Fretless tackhead banjo

c.1840

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 681

This beautiful American mid-19th century banjo is singular in its form and decoration. At the time this was made, the banjo was becoming popular with White musicians and audiences. The instrument has been in use within Black communities for more than a century, but in the middle of the nineteenth century, it was appropriated and became an instrument associated with minstrel music. This example has marquetry on both the fingerboard and on the enclosed back of the instrument.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Fretless tackhead banjo
Date: c.1840
Geography: United States
Culture: American
Medium: Maple and various other woods, metal tacks, calfgut strings
Dimensions: 42 in. Length x 3 ½ in. Depth x 12 ½ in. diameter
Classification: Musical instruments
Credit Line: Peter Szego, 2024
Object Number: 2024.607.1a, b
Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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