Toy Violin and Case
Item
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Title
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Toy Violin and Case
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Description
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Handmade child's violin and instrument case, late-20th century. Built by William Earl Hubbard (1908-2002), a self-taught violinist and music teacher, for his niece Danielle Thompson.
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African American stringed instrument makers, otherwise known as luthiers – are rare. Hubbard’s work fits within a broader (if under-recorded) tradition of Black craftsmen building instruments when commercial options were inaccessible or unaffordable. Described as a teacher and violinist, Hubbard was also a self-taught luthier. A luthier (pronounced LOO-tee-er or LOO-thee-er, from the French luth for "lute") is a skilled craftsperson who designs, builds, repairs, and restores stringed instruments—particularly those of the violin family (violin, viola, cello, double bass), as well as guitars, lutes, mandolins, and other fretted or bowed instruments.
Hubbard considered his niece’s handmade instrument a “toy” violin. The violin was likely solid wood that was carefully carved and varnished for durability. Additionally crafted were the neck & fingerboard, pegbox, strings & tuning and bow components. The sound was a warm, resonant tone, unlike plastic toy violins commercially produced by 1980s companies such as Playskool’s "Tune-Time Violin" or the Fisher-Price "Musical Merry-Go-Round Violin".
Even in his later years, Hubbard continued to be recognized as a violinist in the Pennington New Jersey area. In Frederick Boseley LeCompt’s obituary, staff writer Joseph Dee writes “Among the musicians who went to the service, one carried a violin. Earl Hubbard…in his 80s said he had to get inside…for a musical tribute to a man that embodied music” (Dee 1989).
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Contributor
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Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum
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Date Created
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(c. 1980)
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Creator
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Thompson, Danielle
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Rights
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Rights assessment is your responsibility. This material is made available for noncommercial educational, scholarly, and/or charitable purposes. For other uses or for more information, please contact [the repository, + contact info].
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Identifier
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2024.2.3.1, 2024.2.3.2
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Format
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Physical Object
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Extent
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3 items
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Spatial Coverage
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Unknown
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Publisher
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SSAAM
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Is Part Of
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2024.2.3.1 and 2
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Subject
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Violin
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Toys
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Workmanship
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Artisans
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Violin makers
