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Louis Armstrong's Cornet

April 1, 2002 - April 30, 2002

Museum: American History Museum

Location: 2nd Floor, West Wing (across from Woolworth's lunch counter)

On view is the cornet on which Louis Armstrong, the founding father of jazz, learned to play. Armstrong was given lessons on this cornet at the age of 11 while in residence at the New Orleans Colored Waif's Home following a run-in with the law. The cornet stayed in the home long after Armstrong's departure and was used to teach other students there until the 1960s. Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month.