The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: Conrad Meyer, 1793-1881

Title: Papers

Dates: 1814-1881

Call No.: Col. 171

Acc. No.: 86x181; 06x36

Quantity: 1 box

Location: 15 L 5

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Conrad Meyer was a cabinetmaker and later a piano manufacturer. Born in Marburg, Hesse Cassel, Germany, on September 18, 1793, in his early 20s, he was a soldier during the Napoleonic wars. Meyer served a four year apprenticeship with a cabinetmaker in Marburg, which he completed on May 13, 1818. One day later he set sail for America, but he did not arrive until August 1819. Upon his arrival—in Baltimore—he started work as a piano maker; he was employed by Joseph Hickory, and James Lick was a fellow workman. Meyer settled in Philadelphia early in 1823 and established himself in business, founding a pianoforte factory that eventually became known as Conrad Meyer & Sons.

In 1832, Meyer invented the full iron plate frame for pianos, which was said to have launched a new system of piano making in America. Meyer was also the first to use glass as an insulator on piano legs. He won awards at a number of exhibitions between 1833 and 1879. In 1836, he became a citizen of the United States. Meyer was a member of Hermann Lodge, No. 125, connected with the Franklin Institute, and was involved in the German and Marburger Societies. He was active in musical enterprises. Meyer married Martha A. Reed; they had at least three children. At the time of his death in 1881, his piano making firm was under the management of his sons, I. Reed and Charles E. Meyer.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

This collection of papers documents Meyer's career, first as an apprentice in Germany and later as a working craftsperson in Philadelphia. Letters attest to his prominence in the musical instrument making trade. He participated in the London Industrial Exhibition in 1851 as a pianoforte manufacturer. Trade cards, circulars, and trade catalogs indicate the nature of the firm and products available from it.

Papers pertaining to the family include birth records, Meyer's naturalization papers, a U.S. passport, a letter from his mother in Germany, a letter from his wife, and photographs of Meyer, his wife, and two sons.

ORGANIZATION

The papers are arranged first by personal papers, then letters (both personal and business), then advertisements for the business, then photographs.

PROVENANCE

Papers in accession 86x181 were a joint gift of Mrs. Virginia Smith, Mrs. Raymond L. Rafetto, and Mr. Hughan Conrad Meyer, Jr., descendants of Conrad Meyer, in 1986. Accession 06x36 was a gift of Barbara M. Robinson, another descendant of Conrad Meyer.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Prang, Louis, 1824-1909.

Meyer, C. E. (Charles E.)

Meyer, Isaac Reed.

Topics:

Conrad Meyer & Sons.

Great Exhibition (1851 : London, England)

Piano - Catalogs, Manufacturers'.

Advertising cards - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

Musical instruments industry.

Advertising.

Piano makers - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

German Americans - Social life and customs.

Exhibitions.

Photoprints.

Letters.

Trade cards.

Trade catalogs.

Citizenship papers.

Handbills.

Passports.

Piano makers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 15 L 5

Folder 1:

86x181.1 Family birth record, 1791-1805. The entries include the time of birth and who suggested the name for the child. There are nine children mentioned; three of the entries are crossed through. The document is in German.

86x181.2 Document from a council meeting called by a minority of the Baptist church in Frankford, held on January 26, 1813, with representatives from other Baptist churches, challenging the suspension of a Mrs. Reed.

86x181.3 Hand colored illustration of a Hessian soldier in the war against Napoleon, 1814-1815. A fragment of a letter in German is on the back. The letter discusses drills, watch duty, and other aspects of camp life.

06x36.4 Document in German: Birth certificate for Johanes Maier (or Maiers), 1787. The certificate declares that Johanes Maier born in 1787 was the legitimate son of Johanes and Ana Margaretta Maier, and the elder Johanes was born January 20, 1757. He was a citizen and carpenter or cabinetmaker in Kirchheim, Würtemberg (Germany).

Folder 2:

86x181.4 Wanderbuch, 1818-1819. The volume documents Meyer's time as an apprentice and journeyman cabinetmaker. Page 1 contains information on Meyer's physical characteristics. Page 2 contains a signed statement by master cabinetmaker, John Meyer, indicating that Meyer had completed his training. The rest of the book contains guild rules governing a journeyman's "Wanderjahre" and a list of the cities in which Meyer unsuccessfully sought work. They were: Kassel, Göttingen, Einbeck, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Calais, Lingen, and Hamburg again. The volume is in German.

Folder 3:

06x36.5 marriage certificate of Conrad Meyer and Martha Augusta Reed, signed by W. J.(?) Brantly, Philadelphia, December 31, 1833

86x181.5 Meyer's citizenship/naturalization paper, October 1, 1836, Philadelphia, Pa.

Folder 4:

86x181.6 Letter from Maria Meyer (Conrad's mother) to "My dear daughter" (Conrad's sister), Marburg, March 7, 1837. In the letter, Maria sends her love to her family and tells of an epidemic in Marburg. The letter is in German.

86x181.7 Letter from Mr. Nash, Nashville, Tenn., to Meyer, April 23, 1843, remarking on the arrival of a piano, requesting information on ordering, and discussing business dealings with competitors.

86x181.8 Letter from J. Chickering, Boston, to Meyer, November 21, 1846, discussing Mr. de [or von] Meyer's [not Conrad Meyer, but another man] endorsement of various pianos.

86x181.9 Letter from Martha Augusta Meyer, Philadelphia, to Meyer, London, April 25, 1851. In this letter, Conrad's wife reports on family activities and business operations.

86x181.10 Letter from James Lick, San Jose, to Meyer, Philadelphia, December 11, 1872, about shipping wood for pianos; asks Meyer to track down a carpenter, Mr. Edwards, and letting him know if he is a good man.

86x181.11 A Christmas greeting to Meyer and his wife from his workmen, 1850. Signed by 21 men (3 names are on the inside).

Folder 5:

86x181.13 Passport for Conrad Meyer, March 31, 1851, with visa for Prussia, added in London, June 10, 1851.

86x181.21-.22 Newspaper clippings of two obituaries for Conrad Meyer, 1881, and a death notice for Mary Y. Meyer (Mrs. Charles E. Meyer), 1916.

Folder 6:

06x36.4 marriage certificate for Charles E. Meyer and Mary B. Yearsley, married in Calvary Episcopal Church, Rockdale, Delaware County, June 19, 1967, signed by rector John K. Murphy

06x36.6 passport for Charles E. Meyer, age 40, issued June 15, 1878

06x36.7 passport for Charles E. Meyer, age 56, issued February 28, 1894

Folder 7:

86x181.12 Circular for C. Meyer's Pianos at the National Fair in Washington, D.C.

86x181.14 A two page manuscript describing Meyer as the inventor of the iron plate frame pianoforte.

86x181.15 "Catalogue of Four Boxes, containing two pianofortes, sent by Conrad Meyer… to the London Industrial [Crystal Palace] Exhibition commencing May 1851." Includes testimonial by Dr. Lewis S. Somers about his Meyer pianoforte.

86x181.27 printed circular about Conrad Meyer, pianoforte manufacturer, with an added note that this was printed for distribution at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851.

86x181.23 Trade card for Meyer & Sons, printed by L. Prang & Co. after 1879, depicting flowers.

86x181.24-.25 Two trade cards for Meyer & Sons, depicting children; Geddes Sons were the printers; after 1879.

86x181.26 Trade catalog providing information about the Meyer company, a price list, and advice on taking care of a piano, tuning it, and unpacking it. Printed after 1880.

Folder 8:

86x181.16 Photograph and autograph of James Lick.

86x181.17 Photograph of Conrad Meyer.

86x181.18 Photograph of Martha A. Reed Meyer.

86x181.19 Photograph of Isaac Reed Meyer.

86x181.20 Photograph and autograph of Charles E. Meyer, his pass to the Exposition Universelle de 1878.

06x36.1 photo of portrait of Isaac Reed (father of Martha A. Reed Meyer?)

06x36.2 photo of portrait of unknown woman

06x36.8 photo of a woman, ca.1860, probably Martha A. Reed Meyer – FRAGILE! Handle with care!