Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts University Bands Old Town School of Folk Mus... Finding Aid Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts University Bands Old Town School of Folk Mus... Finding Aid By Dan Andree, Julie Calcagno, Bronwyn Schell, Liz Wittrig, Wendy Wong, Anna Yacullo, and Kezhen Zhang
[Printer Friendly] | [ Email us about these papers]Title: Old Town School of Folk Music Banjo Exhibition Records and Samuel Swaim Stewart Banjos, 1819-2001
ID: 12/9/154
Primary Creator: Old Town School of Folk Music (1957-)
Extent: 32.5 cubic feet
Arrangement: Organized in three series: Series 1, Administrative Records, 1974-2000; Series 2, Exhibition Records, 1819-2001; and Series 3, Music Instruments, 1847-1925 and 1988-1989. Series 2 is then organized in two sub-series: Sub-series 1, Research Records, 1963-2001 and Sub-series 2, Exhibition Labels, Photographs, and Illustrations, 1819-1993. Series 3 is organized in two sub-series: Sub-series 1, Samuel Swaim Stewart Banjos, 1885-1900 and Sub-series 2, Non-Samuel Swaim Stewart Instruments, 1847-1920 and 1988-1989. Series 1 is arranged chronologically, Series 2.1 is arranged by file time and then chronologically, Series 2.2 is arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically, Series 3.1 is arranged sequentially by serial number, and Series 3.2 is unarranged.
Date Acquired: 01/20/2017
Subjects: Banjo, Folk music, Musical Instrument Collections, Musical Instrument Makers - United States, Music instruments -- Africa, West, Old Town School of Folk Music, Stewart, Samuel Swaim
Languages: English
Consists of research files, correspondence, photographs, exhibition labels and illustrations, banjo magazines, newsletters, instruction books, music catalogues and 33 music instruments including the Heinja collection of 24 Samuel Swaim Stewart banjos that document the acquisition and exhibition of the Samuel Swaim Stewart banjos and the development of the Old Town School of Folk Music's exhibit "The Making of the 5-String Banjo: From Hollow Gourds to Silvered Rims" that was displayed at the Old Town School of Folk Music between 1989 and 1990, and again from 1991 to 1993.
The Old Town School of Folk Music was given a collection of thirty historical banjos during the 1970s by Dr. Henja, an orthopedic surgeon at Chicago's Rush Presbyterian Hospital. According to Paul Tyler, who curated the Old Town School of Folk Music's banjo exhibit, the Henja banjo collection began as a "magnificent collection of Samuel Swain Stewart banjos that were brought together over many years by Robert Johnson of Rossville, Georgia." The banjos were later purchased by Dr. Henja in June 1969 from the Hathaway and Bowers auction house. This collection originally consisted of twenty-six Stewart banjos that were manufactured in Philadelphia during the late nineteenth century. In addition to these instruments, Dr. Henja also included four other historic banjos that were made by other American banjo makers.
The Henja banjo collection was originally displayed for nearly twenty years in the foyer of the Old Town School of Folk Music that was located on Chicago's Armitage Avenue. The instruments, according to Paul Tyler, "were afforded no particular conservation or security other than the trust and good manners" of the school's many students and teachers. In 1987 the Armitage Avenue building was renovated and the banjos were sent to Evanston, Illinois' Guitar Works to be restored by Terry Straker. When this restoration work was completed in 1988 a new exhibition space was created on the second floor of the building, and Paul Tyler was hired to be the school's Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. His primary responsibility was the creation of a special exhibit that documented the origin and development of the banjo in America using the Henja collection.
In 1989 the school's new exhibition of the Stewart banjos, modelled after Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 1984 exhibit, "Ring the Banjar," opened as "The Making of the 5-String Banjo: From Hollowed Gourds to Silvered Rims." The Old Town School's exhibit according to Tyler, "highlighted the continuities between a popular musical instrument that was mass-produced in American factories" and the banjo's early origins as "folk lutes carved and assembled by various West African peoples" who were brought to America through the Atlantic slave trade. The exhibit was revised and reinstalled in 1991 after the School's exhibition, "Weaving and Identity: Folk Are from Guatemala," was closed. The revised banjo exhibit remained open until 1993 when the Old Town School closed its exhibition gallery to make more room for their growing number of folk music classes.
Banjo
Folk music
Musical Instrument Collections
Musical Instrument Makers - United States
Music instruments -- Africa, West
Old Town School of Folk Music
Stewart, Samuel Swaim
Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Acquisition Source: Old Town School of Folk Music
Acquisition Method: Gift
Serial #3038, 10" head, 24 1/2" scale, 20 frets, 24 brackets
S.S. Stewart and Philadelphia are stamped on the brace. Maple neck with an ebony tailpiece. Original fifth peg and ivory nut. No-knot original tailpiece with pearl position marker dots by all frets. The pearl position marker dots by all frets are on the side of the neck and the fingerboard has larger dots, half-moon stars and additional pieces. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.011
Serial #3130, 13" head, 29 3/4" scale, 18 frets, 30 brackets
Cello-sized instrument, very large head and scale. Solid rosewood neck, fingerboard and shell. The peghead is ornamented by an ornately chasied German silver plate. Under the fingerboard are six layers of colored veneer and has pearl inlays. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.020
Serial #4186, 11 1/2" head, 27 1/4" scale, 20 frets, 28 brackets
Original metal plate on the brace with the name Thoroughbred, S.S. Stewart. Additional woodstamps, a trademark, S.S.S., and the S.S. Stewart stamp. The neck has multiple laminations with an ebony fingerboard which is inlaid with dots, stars and half-moons. The pegboard is generously inlaid with stars, diamonds, and other shapes. Rosewood shell and maple neck. The heel is delicately carved and there is an inlaid heelplate. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.024
Serial #6183, 11" head, 27" scale, 20 frets, 24 brackets
Nameplate on the brace is Universal Favorite with a stamp on the inside of the shell, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The fingerboard is extensively and beautifully inlaid with pearl, silver wire, brass and copper. It has a cherry neck and simple heel of ebony plate. The ivory tailpiece is original and the remainder of the instrument is all original with the exception of the tuning pegs. This instrument has a maple shell with original seal intact. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.012
Serial #7388, 11 1/2" head, 27 1/2" scale, 19 frets, 30 brackets
S.S. Stewart nameplate, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wood imprint trademark, S.S.S. Second imprint S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The head is leather and there is a rosewood neck with ebony fingerboard inlaid with dots, half-moons and stars and additional pieces. This banjo has a rosewood shell with a "no-knot" tailpiece plus an original ivory tailpiece which is attached. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.008
Serial #8992, 12 1/2" head, 19" scale, 20 frets, 32 brackets
Nameplate, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with trademark woodstamp S.S.S. and additional woodstamp on the brace, S.S. Stewart. Metallic bracket brace is stamped, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, patented 1887. The fingerboard and pegboard are attractively inlaid. The tailpiece is original and the shell is rosewood. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.022
Serial #9531, 10" head, 24 3/4" scale, 24 brackets
Original nameplate with wood-stamped trademark, S.S.S., and S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia. The neckpiece is of maple with an ebony fingerboard. There is a red wood marquetry on the fingerboard close to the head. Shell is a rosewood with an "elite" tailpiece. The banjo is all original except the fifth string peg. The original leather head has a split. The four large tuning pegs are of an unusual square style. Condition: Poor. Accession no: 2017.1209154.006
Serial #10336, 11" head, 27" scale, no frets, 24 brackets
Original nameplate, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with woodstamps with the trademark, S.S.S. and additional side stamp on the head bracket, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The original nameplate is on the inside of the shell with the name Universal Favorite imprinted. Customized initials LG on the peghead. Entirely oriignal except for four tuning keys of the old S.S.S. type, but not originally with this banjo. Birds-eye maple shell with cherry neck and carved heel and solild ebony heel plate. Elaborately inlaid on both neck and tail-piece. On the players side of the neck are pearl position maker dots at normal fret locations. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.009
Serial #10622, 11" head, 27" scale, 20 brackets
Original nameplate S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Trademark woodstamp, S.S.S. and lateral woodmark S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia on the side of the shell brace. This banjo is maple-necked with an ornately carved heel, multiple laminations on the fingerboard with inlays on the fingerboard with include squares, stars, Maltese Cross, multiple diamond shapes. The shell is of rosewood. There are ball lugs with a neck adjuster. The brackets and the stretcher band are all re-nickeled. There is a pressure tailpiece with a bone nut, and fifth string screw and cardboard shims have been installed. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.003
Serial #12496, 11" head, 27" scale, 20 frets, 30 brackets
Original nameplate, S.S. Stewart, Philadelhpia, Pennsylvania with trademark woodstamp and an additional woodstamp, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the head bracket. Neck is cherry and has woodcarving on the heel with a pearl inlaid heel plate. Ornate fingerboard, bearing numerous pearl inlays.There is a rosewood shell with wood inlay design on the interior of the shell. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.010
Serial #12546, 13" head, 24 1/4" scale, 18 frets, 30 brackets
Nameplate, Orchestra S.S. Stewart, additional woodstamps trademark, S.S.S. and S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia on the shell brace. Multiple veneers on the fingerboard, pearl inlays extending out to the pegboard. There are position dots of pearl at each fret. The tailpiece is of the "elite" type, with wedge-type pressure bracket on the head brace. There is a bird's eye maple shell with an ornately carved heel, the neck being of maple. Instrument is original with the exception of the fifth string peg. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.021
Serial #13014, 11 1/2" head, 27" scale, 19 frets, 28 brackets
Nameplate on the head bracket, Thoroughbred, S.S. Stewart, with woodtamp S.S.S., Philadelphia. Fingerboard has multiple laminations and the surface is rosewood. Heel plate has pearl inlay of star and half-moons. There is an "elite" tailpiece, and an ornate pearl inlay on the pegboard. Snakewood shell with a neck of maple and a carving on the heel. The pegs have been replaced and the neckpost wedge bracket has been re-nickeled. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.014
Serial #13047, 11" head, 27" scale, 30 brackets
Stewart mark is stamped. There is a simple star inlay in the pegboard. Dots and diamond-shaped inlays are used as markers for the fingerboard. The shell and neck are of maple, with a wedge-type support fo the brace. The fingerboard and fifth peg have been replaced. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.019
Serial #13051, 11 1/2" head, 27 1/4" scale, 20 frets, 24 brackets
Namplate Champion, S.S. Stewart, woodstamp trademark, S.S.S. with a second woodstamp, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, both on the brace. Fingerboard inlays are diamond and star type with half-moon and stars on the pegboard. The neck is maple with a simple ebony heel plate. The original ivory tailpiece is attached. There is a wedge-type pressure bracket. There is a rosewood shell which has light heel carving of a delicate type. The fifth string peg has been replaced. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.013
Serial #14789, 10" head, 21" scale, 26 brackets, 22 frets with the fingerboard which overlays the head 1 1/2"
Plate on the brace reads Banjeaurine, S.S. Stewart with additional woodstamps S.S.S. trademark and S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the side of the brace. There is engraved pearl inlay in the plate of the heel and carving, and an inlaid fingerboard and pegboard. Carvings on the underside of the peghead. The shell is engraved with the inside of the shell ornamented with elaborate marquetry. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.023
Serial #15206, 12" head, 27 3/4" scale, 19 frets, 30 brackets
There is a metal brace adjuster and a maple neckpost with multiple laminations on the fingerboard, exquisitely carved heel with a snakewood shell and an "elite" tailpiece. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.005
Serial #17600, 11" head, 27" scale, 22 frets, 28 brackets
Nameplate, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with wood stamp trademark, S.S.S. and additional stamp, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania both on the brace. There are laminations on the neck. There is an "elite" tailpiece. It has a beautifully carved heel, a bird's eye maple shell with standard light finish. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.001
Serial #19081, 10" head, 24 1/4" scale, 20 frets, 20 brackets
Nameplate S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wood trademark stamp, S.S.S. Original nameplate "American Princess" is attached to the inside of the shell. There is a five-piece star in the pegboard. Shell is rosewood with a metal neck adjuster and crown-type tailpiece. All original with the exception of the fifth string peg. One small piece of ebony measuring one centimeter by 0.5 centimeters is missing at the bottom of the fingerboard. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.015
Serial #50061, 11" head, 20" scale, 24 brackets
Nameplate, Banjeaurine, S.S. Stewart with wood imprint, S.S.S. circa 1897. The neck and pegboard are maple with ebony fingerboard and diamond-shaped inlays for fingerboard markings. It has a metal brace neck adjuster. This banjo has a maple shell anda light heel carving which is delicate in type. This instrument is all original including the metal tailpiece. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.007
Serial #50327, 11" head, 27" scale, 21 frets, 30 brackets.
There is a woodstamp, Acme Professional, Sears Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL stamp on the brace. In 1893 S.S. Stewart contracted with Sears to produce Acme banjos. (http://www.mugwumps.com/sss_date.html, June 29, 2017). In the peghead, copper and silver wire have been used to enhance the floral design. The neck is maple with an ebony fingerboard and rosewood shell. There is a Grover-type tailpiece. The instrument has a maple shell, a metal neck adjuster, and a carved heel. Pegs are original, with the exception of the fifth peg. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.017
Serial #50645 11" head, 27" scale, 22 frets, 28 brackets
Nameplate on the head brace, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Special Thoroughbred nameplate on the inside of the shell. Additional identification, S.S.S. trademark stamped in the wood of the brace. The peghead has inlays of delicate silver and copper wire worked into the pearly inlay. It has a carved heel. The shell is of bird's eye maple with the original paper seal. There is an "elite" tailpiece and a maple neck which has multiple laminations. There is a metallic headbrace and a laminated heel as well as a pressure brace on the bracket of the wedge type. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.002
Serial #57049, 10" head, 21" scale, 22 frets, 24 brackets
Nameplate, Banjeaurine, S.S. Stewart; woodstamps, S.S.S. trademark and a second woodmark, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia. There is a rosewood shell with a metal neck adjuster and an "elite" tailpiece. The banjo is all original with the exception of the fifth string peg and evidence of early repair for a split in the heel. The heel is maple, and lightly carved. There is copper and silver wire inlay in addition to the pearl design on the peghead. Accession no: 2017.1209154.016
Serial #70610, 11" head, 27" scale, 22 frets, 22 brackets.
Nameplate S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The pegboard inlay is very ornate. The fingerboard is plain and rosewood, the rest of the neck is maple. All parts are original with the exception of the fifth string peg. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.018
Serial #71402, 11 1/2" head, 27" scale, 22 frets, 20 brackets.
Two nameplates, one on the brace, S.S. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and one on the shell, with the name Universal Favorite. It has simple design with pegboard inlay and fingerboard inlays which are a combination of stars and diamonds. It has a maple shell and a neck adjuster. There is a "crown" type tailpiece with a rosewood fingerboard and a maple neck. The fifth string peg is a replacement. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.004
No serial, 11" head, 17 1/4" scale, 18 frets, 26 brackets
Cherry body and neck. Flame finished resonator. Nickel plated steel brackets and rim. Walnut fretboard with pearl dot inlays. Ivory keys. Condition: Poor. Accession no: 2017.1209154.025
No serial, 11 1/2" head, 19 1/2" scale, no frets, 7 brackets
Oak shell with a lap joint, neck and peghead, painted steel brackets, skin head. Original key positions have been changed and reset. Condition: Poor. Accession no: 2017.1209154.026
No serial, 11" head, 13 1/2" scale, 17 frets, 24 brackets
Cherry body and neck, ivory keys, nickel plated steel brackets and rim. Walnut fretboard with pearl dot inlays, flame finished resonator. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.027
No serial, 14" head, 16 3/4" scale, 18 frets, 22 brackets
Maple and ebony neck, synthetic mahogany head, maple and mahogany body. Mahogany pegboard with ornate and named pearl inlay. Steel tuning keys and ivory pegs. Maple bridge, ebony fingerboard with pearl inlay. Nickel plated steel brackets. Chrome-plated resonator, plastic shims between neck and shell. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.028
No serial, 5" head, 20" scale
Gourd body, skin head with nickel plated steel tacks. Neck is mostly likely Afrormosia. Pegs of Honduran mahogany and maple. Condition: Good. Accession no: 2017.1209154.029
3 3/4" head, 16 1/2" scale
Iroko neck and pegs, boar skin head. Satinwood body, steel strings. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017.1209154.030
15" x 4" head, 13 1/2" scale
Cylindrical neck, no frets or pegs. Leather tuning strips. Avodireu neck and body. Condition: Poor. Accession no: 2017.1209154.031
8" x 5 1/2" head, 12" scale
Whole tortoise shell body, skin head, and painted Antilaris neck and pegs. US postal stamp on the end of the neck dated 1988. Condition: Poor. Accession no: 2017.1209154.032
8 1/2" head,14 1/8" scale, 15 frets, 16 brackets
Body back and neck are cherry with walnut strip inlay at back of the neck. Ebony fingerboard with pearl inlay, cherry and ebony pegboard. Nickel plated steel rim, steel keys, ivory pegs. Hide head, maple bridge. Condition: Fair. Accession no: 2017. 1209154.033