Knutsen/Anderson One Armed Violin
All I can say is - if anyone finds this instrument, let me
know!
This fantastic discovery is from an original photograph in the Detlor collection
(see Otto Anderson).
Again, we have Jeanette's mother's handwritten note on the back of the photo to
provide the provenance we have! Her inscription (cut off) reads "My Dads .
. . (pictu)re of violin made by (O.) E. Anderson
in 1896 in Port Townsend . . . and sold."
This wonderful instrument raises all sorts of intriguing questions.
We know that Otto built it.
We know that the arm is the same general shape, with the same dot inlay in the
tip, as Knutsen's first "One Armed Guitars."
And we know that Ernest Livermore, a witness on Knutsen's first patent, patented
a similar instrument (the arm on upper left), also in 1896 (see image
below and story in Similar
Instruments).
What we can only speculate on is:
Did Otto design it, patterned after the harp guitars he was building for
Knutsen? Or did Knutsen design it, and commission the better maker, Otto, to
build it? I personally favor the latter scenario, but either is certainly
possible.
And what was the cause and effect relative to the Livermore patent?
Otto also built standard violins, presumably for Knutsen also (see Otto Anderson Violin).
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Click on a picture to
enlarge
(left image copyright and courtesy Jeanette Detlor )
|
Knutsen Archives Inventory Number |
HV1 |
|
Category |
Harp Violins |
|
Body Style |
"Lower Bass Arm" |
|
Current or last known owner |
unknown |
|
Year (approx) |
1896 |
|
Label |
unknown |
|
Courses / Strings |
4 |
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