These simple-looking upright pianos were generally of excellent quality.Ī conventional player piano is operated via a perforated paper roll inserted above the keyboard, and large pumping pedals below the keyboard. Instead, plain square pillars and streamlined moldings resulted in a very modern looking upright piano which was considered uncluttered and beautifully simplistic. With the exception of period furniture styles like Louis XV and French Provincial, most upright pianos were without ornamentation or frills. The upright piano had evolved into a very simple basic design, becoming more utilitarian in appearance than ever before. Sadly, very few manufacturers ever offered Craftsman style pianos, and as a result, original specimens are exceedingly rare today.īy this time makers had streamlined operations and the piano had evolved into a perfect machine.
The first decade of the 20 th century saw a calmer, less radical movement in interior design than the previous decades, and this change was immediately seen in the evolving styles offer by the major piano manufacturers.Īlthough the Arts Crafts design was very popular during the early 20th century, piano makers were slow to adapt to the MissionArts Crafts design.įurniture manufactures were quick to jump on the new trend of the Craftsman style, but piano makers were slow to recognize just how important the Arts Crafts Movement really was.Ī handful of manufactures attempted to build pianos in the CraftsmanMission style, but because the Movement was so short-lived, most of them didnt see the significance of the Arts Crafts Movement until it was too late the Arts Crafts Movement was over before 1920. The ostentatious styles of the late 19 th century gave way for more classic and simple design. The last decade of the 19 th century saw some of the finest craftsmanship and quality ever to be put into piano manufacturing. Since this was the height of the Victorian era, manufacturers were building their upright pianos with exotic woods and lavish carvings, often producing incredibly ornate and lavish models to suit the dcor of the era. In the 1880s and 1890s, upright piano production increased substantially and by the last decade of the 19 th century, the square grand piano that had dominated the market for the past century had all but vanished. It is exceedingly rare that we see an upright piano dating prior to 1870 come through our restoration shop, indicating that the extant models of mid-19 th century upright pianos are very scarce today.
Most of our vintage ephemera collection doesnt show upright pianos until the 1870s, although upright pianos were built on a limited scale all through the early and middle 19 th century. Prior to that time, the square grand piano was the preferred choice that dominated the American piano market.
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