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Banjo

Designer Henry C. Dobson American
After 1878
Not on view
Henry C. Dobson was awarded one of two hundred patents registered for banjo improvements in the second half of the 1800s. His design features a solid wood resonator on the back of the rim and a top tension assembly to aid in adjusting the skin head. Renaissance Revival wood marquetry graces the rosewood fingerboard and the resonators’ back and side.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Banjo
  • Designer: Henry C. Dobson (American)
  • Period: 19th century
  • Date: After 1878
  • Geography: United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Calfskin head, various woods, metal hardware, nylon strings
  • Dimensions: 36” L x 3-1/4” D x 11-1/2” diameter
  • Classification: Musical instruments
  • Object Number: 2025.623.1
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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