What Is This Old Squeezebox? (photos)

[bellowbelle]

My intuitive guess is that this man is Russian or from around that 'neighborhood.' Don't know who he could be.

 

As for the box...well, it doesn't really match up with anything I find, though the closest I can find is an image in 'The Classical Squeezebox' by Henry Doktorski of a Russian Vyatskaya harmonika (from the archive of A. Mirek), which was from about the 1840's. But....I could be way off...don't know.

 

Anybody know?

 

 

[stuart estell]

Anybody know?

Looks like a flutina to me - here's some pictures of another one:

http://www.pamelasmusic.co.uk/images/Forsa...ereed/Me029.htm

[Howard Mitchell]

Looks like a flutina.

 

There are some examples here and here.

 

Perhaps the man in the picture is French.

 

Howard Mitchell

[Samantha]

[snip] ... the closest I can find is an image in 'The Classical Squeezebox' by Henry Doktorski of a Russian Vyatskaya harmonika (from the archive of A. Mirek) ... [snip]

I have the full catalogue of of Mirek's collection. The flutina looks to be the nearest thing to your picture, but the keyboard on the one in Mirek's collection is a piano keyboard (perhaps indicating a later model than the one in your picture?).

Samantha

[bellowbelle]

Thanks, all. It does seem to be closer to a flutina (which I'd never heard of before) than to the Vyatskaya harmonika. (I guess I was just hoping my first guess was right! )

 

I just got this old tintype yesterday. My husband bought it at a paper (photos, documents, etc.) show. So, it's now part of my miscellaneous collection of...everything.

 

It'd be fun if the gentleman turned out to be a famous player, but...? I don't really know too many faces from that era!

[Jax]

That's an mid-19th C. accordion. That's what they looked like back then. They were held in the air without any shoulder straps. Think there was a hand strap on the left.

Edited January 12, 2004 by Jax

[Stephen Chambers]

Strictly speaking the instrument is a "French Accordion", as the pallets appear to be external, it was only a "Flutina" if they were covered. However, "Flutina" seems to have become the name by which all varieties of French accordion are known in Britain. (Similarly, most so-called "Melodeons" are actually "Vienna Accordions", but that is another story ...) The French accordion was very popular, both in Britain and the United States, from the mid-1830's up until the appearance of the German "Melodeon" in the 1870's.

 

Surviving examples of octagonal French accordions, like this one, are quite uncommon, though I have seen a handful. It is interesting to note that it already appears to have some of its mother of pearl keys missing, when the picture was taken, they are easily damaged. This perhaps points to the likelihood that the instrument was only a "prop" in the photographer's studio, a common practice at the time.

 

Look's like Steve Dickinson's great-great-grandad !

Edited January 14, 2004 by Stephen Chambers

[bellowbelle]

This perhaps points to the likelihood that the instrument was only a "prop" in the photographer's studio, a common practice at the time.

I also wondered about the length of his fingernails...a bit hard to see in my photos of the photo, but, I thought they looked long. I figured that he couldn't really be a serious player if his nails are too long. But, who knows!

 

Also....the photographer centered the subject (the man) but the accordion wasn't even wholly included in the picture, so, it may have been a prop.

 

Well....if anyone can prove to me that I have a photo of his/her great-great-someone, then....perhaps I'll sell it! (I didn't even get to keep some of my own family memorabilia that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere once, from another antique dealer....my husband bought and sold it!!! Oh, well...I have enough of them, anyway...)