O/T Piano From London Maker

[antique1973]

My wife found this on CL for $100 so we decided to add it to the
collection. It needs tuning but the overall condition is good.
I know there are those who like nice wood grains as much as I do
so I figured I would share some pics. I think its burl wood but
I am not too sure. Circa 1890's?

[gramophoneshane]

Very nice. The inlay looks great. I'm guessing 1910-15??
You'll have to get yourself some nice Art Nouveau sconces.... and a push-up Aeolian
Is it an underdamper or overdamper?

[antique1973]

Very nice. The inlay looks great. I'm guessing 1910-15??
You'll have to get yourself some nice Art Nouveau sconces.... and a push-up Aeolian
Is it an underdamper or overdamper?

Thanks Shane. The owner said 1890's but I have not found definitive data
on it yet. I did see an article about the maker being a short lived one
however. I have the detached brass sconces however they look to be too
new for originals. I will add them however once I find some suitable
screws. Looks like its an "overdamper".

[JohnM]

Lovely piano! Doesn't look like a burl figure to me (burl of any wood exhibits tight curling grain figure), but it does appear to be a highly figured walnut veneer.

[antique1973]

Lovely piano! Doesn't look like a burl figure to me (burl of any wood exhibits tight curling grain figure), but it does appear to be a highly figured walnut veneer.

Thanks John, I like walnut too so that's ok!

[gramophoneshane]

Definately not burr walnut, but I'd say it's either English walnut or maybe rosewood.
If you check out my pianola thread, both my Aeolian & piano are burr/burl.
Those sconce are exactly the style I would have thought this piano would have. Personally, I doubt it's 1890s, but I'm often wrong. The style of the inlay, the "toned down" decoration, and the line carving on the sides of the legs all look to be Edwardian period to me. I'd be surprized if it was any earlier than 1905 myself.

[antique1973]

Definately not burr walnut, but I'd say it's either English walnut or maybe rosewood.
If you check out my pianola thread, both my Aeolian & piano are burr/burl.
Those sconce are exactly the style I would have thought this piano would have. Personally, I doubt it's 1890s, but I'm often wrong. The style of the inlay, the "toned down" decoration, and the line carving on the sides of the legs all look to be Edwardian period to me. I'd be surprized if it was any earlier than 1905 myself.

Shane- excellent, you are dead-on-target again! I just found this site that suggests the company was started in 1911.

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/Allison_Pianos

What concerns me about the brass sconces is the lack of patina and also
the presence of casting mold seams normally found on lower quality castings from
China, etc. I hope I am wrong, it would be fantastic if they are original.

[gramophoneshane]

I think that might be when a few "Allison" companies merged??
Ralph Allison & Sons were at 108 Wardour St London from the 1850s, and posibly remained there until the merger. I did see a reference to the same address in the early 1890s somewhere. They patented a repeater in 1865, and became "limited" in 1883 (apparently )

It's hard to say for sure without examining them, but I think the sconce are legit.
I've actually got a gas wall light somewhere, that has very similar art nouveau weeds in cast brass, & it's quite rough looking as well- complete with mold lines.
I've also got other pairs of sconce of various qualities somewhere amoungst the rubble lol.
It may just be a case of the manufacturers attempt at making them appear more "organic" in keeping with the art nouveau/arts & crafts styles?
Probably the best way to tell is to closely examine the panels they screw to, and look for any filled screw holes or bruising on the timber or finish from the mounting plate, that dont match your pair.
If the piano had handles on the sides, you should find similar tell tale signs there too, but I think yours might be just a little too late for handles... it's kind of boarderline.
Mine is supposed to have handles, but apparently when my parents cleaned up my grans place & moved the piano, they threw the handles in the dump
I've found & seen heaps of sconce over the years, but boy those handles are hard to come by in my neck of the woods. I haven't even found a single handle in 30 yrs of antique shops, flea markets etc etc.

[Lenoirstreetguy]

You have what was known as a " Cottage Piano" . They were small, pretty and usually fairly inexpensive uprights for the masses. I think they're lovely, but speaking as a piano technician, be prepared for your tuner to have mild hysterics. Have the tea and smelling salts ready, because these things are a nightmare to work on unless a) they've been rebuilt or b) you're used to them. Tuning an overdamper...or " birdcage"... action is a task, let us say. At least most tuners nowadays have a Papp mute or two in their kit. These were developed to tune overdamper actions and simplify the job. The problem with these pianos is they were designed to live on a verdant, misty island with houses heated by coal grates. North American central heating is their nemesis.

Jim

[Henry]

Wasn't it tuned at the factory? (wink, wink)