Grand Piano by Hill & Owen

This grand piano was made by Hill & Owen in Boston, Massachusetts in 1851. Very little is known of the partnership of Freedom Hill and Henry Owen. Both appear in the in the Boston city directory in 1851 but are no longer listed after that date. To get at the strings, the entire lid and soundboard must be raised, which makes the piano top-heavy, tending to tip over to its spine. This is the only known grand piano by this firm. This piano is serial number 119(?), and has a compass of CC-c5, “Plastic Elastic Touch” direct-blow jack action, strings underneath soundboard, CC-EE single-strung, FF-c5 double-strung, 2 pedals: una corda and dampers, partial iron frame with iron tension bars, straight-strung, and a veneered case

Credit: Smithsonian