuki YAGI]

Just FYI this circa 1895 catalogue lists 22 button configuration (pdf). http://www.concertina.com/pricelists/dealers/pricelist-henshaw-loebell-c1895.pdf

 

I also have a 22 button instrument with mahogany ends with simpler fretwork and shorter 5-fold(ribs, in your terminology) bellows, and I think yours is a superior one. (Sorry, but I don't want to disassemble it to check the serial number.)

[Stephen Chambers]

Lachenal Anglo S/N 77156 would have been made near the end of 1882.

 

22-key Anglos would have been an early step in adding semitones to the instrument, and they continued to be offered for many years as a cheap option for people who wanted to play in more keys than a 20-key offered.

 

Those would normally be described as 6-fold bellows.