Upright Piano by Wise, J

This upright piano was made by J.J. Wise and Brother in Baltimore, Maryland in the 1850s. It is a relatively small upright, about 48 inches high. Wise’s patent action is an interesting variant on the sticker action of English uprights, and includes a device that appears to regulate the weight of touch. This piano has a compass of CC-g4, Wise upright action, felt ?) hammers, wound single-strings CC-EE, wound double-strings FF-d, plain double-strings d#-g4, 2 pedals: keyboard shift and dampers, an iron string-plate frame with wood, straight-strung, and an ebonized (?) case with elaborately carved torsos of angels for legs

Credit: Smithsonian