DCM 0927: Charles G. Christman Flute in C

Head joint from a different instrument, boxwood stained reddish brown.
Instrument type: Flute in C
Medium: Boxwood, stained dark brown, brass keys, ivory ferrules.; 59.45 cm.
Key Holes System: 4 keys, round flat flaps, pin in block.
Mark Maximum: C. G. CHRISTMAN
Mark Additional: Mark on upper, lower body, foot.
Condition: Head joint, small cracks at socket. B-flat key block broken off and missing one side. The RH joint has a groove cut into it around the circumference 4 millimeters above the shoulder at the tenon, purpose unknown. However, the E-flat key spring rivet or nub appears never to have been hammered flat and, when depressed, its protruding shape aligns exactly with that groove. The foot and lower body joints may have been stuck together at some point. An effort to separate them by rotating or twisting may have involved holding the key in its complete open position thereby marring the adjacent, as above.
Provenance: H. A. Rhodes, Baltimore, Maryland, 21 Mar. 1930.

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.