C. Gerber | 1887

1887 German newspaper ad. Engraving of an upright piano with a large crank wheel on its side and drums and a cymbal mounted on top. Gothic headline “Salon-Dreh-Pianino's”, vertical text “mit vorzüglicher Musik” and the seller “C. Gerber, Bautzen”.

Imagine a piano that plays itself: all you have to do is turn the handle. In 1887, C. Gerber of Bautzen, in Saxony, offered “Salon-Dreh-Pianinos mit vorzüglicher Musik” (crank-operated parlour pianos with excellent music).

In this ad we can see the crank wheel on the side and, on top, what look like drums and a cymbal with their strikers: a small orchestra for the living room.

Mechanical music was big business in Saxony at the time, and nearby Leipzig was becoming a centre for self-playing instruments.

Before radio and records, music at home depended on someone who could play. Or on a strong arm and a crank.

Text in the ad

Salon-Dreh-Pianino's
mit vorzüglicher Musik
empfiehlt C. Gerber, Bautzen.

Translation:
Parlour crank pianos
with excellent music
recommended by C. Gerber, Bautzen.

Brand: C. Gerber
Year: 1887
Decade: 19th century
Country: Germany
Medium: Newspaper
Themes: Home
Original publication: Zeitungs-Umschläge für Sächs. Provinzial- u. Grenzstädte, Dresden, 1887

C. Gerber | 1887 · Vintage Ad Museum

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