Dale Forty & Co. Ltd.

[paulapinto]

I inherited this piano from my mom, who said it was given to her my her grandmother. I was told it is an old ship's piano. It is small, but very heavy. It measures approx 120cm in width and weighs about 150kgs. I would love to know more history regarding this piano please.

[Bill Kibby]

To quote my Names page at
http://www.pianohistory.info/
Little pianos are sometimes described on websites as “Ship’s Piano” but in half a century of research, not one person has ever been able to provide me with a definition of this term, I cannot find one single example of a manufacturer using the term, and anyway, a ship is big enough to have any kind of piano it wants!

Is there any information at all written on the piano?

Can you photograph the inside?

[paulapinto]

I have opened it up and attached 3 photographs for you to see the inside of the piano. Hope this helps to identify and date this piano.
Paula

[Bill Kibby]

The makers' name is clearly marked on the iron frame inside, they were Dale Forty & Co. Ltd., and I have been told that they became Ltd. around 1915, but I am not sure of this information, and I would have thought the piano was more like 1908. You don't show the whole keyboard, but it appears to have about 5 octaves. They made small "Student" models, as described on my Edwardian page at
http://www.pianohistory.info/
I don't have any exact information on the date, but the action appears to be a German import, suggesting that it was made before the 1914 war, and if you ask your tuner to look at the rear of the action, it may be marked with the action makers' name and number, and I may be able to date this. See also my Datemarks page at
http://www.pianohistory.info/

[paulapinto]

thank you very much. The information helps me put an age to it.
Paula