Photo of DCM 0872: Anonymous Flute in C - Public domain dedication

Instrument type: Flute in C
Medium: Ebony(?), wood cap and cork-setting mechanism, mother-of-pearl bushing at embouchure, end of cap, bushings for 6 principal fingerholes, and at silver ferrules. Silver keys, metal-lined head.; 66.15 cm.
Key Holes System: 10 keys, square flaps, including unusual alternate G# for RH 1st or 2nd finger, pin in block.
Mark Maximum: No mark.
Condition: Socket end of head contains both inner and outer brass lining tubes which appear to have been added as a repair attempt; upper tenon of the upper joint has been shaved down precariously thin to fit between those metal tubes. Likewise, its lower tenon and adjacent middle joint socket have a similar arrangement of metal tubing additions, the originality of which is not clear, and the middle joint tenon and foot joint socket share a similar design. Cap and ferrules are likely not original anyway. This instrument probably had ivory or bone in those places, one of which still exists at lower end of foot joint.
Provenance: Sigmund Koch, Munich, 23 July 1929.

The Dayton C. Miller collection in the Library of Congress, contains nearly 1,700 flutes and other wind instruments, statuary, iconography, books, music, trade catalogs, tutors, patents, and other materials mostly related to the flute. It includes both Western and non-Western examples of flutes from around the world, with at least 460 European and American instrument makers represented. Items in the collection date from the 16th to the 20th century.