Steinway & Sons was founded in New York in 1853, and went on to be the undoubtedly most popular piano manufacturer in the world. Steinway was an inventor and innovator, and he is responsible for a great many patents that improved and modernized piano manufacturing techniques throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. During the middle 19th Century, Steinway was building a full line of square grand pianos, with upright and grand production secondary to the number of square pianos they built. As the 20th century began to approach, Steinway started increasing production of upright and grand pianos, and by 1890 the square piano was all but discontinued by the firm. Today Steinway enjoys a reputation equal to none, and there is an endless amount of historical and technical information about the firm available online.