Trumpet owned by Louis Armstrong

Object Details

Created by

Henri Selmer Paris, French, founded 1885

Vincent Bach Corporation, American, founded 1918

Owned by

Louis Armstrong, American, 1901 - 1971

Caption

This 1946 Henri Selmer B-flat custom-made and inscribed trumpet belonged to Louis Armstrong. Armstrong had been playing an earlier version of a Selmer trumpet since 1932. Even though he believed you could play a trumpet for a long time, he had the habit of playing his trumpets for approximately five years before he passed it on as a gift to a friend or colleague. In February 1946, Armstrong’s manager and close friend, Joe Glaser, wrote to Selmer Instrument Company and asked for a new trumpet custom-made for Armstrong’s use. Selmer agreed and presented him with this inscribed Selmer B-flat trumpet. This personally inscribed trumpet was made only for Armstrong and was not mass produced.

Description

A brass trumpet with mouthpiece and case. The trumpet has a Henri Selmer Paris inscription near the bell and valve case, and "Louis Armstrong" is engraved on the leadpipe.

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

September 1946

Object number

2008.16.1-.3

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

Type

musical instruments

trumpets

Medium

brass

Dimensions

H x W: 5 3/4 x 21 7/8 x 4 3/4 in. (14.6 x 55.6 x 12.1 cm)

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Musical Instruments

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Jazz (Music)

Record ID

nmaahc_2008.16.1-.3

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd59839eca5-786d-4261-acf3-1d264ee3a271