This is the earliest, most unusual original mechanical player piano we have seen in decades. The traditional player piano was most popular in the ‘teens and ‘twenties, but this piano was built in 1903 – incredibly early for a self-contained and complete player piano!
Built by the Melville Clark Piano Company of Chicago, this extraordinary piano is made in the exceedingly rare English Arts & Crafts style. When closed, the piano looks like a conventional piano with the oversize music rack hiding the mechanical apparatus inside. When open, the pumping pedals slide out from under the piano and the large music, which is divided down the middle, slides off to each size to allow access to the door covering the perforated paper music roll. This piano is so unusual! Note the beautifully grained quarter-sawn oak wood which is beautifully adorned with Gothic-style hinges and hardware which give the piano a hint of Jugendstil design.
Best of all, this piano sound as good as it looks! The instrument will be restored to like new condition, inside and out, all done with a historical perspective in mind. This really is one of those special pianos that we only see once in a lifetime.
Note: As founder of The Antique Piano Shop, I have personally collected Mission / Arts & Crafts style pianos for over 25 years. I have a great passion for anything Mission / Arts & Crafts, including Craftsman homes, furniture, and accessories. If you are a true Arts & Crafts enthusiast, you will appreciate how impossible it is to find true Arts & Crafts / Mission style pianos in today’s market. Nearly three decades of collecting and preserving these “impossible to find” instruments has allowed me the opportunity to present the largest collection of true Mission / Arts & Crafts style instruments anywhere in the world.
We are proud to offer the serious enthusiast the option of adding an authentic period instrument for their Craftsman home.
- Michael Stinnett, Founder, The Antique Piano Shop, Inc.