Upright Piano by Soufleto, F

This upright piano was made by François Soufleto & Cie in Paris, France after 1850. François Soufleto & Cie was established in 1828 and remained in business until sometime after 1889. The inscription on the piano refers to a gold medal received at the Exposition Nationale des produits de l‘industrie agricole et manufacturière, thus dating the piano after 1849. This piano is serial number 3020 and has a compass of AAA-a4, Soufleto 1836 patent action, felt hammers, single-strings AAA-FF#, double-strings GG-G, triple-strings G#-a4, 2 pedals: moderator and dampers, an iron string-plate frame, tension bar to bottom of pin block, and an elaborately paneled and veneered case with metal handles on sides, and metal angel figures supporting the keyboard. The front panel of the piano is hinged at the left and swings out with the keyboard and action.

François Soufleto & Co. was established in Paris in 1828 and remained in business until sometime after 1889. François (b c. 1800, Paris, d. 1 Aug. 1872) registered patents for action improvements and one for a compensation system. All extant Soufleto pianos are uprights, although the company received an honorable mention for a grand in the Great Exhibition of 1851. The company was apparently one of the more successful piano makers in Paris at the middle of the 19th century.

The Smithsonian's Soufleto contains the 1836 patented improvement on the English action (diagram and French patent text, Harding, The Pianoforte, 2nd ed. [1978], pp. 256-257). It is a small upright with the inscription Expon. 1849 Médaille d'Or / SOUFLETO./à Paris

Credit: Smithsonian