Lion Banjo Ad from The Cadenza from 1895 [2]

About

The Lion Banjo Manufacturing Company was incorporated in March of 1893 and settled in the small town of Rock Rapids, Iowa[1]. Its officers were President H. G. McMillan, Vice-President F. M. Thompson, general manager H. C. Middlebrooke, and secretary H. B. Pierce. The stockholders were 16 individuals owning from $500 to $9000 worth  of stock in the company to comprise the initial capital of $35,000. McMillan boasted "We could have disposed of the stock just about as easily had the capital been placed at $50,000 instead of $35,000" in an interview for The Rock Rapids Review. He continued that the company had already gathered $10,000 in orders prior to the factory even being constructed [3]. The men brought with them some experienced luthiers for the purposes of training a local workforce to operate the plant [10].

According to a local genealogy website, Middlebrooke and McMillan went to Minneapolis around 1891 to find the financial backing to start the factory [3].

Gearing up for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Lion Banjo Mfg Co began building five ornate instruments to present along with their standard line. They were described as having necks made of Hungarian Ash, inlaid in mother of pearl, gold, and silver [4]. In total, twenty-one instruments went to Chicago on behalf of Rock Rapids and Lion Banjo Co [5].

The factory employed around 25-30 people and even had a small strike in July of 1893 when two men failed to show for work and were fired [13]. Seven other men, from Chicago, refused to work and were given the ultimatum of returning to their benches or losing their jobs. They went back to work [14].

In March of 1894, the factory reported building 46 instruments in the last week having shipped them to Los Angeles, CA, Galesburg, IL, and Mitchell, SD [12]. Since January 10th, they had built and shipped over 150 instruments [16]. In July, they had deemed their machinery and tools "too rough" for the quality of work they were intending and briefly closed to take stock and purchase replacements [11].

The Lion Banjo Manufacturing Company shut down for good in May of 1895 for reasons unknown [15]. But in December of 1896, Sherriff James Kemplay advertised in the local papers that a sale would take place on December 18th for the contents of the factory and the company's patents. The judgement was the result of a court case ruled in the favor of A. M. Getty and resulted in a debt of $2278.08 [8].

The Factory

Luckily, the very thorough, Sanborn map company had passed through Rock Rapids a number of times and the 1899 map captured the factory although they noted that it was closed. The main building was a two story, wood frame structure with a long single story warehouse and a small coal shed. The building was heated with stoves and there were no lights. Sanborn Co noted "Mach'y all in water power" which didn't mean much to me until I found a description in a 1960 issue of the Lyon County Reporter. The tools were powered by the municipal water supply using a 'special nozzle to produce pressure' which explains how a building 1000ft from the river accomplished that[7].

The factory appears on page 2 of the 1899 Sanborn Map
Situated on Boone St between 7th and 8th streets
Image Credit: Library of Congress

Now to find out where the factory was situated. 7th and 8th Streets both run through a neighborhood about a half dozen blocks south of the main strip which can't be right. So I overlaid the Sanborn map onto a satellite photo of Rock Rapids and figured that the East-West streets were renumbered. Boone and Greene are still there but 7th and 8th Streets have been renumbered First and N 2nd. Using that, I saw that the lot is currently home to a strip mall and the present location of the factory is parking lot.

Fate

Having shut its doors and gone to auction in late 1896, the building remained vacant  even up to 1899 when Sanborn surveyed the town. In 1902, Leicher Brothers opened a wagon and carriage shop in the "banjo factory" building [5]. By 1907, it was home to the Anchor Concrete and Stone Company [6]. The Sanborn company returned in 1913 to survey the town again and found the building occupied with a paint shop on the 1st floor, a carpenters shop in the warehouse, and all the unsold and incomplete inventory. 

1913 Sanborn Map

I can only surmise that there word didn't get out far enough (Sioux Falls is the closest city, 32 miles away), there wasn't enough interest among the locals, and America was on the tail end of a financial crisis. So the remains of Middlebrooke's grand venture and Rock Rapid's most promising business sat collecting dust for over 15 years.

In 1916, C. W. Bradley purchased the lot with the intention of renovating the building into apartments and stumbled across a cache of 100 completed guitars and banjos along with 'enough parts for that many more'. Allegedly, the remaining tooling was still up there as well 3 mahogany planks that were valued at $125. Bradley passed out (or sold at a pittance) many of the completed instruments and reached out to Chicago musical giant Lyon and Healy to sell the remaining stock. What else remained on the second floor is unknown but its likely that the factory closed abruptly as the court case was lost and everything unsold was shoved to the second floor and left. Bradley's apartments renovated the original factory building and added a white cement exterior [9].

The factory building managed to survive, hidden under the stucco and additions, until 1995 when the Rock Rapids City Council led a large movement for modernization and tore down the structure [17].

Instruments

A description of an existing catalog found in the mid 1940s describes the Hawkeye banjo, in styles A and B, from $25-41 as well as the Middlebrooke banjo in two styles ranging from $25-60. The Middlebrooke Special sold up to $75 while a more affordable model, named the Columbus, retailed for $18. Lion also sold the Middlebrooke guitar banjo, Middlebrooke banjorine, banjorette, banjo mandolin, and a line of guitars.

Guitars

So far, I have only found one reference on the internet to an existing Lion Mfg Co guitar which was sold at auction. This instrument has a spruce top over Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. The neck is mahogany, inlays are pearl, and the fingerboard could be ebony or dyed hardwood. The instrument looks professional and like a nice example of what they built. The auction house provided no specifics on the bracing inside the guitar.

Image Credit: Invaluable.com - Guernsey's Auction

Red ink stamp for the Lion Banjo Mfg Co
Image Credit: Invaluable.com - Guernsey's Auction

Banjos

One of Middlebrooke's inventions was a banjo neck attachment that did not use the standard 'dowel stick' which he was not fond of. 

Patents

Hobart C. Middlebrooke, general manager, was a prolific inventor and held a number of patents for improvements in banjos. 

463,952 

In 1891, Middlebrooke patented a banjo with organ reeds inlaid into the pot as well as up the neck which were designed to be tuned and provide sympathetic sounds.

463,954

At the same time, he also patented a fingerboard with a unique scallop intended to allow the instrument to ring out louder without fret rattle and make it easier to play.

487,879

In 1892, he patented a tailpiece which held the strings in a standard claw (Fig 3.) but passed them down through a plate (Fig 4.) which aligned the strings to the correct distance from each other and also added downward pressure.

495,823

In 1893, he patented a banjo neck fitted with a channel for the 5th string to pass through so it could be tuned at the headstock instead of its usual location. 

519,409

In 1894, he patented this wild banjo with a neck that folds in on itself at the 10th fret in order to facilitate transportation. The butt end of the hinge was actually designed to be the 10th fret. It also had a 5th string tuning peg that could recede into the neck of the instrument to keep it out of the way. He also designed these 'arms' which connected to the heel of the neck and supported the metal pot. He was not a fan of 'dowel stick' neck joints.

Sources

[1] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_National_Corporation_Reporter/gJRDAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22lion+banjo%22+co&pg=PA104&printsec=frontcover

[2] https://www.digitalguitararchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Cadenza-02-01.pdf

[3] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=review_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_18930126_english_1&df=1&dt=10

[4] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_18930602_english_1&df=1&dt=10

[5] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_18930512_english_1&df=11&dt=20

[6] https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4154rm.g028071907/?sp=2&r=0.437,0.078,0.579,0.356,0

[7] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_19600822_english_5&df=11&dt=20

[8] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_18961203_english_7&df=31&dt=40

[9] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_19560220_english_2&df=21&dt=30

[10] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_19430923_english_6&df=1&dt=10

[11] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=lion%20banjo&i=f&d=01011883-12312021&m=between&ord=k1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_19740722_english_2&df=11&dt=20

[12] 

[13] http://iagenweb.org/lyon/bookhist/buncombe/blizz2.htm

[14] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011883-12312021&e=lion%20banjo&m=between&ord=e1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_20030723_english_5&df=11&dt=20

[15] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011883-12312021&e=lion%20banjo&m=between&ord=e1&fn=review_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_18950523_english_5&df=11&dt=20

[16] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011883-12312021&e=lion%20banjo&m=between&ord=e1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_18940301_english_1&df=21&dt=30

[17] https://rockrapids.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011883-12312021&e=lion%20banjo&m=between&ord=e1&fn=lyon_county_reporter_usa_iowa_rock_rapids_19951227_english_1&df=21&dt=30

Image Source: Ebay - wcmcsea

About

The seller, wcmcsea, began by pointing out that the label inside the instrument was difficult to read but his best guess was 'Made by John E. Person, 70 Wega St., Jamestown, N.Y.' After doing a little preliminary digging and coming up short, I asked if I could get a closer photo of the label to which he kindly obliged. The label is faded and dirty but I fiddled around with some contrast settings and moved closer and further from my computer until my eyes started putting together the text.

Image Source: Ebay - wcmcsea

The first line reads "Made by:" which is fairly easy to see. The second line starts off a bit iffy, the first letter could be an "I", a "T", or a "J" and is followed by an "O" and two letters which look like "n". There is a space and then an uppercase "E" for a middle initial which was either circled in pencil or has been highlighted by a water spot. The last name starts with "Pers" and the last two letters have given me a lot of trouble in deciphering. I'm reading it as "Jonn E. Persea"

The third line reads "79 Wega St." which gave both the seller and I a bit of confusion as Wega Street does not (and has never) existed in Jamestown. It is likely referring to Vega Street which had been around since the late 1800s, at least, and does have a house numbered 79. Finally, "Jamestown, N.Y." is printed on the last line.

I don't have the instrument in my hands and can only go off of the photo I received of the label and what the seller had determined the label to say. I like to think, perhaps naively, that if I had the guitar in my hands I could discern more from the label with the proper light and angles.

Who is this man?

His Address

Trying to crack this case, I decided to delve into the one piece of information I knew for sure, the address. As I mentioned above, Wega Street does not exist and I searched city directories going back as far as 1891 and only ever found Vega Street. I do believe Wega to be a typo or a miscommunication stemming from an accent (Jamestown had a decent Swedish immigrant population). Vega Street is numbered, present day, from 2 Vega Street at the corner of Vega and Willard to 114 Vega Street (north of what is drawn on the Sanborn map).

The house currently at 79 Vega was built in 1895 and the street does not appear to have been renumbered (and old maps show that there was a structure in this same place) so I'm confident the address points to the same building.

1896 Sanborn Map
Vega Street is not mapped (lot 79 is marked with an X)
Library of Congress

I went through New York Heritage - Digital Collections who have a nice collection of city directories (1875-1916) and I jotted down the people who occupied the home at 79 Vega through the years.

Occupants of 79 Vega Street

• 1900 
• Andrew J Peterson
• Charles A Carlson
• Arvid H. L. Johnson
• 1902
• Andrew J Peterson
• 1904
• Andrew J Peterson
• John Malm
• 1906
• Charles F. Danielson
• John Malm
• 1908
• Charles Danielson
• Mrs Adeline Malm
• 1910
• Elof G. Almeer
• Mrs Adeline Malm
• 1912
• Charles F. Danielson
• Mrs Adeline Malm
• 1914
• Same
• 1916
• Same

His Name

So the initial guess from the seller was John E Person and I saw something that looked like John E Persea. With a foolish amount of determination, I started combing through the city directories on Ancestry.com, which are consistently available from 1920 to 1960.

Unfortunately John Person only is listed in 1924 through 1928 and he lived at 315 W 8th which was downtown. So I expanded my search for Persson, Pearson, and anything else that seemed promising. I found a number of John and John E Pearsons who, quite confusingly, often married women named Hilda...

Johns of Jamestown

• 1922 
• John E Pearson - Carpenter -  Lived at 101 Johnson Street
• 1924
• John Person - 'lab' - 315 W 8th
• John E Pearson - Carpenter - 101 Johnson St
• John Pearson - Polisher at Crescent Tool Co -  200 E 2nd St
• 1926
• John Person - Furniture Worker - 315 W 8th
• John Pearson - Finisher at Dalhstrom Metallic Door Co - 315 W 8th
• John Pearson - Clerk - 27 Anderson 
• John E Pearson - Carpenter/Contractor - 101 Johnson
• John E Pearson - Crescent Tool Co - 27 Anderson
• John E Pearson - Sheet Metalworker at Dalhstrom Metallic Door Co - 107 E 2nd
• 1928
• John Person - Furniture Worker - 315 W 8th
• John Peason [sic] -Metal Worker - 107 E 2nd
• John E Peason [sic] - Crescent Tool Co - 27 Anderson
• John E Pearson - Junior Clerk - 27 Anderson
• 1930
• John Pearson - Metal Worker DMD Co - 45 S Main
• John E Pearson - Machine Operator at Crescent Tool Co - 27 Anderson
• John E Pearson -Metal Worker DMD Co - 112 W 7th
• 1932
• John Pearson - Toolmaker - 38 Chapman
• John E Pearson - 73 Johnson
• John E Pearson - Cabinetmaker - 206-1/2 Chandler
• John E Pearson - DMD Co - 7 Beechview Avenue
• John E Pearson - Machine Operator - 27 Anderson
• 1934
• John Pearson - Sander at DMD Co - 30 Anderson
• John Pearson - Woodworker - 73 Johnson
• John E Pearson - Carpenter - 73 Johnson
• John E Pearson - Machinist - 27 Anderson
• John E Pearson - Welder - 129 Johnson
• John L Pearson - Cabinet Maker - 74 Forest Avenue
• 1936
• John Pearson - Carpenter - 73 Johnson
• John Pearson - Sander - 59 Vega
• John E Pearson - DMD Co - 27 Anderson
• John E Pearson - Welder - 70 Sturges Apt 4
• John L Pearson - Carpenter -74 Forest Avenue
• 1937
• John Pearson - 586 E 2nd
• John Pearson - Polisher - 207 Prendergast Ave
• John Pearson - Sander DMD Co - 59 Vega
• John E Pearson  - 27 Anderson
• John E Pearson - Assembler - 70 Sturges Apt 4
• John L Pearson - Carpenter -74 Forest Avenue
• 1939
• John Pearson - Lab - 120 E 2nd 
• John Pearson - DMD Co - 59 Vega
• John E Pearson - 27 Anderson
• John E Pearson - Lab - 337 Willard
• John E Pearson - 74 Forest Ave
• 1944
• John Pearson - 207 Spring
• John E Pearson - City Fireman - 1101 Ensign
• John E Pearson - Inspector - 27 Anderson
• John L Pearson - Die Maker - 16 Broadhead Ave
• John L Pearson - Furniture Worker -74 Forest Ave
• 1946
• John E Pearson - Inspector - 27 Anderson
• John L Pearson - Furniture Worker - 74 Forest Avenue

For posterity, I jumped ahead and checked some random years up until 1960 and John E Pearson (inspector), John L Pearson (furniture worker), and John E Pearson (fireman) were the only 3 John Pearsons in town. There were no people named John Person either.

John Pearson - 59 Vega Street

Finally, in the year 1936 we hit our first clue with Mr John Pearson (middle initial unknown) who lived at 59 Vega Street until 1939. It is possible that he lived at 30 Anderson as early as 1934 and moved to Vega Street later but I can't confirm that entry is tied to him and not another JP. His 3 to 5 year span in Jamestown managed to miss the US census, NY census, and WWII draft registration which I have found to be crucial for tying names to people, occupations, and locations. I've got nearly nothing from this guy except what he did.

His occupation was as a sander at the Dalhstrom Metallic Door Company in town which, unsurprisingly, produced doors and decorative trim out of sheet metal. It was quite innovative for the time and a copy of the 1923 Dalhstrom Metallic Door Co Catalog on Archive.org confirmed they did not work with wood. 

The vast majority of the luthiers I've researched came from an instrument building family (usually traced back to Europe), worked in an instrument factory, or had a strong background in fine woodworking like cabinet making. Having no discernable background in any of these makes it unlikely, in my opinion, that he would've had the knowledge or tools to build a guitar. 

That said, if we assume that he was the builder of this instrument then I'm going to say that whoever was working the printing press seriously botched this order. The label had John's last name misspelled, his street misspelled, and the wrong house number. Then John still decided to glue the blatantly incorrect label into his finished instrument? 

Conclusion

I don't know. This instrument has beaten me, I cannot definitively say I know who made it.

Instrument(s)

With proper identification unlikely to happen, I'm going to dive into the instrument itself because its fairly interesting.

The guitar has a mahogany neck with a slotted headstock that looks vaguely styled after a Martin. The slots in the headstock are nicely done but have a hint of human touch in their uneven sizing and tuner location. The top of the headstock is shaped quite crudely. The nut is roughly cut out of  a dyed wood.

The headstock slots are done quite nice and you can tell they were done by hand. Unusually, the headstock shape is quite crude and uneven which doesn't match the care taken on the body at all. Finally, the pattern of checking in the finish indicates a nitrocellulose and not shellac finish.

The tuning machines date to about the 1920s and are of a good quality, likely coming from New York City. They aren't a perfect fit on the headstock as you see they overhand over the back of the headstock near the bottom. Without seeing the wood underneath for extra screw holes, I cannot say for certain that they are original.

The back of the headstock again shows the nicely shaped slots which just a bit of variation in their size and shape. Interestingly, halfway down the headstock you can see a seam where the headstock was built from two pieces of mahogany glued end to end (hopefully using a scarf joint for strength).

Below that, around the middle of the 1st fret, is an unusual line of what looks to be putty or chewed up wood separating the headstock from the rest of neck. I pray it is just a decorative strip and not all the way through as that is a terrible spot for a butt joint (which are already a weak joint). Past that, is the main section of the neck comprised of two pieces of mahogany with a rosewood center strip and decorative quarter-circles at the corners. 

We haven't even passed the 3rd fret and already there are four pieces of mahogany used in the construction of the neck. Curious.

This pattern is replicated around the 10th or 11th fret where the center strip ends and the heel, another separate piece of mahogany, begins. The end of the heel has enough of a color difference that I think there is another piece of mahogany grafted on as well. I can see where the heel cap used to be (probably fell off) and the shiny residue of new glue that was used to reattach the neck.

Having seen and heard of no other instruments from this builder, its hard to say whether this whole neck construction is original or was part of a creative repair later on.

The top is spruce with black and white wood purfling on the edges, herringbone for the outer rosette ring, black and white for the inner, and rope wood binding on the soundhole. Simply and classy. The bridge is a replacement and other photos show it is lifting. It appears quite tall and has a 1/8" bone saddle with modern steel-string compensation filed into it.

The guitar has an upper bout width of 10-1/4" with a lower bout width of 13" which fits into the parlor guitar size except with a slightly wider upper bout than we'd expect from a steel string. Perhaps a bit of classical influence led to the larger upper bout.

The back is very nice flamed mahogany with a divided herringbone inlay and what appears to be evidence of lamination. So it would appear the back is a three piece laminate of mahogany-some white wood-and mahogany again. But John left the lamination edges exposed which does give the illusion of purfling.

 About

William H. DeWick was born on December 15th, 1869 in Port Jefferson, New York to George and Aimee DeWick. His early life is unclear but being raised by a sailor must've imposed a level of discipline on William. Around 1896 he was working as a manager for George Clifton Dobson, son of the famed banjo manufacturer, in Brooklyn.

1896 Advertisement
Image Credit: Google Books

By 1900, he had married his wife Ruth and was working as a music teacher [1]. In 1910, he was a listed in the census as a manufacturer of musical instruments and a year later appeared in the Directory of Music Industries under both 'banjo' and 'guitars and mandolins'. His address was listed as 6 Halsey Street [2][3].

In 1922, William patented a banjo with a back cover and "sounding board" as well as a neck attachment mechanism for the same instrument.

Patent 1681148
Image Credit: Google Patents

Patent 1567359
Image Credit: Google Patents

He continued to work as an instrument maker through the 1930s and by the 1940 census had taken on a new occupation as a house painter [4][5]. Perhaps it was a change of pace 

 Sources

[1] 1900 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4114534_00349?pId=48572985

[2] 1910 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449833_01024?pId=17709524

[3] Directory of Music Industries - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Directory_of_Music_Industries/hMkwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=dewick%20

[4] 1930 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4661128_00846?pId=122745017

[5] 1940 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-02686-00367?pId=6633697

About

Louis Sutz was born in Friedrichsthal, Baden-Württemberg, Germany on June 17th, 1862 to parents Peter and Carolina. He moved to the United States in 1880 and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio[1]. By 1882, was living at 530 John Street with Fred and Fred Jr Sutz who were blacksmiths [4]. Four years later he was married to his wife Philomena and working as a "body maker" while living at 614 Central Avenue [3]. In 1891, he was now listed as a woodworker living at 341 Clifton Avenue [2].

1904 map with Sutz's shop located at the corner of Huber and Vine
The building was demolished and is currently a parking lot
Image Credit: Cincinnati Library Sanborn Map

In 1895, he entered the musical instrument business and moved into 1616 Vine Street [5]. The 1900 census lists Louis as a music dealer while the 1910 census lists him as a music instructor [6][7]. In the 1920 census, Louis is a repairman of musical instruments and in 1930 is listed simply as the owner of a music store [8][9]. He had retired by the 1940 census [10]

Labels

Four different label designs have shown up on the internet however we do not have a date range for the use of any of them. 

I would wager this is one of his earliest labels

Image Credit: Mandolin Cafe user - Jim Garber - Found on a defunct Korean website

Image Credit: Invaluable.com

Image Credit: Invaluable.com

Same design now in gold text on blue paper
Image Source: Mandolin Cafe User - Andy G

Instruments

As Louis' label explains, he made violins, mandolins, guitars, zithers, and likely other instruments if a customer requested. I'm having a hard time locating his factory, its entirely possible it was at 1616 Vine Street but the Sanborn map company was usually pretty good about documenting manufacturing in their maps and they mention nothing in the 1904 map.

I believe he built his instruments but it is not unheard of for a store to build some instruments and import others (Weymann and Sons, Gretsch, and Fender all did this)

Guitars

Headstock

Looking at Louis' surviving guitars, we can try to pinpoint some details to identify him from other builders. Headstocks are tough. Sometimes they can have little quirks that immediately set them apart, such as the shape of the slots, and other times they can look incredibly generic. 

Sutz's headstock with 3 extra holes for some reason
Image Credit: Invaluable.com

Heel

Louis was clearly influenced by Spanish classical guitar building as his heels are large and proud compared to the more diminutive sizing of the French and German instruments.  

Sutz's large heel
Image Credit: Invaluable.com

However, this early example of his work has a smaller heel which is more in line with American construction of the late 1800s

Unusually small heel from an earlier instrument
Image Credit: Blog.Daum.Net - Paul Song

Bridge

Bridges from this era are tough, they were dainty and often didn't survive the advent of steel stringed guitars (and people putting them on guitars they weren't designed for). I've only found one guitar online that was in good enough condition for me to consider the bridge to be original. It was only advertised as being "full-height"

Possible Sutz bridge
Pyramid bridge with fretwire saddle
Image Credit: UMGF.com - MojoDreads

Mandolins

Sutz sold both traditional bowl-back mandolins as well as newer flat-back mandolins. 

Image Credit: Reverb - Mike's Music

Image Credit: Invaluable

Flat Back

His flat back mandolins are uniquely shaped. They are like an A-style but wider in the lower bout

Image Credit: Invaluable.com

Sources

[1] Grave - https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/106179197:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=182251037&pid=312438174278

[2] 1891 directory - https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/282808118:2469?tid=182251037&pid=312438174278&queryId=7e1d39640a307892ebdc95e625edc1e0&_phsrc=OTJ1244&_phstart=successSource

[3] 1886 directory - https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/287090413:2469?tid=182251037&pid=312438174278&queryId=7e1d39640a307892ebdc95e625edc1e0&_phsrc=OTJ1244&_phstart=successSource

[4] 1882 directory - https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/284154194:2469?tid=182251037&pid=312438174278&queryId=7e1d39640a307892ebdc95e625edc1e0&_phsrc=OTJ1244&_phstart=successSource

[5] 1895 directory - https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1107350167:2469?tid=182251037&pid=312438174278&queryId=c1e433bb0786ccad13b25ba2062411c8&_phsrc=OTJ1253&_phstart=successSource

[6] 1900 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4117737_00160?pId=40275446

[7] 1910 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449733_00454?pId=21828609

[8] 1920 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4383746_00452?pId=33797531

[9] 1930 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4639628_00607?pId=72375556

[10] 1940 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-03192-00704?pId=35754331

Portrait c.1912
Image Credit: [3]

About

Franklin Howard Griffith was born December 19th, 1867 in Baltimore, Maryland. His father Isaiah was a carpenter while his mother stayed home tending to the house [1][2]. He often signed his name as F. Howard indicating his preference for his middle name. According to a 1912 biography, Griffith began working at the largest music house in Baltimore in 1886 and shortly after was offered the position of manager of a Philadelphia music house. In 1888, Howard went into business for himself and by 1890 had begun manufacturing musical instruments

F. H. Griffith & Co - (1890-1897)

Howard opened his first music store at 1102 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia where he sold banjos, mandolins, and guitars. Whether these instruments were actually built by his company or were ordered from other firms requires more time spent inspecting the existing instruments.

1891 ad 
Image Credit: Google Books - The Étude Music Magazine

1891 ad
Image Credit: Google Books - Book News

In 1892, Griffith patented a package for instrument strings made of wax paper with separate pockets for each string intended to protect gut strings from being exposed to the environment and deteriorating.

Patent 488,005
Image Credit: Google Patents

By 1895, the firm had moved to 131 South 11th Street and advertised their mandolins and guitars almost exclusively. 

1895 Ad
Image Credit: Google Books - The Étude

In 1897, Griffith sold off his instrument manufacturing firm and spent the next 6 years seeking gold in Alaska. He moved back to the United States in 1903 and lived in Arizona and California, continuing as a miner, before moving back to Philadelphia where he continued to manage his mines across the country and became a director of three oil companies [3]

Sources

[1] Passport application - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1174/images/USM1490_580-0103?pId=1044623

[2] 1880 census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4241604-00584?pId=49336657

[3] Notables of the Southwest - 1912 - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Press_Reference_Library/j-IDAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22f+h+griffith%22+music+instruments&pg=PA211&printsec=frontcover

About

Herwin was a short lived record label and distributor which existed in St. Louis, Missouri from 1924 until about 1930. Its founders are commonly attributed to the brothers Herbert and Edwin Schiele but further research shows that the company was actually founded by Herbert and his father Edwin Schiele. 

Edwin Schiele Sr was born July 9th, 1862 to German immigrant parents, Sigmund and Fanny, in St Louis, Missouri. Sigmund found success in the wholesale liquor business and earned a comfortable living for the family. They lived at 1428 Papin Street in a 3 story brick building between 14th and 15th Streets [2]. Edwin attended St Louis Public Schools until he turned 14 when he took a job at the wholesale dry good store of Judd & Platt. After 3 years of employment, he joined his father in the liquor trade as secretary and treasurer of his father's company. His father died in 1882 at the age of 56 leaving Edwin in control of the company [1]. 

Herbert Schiele was born January 25th, 1899 as the third child of Edwin and Minnie Schiele (nee Kramer) in Saint Louis, Missouri. They lived at 4139 Maryland Avenue in a two story brick home that they rented . They were a relatively well off family and employed two live-in maids. In 1910, they had moved to a luxury apartment complex at 4548 Forest Park Boulevard; not far from the famous park that had held the Worlds Fair years prior [11]. All three of their homes have been unceremoniously torn down during the last century as part of 'urban renewal'.

Edwin Schiele Jr was born July 8th, 1909 and was too young to have participated in these businesses in any meaningful fashion [12].

Schiele Advertising Co

In 1913, Edwin and his brother Seymour founded the Schiele Advertising Company which carried on into the 1920s.

Artophone Co

Prohibition in January of 1920 put an end to the Schiele liquor industry so Hebert and Edwin pivoted into the musical merchandise industry. They obtained control of the Artophone Company, a talking machine manufacturer founded in 1916 by Robert H. Cone Senior and his son. Edwin took on the role of President while Herbert became the secretary and treasurer. The company switched its focus from manufacturing to distributing of more general musical merchandise.

Image Credit: Music Trade Review

In 1923, 1101 and 1103 Olive Street suffered a fire originating from the basement which destroyed product from 3 large firms including Artophone. They lost around $45,000 worth of talking machines, records, and assorted merchandise [3]. They temporarily relocated to 1213 Pine Street while repairs were conducted [4]. Later that year, Arthur C. Thiebes Co took over the retail operations of Artophone while they would continue operating in a wholesale fashion [7]. Excitingly, in 1925 Artophone absorbed Wholesale Musical Supply Co and were joined by the brothers Ray and C. W. Layer [5]. 

Herwin 

Herwin Records began being distributed by Artophone around 1924 or 1925, according to snippets I've found. There isn't a ton of detail available but a man named John Randolph spoke with Herbert and compiled some history on the company and records in the late 1940s. A 1957 mention in "A Glimpse at the Past - An Illustrated History of Some Early Record Companies that Made Jazz History" by Michael Wyler describes Herwin records as being relatively rare. Another, later, mention describes the records as being pressed from cheap shellac which may explain their scarcity.

It was around this time that Edwin and Herbert began distributing records under the name Herwin. The label being a portmanteau of Herbert and Edwin.

Artophone - continued

In 1926, they moved out of the Thiebes building to 1622-1624 Olive Street with plans on expanding their offerings to include band instruments with their brand name [8].

In 1929, Tonk Brothers purchased the merchandise branch of Artophone and shipped the remaining stock up to their office in Chicago. It is noted that the record, radio, and phonograph operations of Artophone would remain unaffected [6]

In 1930, Artophone sold Herwin Records to Paramount Records which axed the label [9].

According to Herbert's youngest son James, Artophone Co continued to exist into the 1950s until his father purchased another local firm St. Louis Screw & Bolt [10].

The Herwin Guitar

This is the pièce de résistance. The reason I compiled a bunch of background information. I saw this guitar on Reverb and initially dismissed it as the logo looked and sounded like something from 1950s Germany. But I came back around to it and realized that this very well looks like an American made guitar from far earlier than I originally thought.

Reverb - Izzy's Vintage Guitars

The listing identifies it as being from the 1920s and likely from Chicago which I agree with. The exact builder manages to escape me but I know St Louis didn't have any prolific guitar builders during that era but did have a strong piano manufacturing center in the same block that Artophone was based out of. My gut is telling me that it is a Harmony because of the fingerboard inlays, wood selection, and checkerboard binding but I cannot say that it is for certain without more photos/better info.

Reverb - Izzy's Vintage Guitars

Sources

[1] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Centennial_History_of_Missouri/3g9ZAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=EDWIN+SCHIELE+DISTILLING+COMPANY&pg=PA479&printsec=frontcover

[2] https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4164sm.g4164sm_g04858190801/?sp=65&st=image&r=0.15,0.371,0.89,0.365,0

[3] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1923-77-4/05/

[4] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1924-78-2/10/

[5] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1925-80-24/51/

[6] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1929-88-9/14/

[7] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1923-77-25/13/

[8] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1926-82-7/24/

[9] https://rateyourmusic.com/label/herwin_record_co_/

[10] https://source.wustl.edu/2010/10/a-special-man-builds-a-special-collection/

[11] 1910 Census - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RNY-D1J?i=22&cc=1727033&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM21B-DZZ

[12] 1920 Census - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RX3-7LT?i=20&cc=1488411&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM884-8WW

 

Image Credit: State Historical Society of Missouri

Included in my recent purchase of Schwarzer scans from the State Historical Society of Missouri was this catalog of all the models available during the peak of Schwarzer's firm. This 1898 catalog contains numerous models and levels of ornamentation. The most expensive instrument is equivalent to $3,500 today which reflects the clientele that Franz and his men were building for.

Prime Table Zither No. 1 "A"

• List Price: $10.00 (without folding legs)
• Tuning same as a Concert zither
• Spruce sound board
• Imitation Rosewood finish
• Sides are painted black and polished
• Back is 'dull' black
• Purfling around soundhole
• Rosewood hand rest
• Pearl position dots
• Pasteboard case

Prime Zither

Photograph is of a special order Prime Zither with
ornamentation not seen in the catalog

• No. 3 (Small Model, without patent heads)
• List Price: $15.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black finished sides and back
• 32 strings
• Pearl position dots
• Pasteboard case

• No. 7 (Large Model, with patent heads)
• List Price: $29.50
• Same as No. 3 except with:
• Engraved nickel tuners
• Wood purfling around soundhole and edges
• Cloth covered and flannel lined wood case
• No. 9
• List Price: $35.00
• Same as above except with:
•  Pearl figures inlaid around soundhole
• No. 10
• List Price: $50.00
• Same as as No. 7 except with:
• Brazilian Rosewood veneered top and sides
• Ivoroid bound edges
• No. 11
• List Price: $60.00
• Same as above except with:
• Brazilian Rosewood veneered back
• Colored wood inlaid purfling
• Highly polished
• Leather covered and velvet lined case with nickel trimmings
• No. 12
• List Price: $70.00
• Same as above except with:
• Fancy pearl inlaid around soundhole 
• Plated tuning pins
• No. 13
• List Price: $78.00
• Same as above except with:
• Fancy pearl inlaid around top edges
• No. 14
• List Price: $105.00
• Brazilian Rosewood veneered top, sides, and back
• Fancy colored wood inlaid around soundhole and edges
• Ivoroid bound edges
• Inlaied with variegated pearl
• Ornamental designs of ivory, gold, and silver
• Finely engraved gold and silver patent head with pearl buttons
• Leather covered and velvet lined case with nickel trimmings

Concert Zither Style "A" No.17

• List Price: $19.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black finished sides and back
• Wood purfling inlaid around soundhole and edges
• 32 strings
• Pearl position dots
• Pasteboard case

Concert Zither Style "A" No.21

• List Price: $32.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black finished sides and back
• Engraved nickel patent heads
• Wood purfling inlaid around soundhole and edges
• 32 strings
• Pearl position dots
• Canvas covered, flannel lined case with nickel hardware
• Optionally available in a cloth covered, flannel lined case, with leather handle

Concert Zither Style "A" Large Model

• No. 23
• List Price: $39.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black finished sides and back
• Engraved nickel patent head
• Polished steel tuning pins
• 35 strings
• Pearl position dots
• Canvas covered, flannel lined case with nickel hardware
• Optionally available in a cloth covered, flannel lined case, with leather handle
• No. 23-1/2
• List Price: $50.00
• Same as above except with:
• Sides veneered with tulipwood
• Ivoroid bound edges and inlaid wood purflings
• Pearl figures inlaid around soundhole
• Leather covered, velvet lined case with nickel hardware
• No. 24
• List Price: $52.00
• Same as No.23 except with:
• Brazilian Rosewood Burl veneer on top and sides
• Ivoroid bound edges and inlaid wood purflings
• No. 25
• List Price: $64.00
• Same as above except with:
• Brazilian Rosewood Burl veneer on top, back, and sides
• Ivoroid bound edges and inlaid wood purflings
• No. 26
• List Price: $73.50
• Same description as No. 25 except with:
• Fancy pearl figures around soundhole
• Finely plated tuning pins
• No. 27
• List Price: $83.00
• Same description as No. 26 except 'elaborately finished'
• No. 28
• List Price: $112.00
• Brazilian Rosewood Burl veneer on top, back, and sides
• Ivoroid bound edges and fancy, colored inlaid wood purflings
• Inlaid with variegated pearl
• Ornamental designs of ivory, gold, and silver
• Finely engraved gold and silver plated patent heads with pearl buttons
• 35 strings
• Pearl position dots
• Leather covered and velvet lined case with nickel hardware

Concert Zither Style "B" 

Pictured is No. 36
Model first introduced in 1891

• No. 31
• List Price: $40.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black finished sides and back
• Engraved nickel patent head
• Inlaid wood purfling around soundhole and edges
• Polished steel tuning pins
• 35 strings
• Pearl position dots
• Cloth covered and flannel lined case
• No. 32
• List Price: $48.00
• Same as above except with:
• Pearl figures inlaid around soundhole and wood purfling around edges
• No. 33
• List Price: $58.00
• Brazilian Rosewood Burl veneer on top
• Sides veneered with Brazilian Rosewood
• Engraved nickel patent head
• Inlaid wood purfling around soundhole and edges
• Ivoroid bound edges
• No. 34
• List Price: $68.00
• Same as above except with:
• Fancy, colored inlaid wood purfling around soundhole and edges
• Leather covered, velvet lined case with nickel trimmings
• No. 35
• List Price: $75.00
• Same as No. 34 except with:
• Fancy pearl figures inlaid around soundhole
• Plated tuning pins
• No. 36
• List Price: $84.00
• Same as No. 34 except with:
• Fancy pearl inlaid around soundhole and top edge
• Fitted with a 'finely carved ebony shell'
• Ornamented scroll
• No. 37
• List Price: $100.00
• Same as above No. 34 except with:
• Fancy, colored inlaid wood purfling around soundhole and edges
• Fitted with a 'finely carved ebony shell' and ornamental scroll
• Finely engraved gold and silver plated patent heads with pearl buttons
• Leather covered, velvet lined case with nickel hardware

Harp Zither Style "A"

Pictured is No. 45
Model first introduced in 1887

• No. 40
• List Price: $55.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black finished sides and back
• Genuine rosewood pillar and scroll
• Engraved nickel patent head
• Polished steel tuning pins
• 38 strings
• Cloth covered and flannel lined case
• No. 41
• List Price: $60.00
• Same as above except with:
• Pearl figures inlaid around soundhole and wood purfling around edges
• No. 43
• List Price: $78.50
• Brazilian Rosewood Burl veneer on top
• Sides veneered with Brazilian Rosewood
• Genuine rosewood pillar and scroll
• Finely carved shell
• Engraved nickel patent head
• Inlaid wood purfling around soundhole and edges
• Ivoroid bound edges
• Polished steel tuning pins
• Cloth covered and flannel lined case
• No. 45 (New Style)
• List Price: $112.00
• Same as above except with:
• Sides veneered with tulip-wood
• Artistically engraved gold and silver plated patent head with pearl buttons
• Fancy, colored inlaid wood purfling around soundhole and edges
• Elaborately inlaid and engraved pearl, metal, and ivory
• Finely carved pillar, shell, and scroll
• Leather covered, velvet lined case with nickel trimmings
• No. 46
• List Price: $134.00
• Same as No. 45 except with:
• Inlaid pearl figures around soundhole and top edge 

Harp Zither Style "B" 

Pictured is No. 51
Model first introduced in 1878

• 42 Strings

Arion Harp Zither Style "B" 

Pictured is No. 73
Model first introduced in 1882

• 42 Strings
• Schwarzer patent aluminum stringholder

Concert Arion Zither Style "A" Large Model

Pictured is No.62
Introduced in 1881

• No. 61
• List Price: $48.50
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black finished sides and back
• Engraved nickel patent head
• Inlaid wood purflings
• Polished steel tuning pins
• 35 strings
• Schwarzer patent aluminum string holder
• Canvas covered, flannel lined case 
• No. 62
• List Price: $55.00
• Same as above except with:
• Pearl figures inlaid around soundhole
• No. 64
• List Price: $65.00
• Same as No.61 except with:
• Brazilian Rosewood Burl veneer on top
• Sides veneered with Brazilian Rosewood
• Ivoroid bound edges  
• No. 65
• List Price: $75.00
• Same as above except with:
• Brazilian Rosewood burl on top and bottom
• Colored wood inlaid purfling
• Leather covered, velvet lined case with nickel trimmings
• No. 66
• List Price: $82.00
• Same as above except with:
• Pearl figures inlaid around soundhole
• No. 67
• List Price: $90.00
• Same as above except with:
• Sides veneered with tulipwood

Folding Table Zither

• No. 110
• List Price: $50.00
• 42 Strings
• Polished imitation rosewood top
• Polished steel tuning pins
• Brazilian Rosewood handrest
• Oiled walnut stands
• Papier-mache Case
• No. 112
• List Price: $60.00
• Same as above:
• Sides veneered with Brazilian Rosewood
• Edges bound with white holly
• No. 114
• List Price: $80.00
• Same as above:
• Top veneered with Brazilian Rosewood burl
• Pearl inlaid soundhole
• Ivoroid bound edges
• Colored wood purflings
• Finely finished walnut stands

Elegy or Song Zither

Pictured is No. 85

The "Elegy" or "Song" zither is 3-1/2" longer than the concert zither and is tuned four tones below concert pitch, or in "E". 

• No. 80
• List Price: $24.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black bottom and sides
• No patent heads
• 32 Strings
• Polished steel tuning pins
• Cloth covered, flannel lined wood case
• No. 84
• List Price: $34.00
• Same as above except with:
• Engraved nickel patent head
• Wood purfling around soundhole
• Pearl position dots
• No. 85
• List Price: $40.00
• Same as above except with:
• Pearl figures inlaid around soundhole
• No. 86
• List Price: $54.00
• Same as No. 84 except with:
• Top veneered with Brazilian Rosewood burl
• Sides veneered with Brazilian Rosewood
• Ivoroid bound edges
• Inlaid wood purflings
• No. 87
• List Price: $68.00
• Same as above except with:
• Colored wood inlaid purflings
• Leather covered, velvet lined case with nickel hardware
• No. 88
• List Price: $85.00
• Same as above except with:
• Top and bottom veneered with Brazilian Rosewood burl
• Sides veneered with tulipwood
• Fancy pearl figures around soundhole
• Ivoroid bound edges and inlaid fancy colored wood purfling around soundhole, top, and back

Lady Zither

Not Pictured

Schwarzer first introduced the Lady-sized zither in 1878. They are the same shape as the Elegy zithers but are 1-1/2" shorter and tuned in concert pitch. They are also strung with thinner strings making playing easier

• No. 90
• List Price: $30.00
• Imitation Rosewood top
• Black bottom and sides
• Engraved nickel patent heads
• Inlaid wood purfling
• 32 Strings
• Polished steel tuning pins
• Cloth covered, flannel lined wood case
• No. 91
• List Price: $36.00
• Same as above except with:
• Pearl figures around soundhole
• No. 93
• List Price: $52.00
• Same as No. 90 except with:
• Top veneered with Brazilian Rosewood burl
• Sides veneered with Brazilian Rosewood
• Ivoroid bound edges
• Inlaid wood purflings
• Leather covered, velvet lined case
• No. 94
• List Price: $65.00
• Same as above except with:
• Colored wood inlaid purflings
• No. 95
• List Price: $75.00
• Same as above except with:
• Fancy pearl figures inlaid around soundhole
• No. 88
• List Price: $85.00
• Same as No.94 except with:
• Top and bottom veneered with Brazilian Rosewood burl
• Sides veneered with tulipwood
• Fancy pearl figures around soundhole
• Ivoroid bound edges and inlaid fancy colored wood purfling around soundhole, top, and back

Concert Violin Bow Zither

The violin bow zither is played with a bow and the left hand does the fretting. The instrument is placed against the edge of the table with the body resting in the lap (it could also be fitted on a table). They are tuned E, A, D, and G but can be custom ordered in A, D, G, C.

• No. 105
• List Price: $21.00
• Flat top and back
• Top is finished dark red
• Back is imitation rosewood
• No patent heads, plain steel tuning pins
• Schwarzer's patent metal stringholder
• No. 106
• List Price: $26.00
• Same as above except with:
• Engraved nickel patent heads
• Case available for $4.00 extra
• No. 108
• List Price: $42.00
• Same as above except with:
• Arched top and back
• Stained and polished
• Canvas covered case

Cello Bow Zither

Made to order only. The tuning is one octave lower than the Violin bow zither