Dussek & Dussek upright piano

[morganp]

Hello, I am researching a piano in my collection with the "Dussek & Dussek / London" label displayed and the maker (presumably) "London Piano Forte Co / Limited / 8 5 9 8" found carved inside. Can anyone help me date this piano, and provide information about either of these firms?

I can be emailed directly at morganp@hgghh.org.

Thank you!

[Bill Kibby]

I don't think anyone can date it from that information, can you post photos here to show what the whole piano looks like, or email them to me? I have only seen this one "Dussek & Dussek, London" probably 1860s, when designs of London-style Cottage Pianos were starting to be influenced by French Pianinos, as described at
http://www.pianohistory.info/victorian.html

My many London lists do not show this firm at all. A couple of other enquiries about the name have not included photos or any information that helps, but the one above (which I saw in Suffolk) was also sold by the London Pianoforte Co. so it is probably an alias they used. My Names page explains that many piano names are meaningless...
http://www.pianohistory.info/names.html

Later "Dussek" pianos were made by Cramer. If you want to search for clues inside the piano, have a look at
http://www.pianohistory.info/datemarks.html

By 1870, John Geary was the manager of the London Pianoforte Co., Kentish Town, but his serial numbers were lower than the Dussek & Dussek. There was an apparently separate "London Pianoforte Co." in Glasgow. Does your piano say where the LPC was?

[Bill Kibby]

Here is Morgan's piano, marked with a round name transfer stuck onto it, as found on other "Dussek & Dussek" pianos, but I have no record of a real maker by this name, so let's hope that clues can be found inside it. I estimate that it was made around 1876, a typical Victorian Cottage Piano, but being a late example, it has no pierced fretwork.