Viola
Maker
Chester M. Olsen
Date1970/12/15
Place MadeWakonda, South Dakota, United States, North America
SignedWritten in pencil on inside of back: Chester M. Olsen / Bohemian Maple back / Spruce top / 12-15-70 / Strad . copy .DescriptionChester M. Olsen (April 1, 1910 – August 28, 2002) was born in South Dakota to a Danish mother and a Danish-American father born in Wisconsin. He is listed as working on his family’s farm in Yankton in the 1930 Census. Olsen usually used local woods to save money.Top: two-piece, quarter-cut spruce: wavy, medium grain
Back: one-piece, quarter-cut maple: irregular, narrow curl, descending slightly from treble to bass
Ribs: semi-slab-cut maple: faint, very narrow curl; center bout overlaps upper and lower bouts at corners
Head and neck: maple: plain; pegbox cheeks articulated at junction with neck; lower third of pegbox not fluted
Purfling: abrupt corners
Varnish: light orange-brown
Fingerboard: dark tropical hardwood
Nut: dark tropical hardwood
Tailpiece: black-enameled brass with four built-in fine tuners, lyre-shaped yellow and red decal on underside: SYSYEM / OTTOJINFELD / WIEN
Tailgut: steel wire
Pegs: four dark tropical hardwood
Saddle: walnut; finished with same varnish as body
Endpin: black-varnished walnut; small, nearly cone-shaped head
F-holes: rounded upper and lower wings
Linings: spruce; small; square
Corner blocks: spruce
Top block: spruce; rectangular with rounded corners
Bottom block: spruce; rectangular with rounded corners DimensionsTotal viola length: 664 mm
Back length: 407 mm
Upper bout width: 193 mm
Center bout width: 128 mm
Lower bout width: 240 mm
Upper rib height: 33-35 mm
Center rib height: 32-34 mm
Lower rib height: 32-34 mm
Stop length: 212 mm
Vibrating string length: 357 mm
Neck length (bottom of nut to ribs): 145 mmProvenanceOwned by the family of the maker until donation to the National Music Museum.
Credit LineGift of Colin Olsen, 2002
Object number10217
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