William Harper

[deftone]

Hi!

My wife has found a piano she would like to buy, however the manufacturer has proven to be a bit of a mystery.

The manufacturer is "William Harper, maker to the King, Red Lion Rd, Red Lion Square, London.

I have tried to research the company but so far have drawn a blank, has anyone heard of this manufacturer? The piano is a ships piano, and appears to be mid 1800's (but Im no expert).

[Bill Kibby]

No mystery, Harper is quite well-known. In 1834, William Harper established his Piano Forte making business, following on from Henry Smart, of Berners Street, but by 1840, Smart was at Red Lion Street: We do not know if Harper carried on Smart's serial numbering. Harper described himself as Piano Forte maker to King William IV, which suggests great success within the first 3 years of business, but it may have referred to work he did with Smart. Harper's earlier pianos are inscribed ''Maker to the King'', suggesting a date no later than 1837. Later Harper pianos refer to "His Late Majesty".

Buying a piano of this great age is a worry, has it been professionally restored? If not, it should be very cheap!

You say it is a "ship's piano", can you explain what you mean by that? For information about early upright pianos, see
http://pianogen.org/victorian.html

Would it be possible for you to post photos of the piano here, or email them to me to post? I can probably tell you more about it then.