What is this?

[SonnyPhono]

My wife's parents just returned from a short trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. They were showing us some pictures of the trip when this popped up.

1328390415434.jpg (34.59 KiB) Viewed 1552 times

1328390422058.jpg (36.32 KiB) Viewed 1552 times

1328390428655.jpg (37.3 KiB) Viewed 1552 times

They said they took the pictures to show me but didn't recall what was on the information plaque! I am very curious about this phonograph's history and who it was made for. Has anyone seen this before?

[bostonmike1]

It reminds me of my prom date some fifty years ago.She had a growth on her nose that even the very best in the medical community could not explain----plus she was "cranky" the entire evening!! Hope you are well Sonny.

[Victor78]

Not sure Sonny, do you have a better picture of the 'horn'

[David Spanovich]

That photo must have been taken at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum --

http://www.history.org/history/museums/abby_art.cfm --

Known as "Hippoceros," it's currently on display in the museum's "Cross Rhythms: Folk Musical Instruments" exhibit --

http://www.history.org/history/museums/ ... urrent.cfm

I found plenty of references to it online, for instance -- http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/200 ... -art_N.htm --

...including the fact that it's 5 ½ feet long, and was made of carved black walnut and other materials by Edgar Alexander McKillop of Balfour, NC. circa 1926/1927. (Some references date it to 1928.)--

http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/ ... 44-27.html

Based on snippet information culled from "200 years of American sculpture" by Tom Armstrong, (via Google Books) "...The tongue is a leather boxing glove that is rigged to move in and out as the turntable of a phonograph in the animal's back revolves...."

HTH,
DS

[Henry]

It's a Hippola; very common in the NC river swamps.

[antique1973]

Do you think one of these will pop up on Craigslist soon?

[Phonofreak]

Personally, I think it is very cool and unusual. In over 20 years of collecting, I thought that I've seen it all.
Harvey Kravitz