Books › Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937 › scan 268
Scan 268
Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937
30 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 242. See the scan on archive.org.
1I. B. Other Boston Pianoforte Makers—Period 1840-1915
3Addresses from Boston Business Directories
5Names of Firms and Information About the Firms
71862—[address hidden] HENRY ALLEN; ALLEN & CO. 1862-1872 1873 & 1874
81868-9—[address hidden] Henry Allen earlier was a member of Hallet, Davis & Co.; Hallet & Allen; Hallet, Cumston & Allen; and Brown & Allen. See those firms for further information.
91870-4—[address hidden] WM. BOURNE & CO.
101855—[address hidden] Wm. Bourne, an Englishman, began to manufacture pianos in 1837 in Dayton, Ohio, which had a population of 1000, moved to Cincinnati in 1840 and to Boston in 1842. There he became a department foreman for Chickering. In 1846 he started in business for himself, organizing the firm of Wm. Bourne & Company. After his death in 1885 the business was continued by his son, Charles H. Bourne. The firm went out of business about July 1911.
111858—[address hidden] "A piano maker of the old school, Bourne could turn out nothing but thoroughly first-class pianos."1 He was a good scale drawer. He drew the "51" scale which was used in squares by Chickering & Sons and by W. P. Emerson also.2 He was an excellent workman and a piano maker of real ability, inventing "an ingenious application of the square action damper,"3 and several patents of a general character. The firm used English action only. Their squares were among the best made, but the uprights he and his son developed were not a success. By 1870 they also made grands.
121860—[address hidden]
131870—[address hidden]
141890—[address hidden] & [address hidden]
151900—[address hidden] cor. Wyman
17JOHN W. BRACKETT
181850—[address hidden]
191880—[address hidden]
21Started in the 1850's and continued to between 1880-5. He was a good action maker and drew many scales. Chickering's scale drawer, Mr. Bowen, got many points from him for the "123" scales.2 He also attached organ pedals to pianofortes, the bass pedals being constructed in N. Y. This firm made only overstrung squares. Their "pianoe" was one of the smallest pianos made.
23CHARLES C. BRIGGS & CO.
241881—[address hidden]
251890—5 & [address hidden]
261900—[address hidden]
271910—Briggs Piano Co. [address hidden]
29Mr. Briggs entered W. P. Emerson's shop in 1854 where he immediately rose to foreman. In 1861 he entered into partnership with Geo. M. Guild, in the firm of Geo. M. Guild & Co. After some years this was dissolved and he went into business with his son, C. C. Briggs, Jr., at [address hidden], in 1881. As the business grew, they moved into more rooms at [address hidden], erected for them. By 1900, the Briggs Piano Co. was at [address hidden] Its last year was 1918.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.