DDF Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 Not sure if this interesting picture has ever been shown here? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 A little googling reveals that Lewis Harding was a 19th century Cornish photographer, and given the Polperro Knit Frocks, I guess we can conclude that the photo was taken in Cornwall. The concertina is square, suggesting it is German. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 (edited) A concertina something-like this 1850's Klingenthal-made one (from my collection) perhaps? Edited October 10 by Stephen Chambers Edited to display photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Thorne Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 8 hours ago, Stephen Chambers said: A concertina something-like this 1850's Klingenthal-made one (from my collection) perhaps? From what I can see in the photo (not a lot) it looks to be more square than yours, although much closer to yours than to a hexagonal one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 1 hour ago, Clive Thorne said: From what I can see in the photo (not a lot) it looks to be more square than yours, although much closer to yours than to a hexagonal one! It's hard to be sure about anything because so much of the instrument is not visible but, the more I look at it, the more rectangular it looks. Anyway, all the early 4-sided ones I've seen (and I have about ten of them) have these same proportions - which were copied for the early Wheatstone "duetts". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Franch Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 As much as we might disdain these inexpensive (i.e., cheap) instruments today, I marvel at how they made it possible for working class communities to make music. These instruments played an important role in enabling poor people to become musicians. We play their music on much better instruments, but the music might not have survived or been written were it not for these instruments. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON GABRIELOW Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 It's often apparent how severe a lot of folk can appear on old photos .. which is frequently because the cameras required different exposure methods, and they had to sit quite still as result. 🌝 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 No one in the first photo seems to be playing, could this have been an advertisement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 22 minutes ago, JimR said: No one in the first photo seems to be playing, could this have been an advertisement? In the 1850s photography was only in its infancy, and often treated as an art form, exposures were long so pictures were posed and subjects had to keep still throughout (but the two brothers lower right evidently moved!), so you don't get "action shots". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR Posted October 14 Share Posted October 14 Thanks Stephen, I hadn't considered that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted October 14 Share Posted October 14 (edited) I have a Henry Harley here at the moment and it could be one of those. Its a lovely player, beautiful tone. Edited October 14 by Chris Ghent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 14 Share Posted October 14 5 hours ago, Chris Ghent said: I have a Henry Harley here at the moment and it could be one of those. The first listing for Harley doesn't appear until 1874 Chris, and the earliest instruments he sold appear to have been made in Germany. I have one bearing the Harley stamp that has been identified by Dr. Maria Dunkel as being made by the German maker Ernst Bassler, of Grünberg, Saxony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted October 16 Share Posted October 16 Stephen, have I ever said, you are a living treasure… 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 (edited) On 10/14/2023 at 12:23 PM, Chris Ghent said: I have a Henry Harley here at the moment and it could be one of those. Its a lovely player, beautiful tone. Henry Harley wasn't born until 1833, so the photo would probably be too early for it to be one of his instruments. Edited October 17 by sadbrewer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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