Snare drum
ALTERNATE NAME(S)
- Side drum
Makerby
Eli Brown & Son
Date1841
Place MadeBloomfield, Connecticut, United States, North America
Serial No.2152
SignedPrinted label inside shell visible through vent hole: ELI BROWN & SON. / DRUM MANUFACTURERS, / HAVE CONSTANTLY FOR SALE / BASS AND SNARE DRUMS / MADE IN THE NEATEST AND BEST MANNER / Bloomfield, Conn. 1841 (the numeral 1 is handwritten) No. 2152 (the numerals are handwritten)MarkingsHandwritten inside the drum is a large "XI"
Stamped inside the shell are the numerals 7 (near batter head) and 8 (near the snare head).
DescriptionThis side drum was built for use by a marching drummer. There is an extra piece of rope attached for slinging the drum over a shoulder. The tall shell of the drum would have given the drum a lower and louder sound to carry farther to marching troops. This drum may have been used in the American Civil War.
The drum shell is likely maple with a reddish brown varnish. There is an elaborate brass tack design. There is a label inside the drum and writing about repairs made to the drum. The wood rims are painted red. A small metal attachment screwed into the snare rim would be used to attach device for carrying. This metal attachment may have been added at a later point. The rope tension system has ten leather tugs to adjust the calfskins drum heads. Gut snares are a later addition.
DimensionsShell height (with rims): 495 mm (19-1/2 in)
Head diameter: 471 mm (18-1/2 in)
ProvenanceNo known provenance.
Published ReferencesSchmidt, Paul. History of The Ludwig Drum Company. Alma, Michigan: Centerstream, 1991, 41.
Jayson Dobney, “Museum Enhances Its Percussion Collections with Rare Instruments
That Document the American Percussion Industry,” National Music Museum Newsletter 29, No. 1 (February 2002), pp. 4-5.
Jayson Dobney, Innovations in American Snare Drums 1850-1920, MM Thesis, University of South Dakota, 2003, pp. 105-107.
Credit LineWilliam F. Ludwig II Collection, 2001
Object number10039
On View
Not on view
1905 ca.
