Snare drum
Maker
Eli Brown
Date1835 ca.
Place MadeWindsor or Bloomfield, Connecticut, United States, North America
Serial No.none
SignedOn label inside drum: EL[I] BROWN / [illegible]Markingsnone
DescriptionThis rope tension, regulation US Eagle side drum (15-1/4" x 16-/2") was built for military use by Eli Brown (1781-1855) of Bloomfield, Connecticut, about 1835. At some point in its history the shell was cut down to make it easier to play on the march as evidenced by many empty tack holes as well as the shortening of the ornate eagle painting. There is no strainer on the drum--the snares are secured under the rim and cannot be adjusted. The metal hooks (possibly by Lyon & Healy, ca. 1900?) are also later additions attesting to the durability of this pre-Civil War era drum.
Wood shell and rims, painted red. Brass tack design. Rope tension with nine leather tugs. Originally, holes drilled in the shell for the rope to pass through, later metal hooks were added.
DimensionsShell height (with rims): 385 mm (15-1/4 in)
Head diameter: 420 mm (16-1/2 in)
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Collection, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1979.
Published ReferencesJayson Dobney, Innovations in American Snare Drums 1850-1920, MM Thesis, University of South Dakota, 2003, pp. 104-105.
Credit LineArne B. Larson Collection, 1979
Object number02866
On View
On view
1714-1727 ca.
1840-1850 ca.