Instrument Type: Violin
Circa: 1897
Asking Price: SOLD
Maker: Andrew Hyde
The Violin
Andrew Hyde made this violin in 1897, and Josiah Cole bought it new. Cole was a prominent Pennsylvania businessman, and President Wilson appointed him Postmaster of Slatington in 1915. The violin stayed in the family, and the seller, Cole’s great-grandchild, still holds the original bill of sale.
The voice is very powerful and dark across all four strings. This Andrew Hyde violin answers with real depth under the bow. The back measures 35.8 cm.
Single-family ownership from new, with the paperwork intact, is rare for any 19th-century instrument. Because of that, this Andrew Hyde violin documents a piece of American history as well as it plays.
The instrument stands on its own merits too. Its deep, resonant voice suits a wide range of repertoire. Also, the clean construction reflects the mechanical precision Hyde learned early in life. Clearly its owners treasured this Andrew Hyde violin for well over a century.
The Maker
Andrew Hyde was born in 1842, and he took an early interest in mechanics. He worked as a mechanic first, then assisted the inventor Thomas Edison. Meanwhile he played the violin, and eventually he began to make them.
In 1886 he established his own violin making firm in Northampton, Massachusetts. He produced roughly 1,200 instruments there. He made bows as well, selling silver-mounted bows for twelve dollars and gold-mounted bows for thirty-nine.
In 1902 he published a treatise on the violin. So an Andrew Hyde violin marks a notable chapter in American making, from a maker whose curiosity carried him out of Edison’s workshop and into his own.
Certification
This instrument comes with its original bill of sale and documented family ownership since new.
Terms of Sale
This violin has sold, so it is no longer available for purchase. Benning Violins invites you to browse our current catalog of fine instruments. You can also contact us directly to ask about similar pieces.