Conrad Meyer was a cabinetmaker and later a piano manufacturer. He was born on September 18, 1793, in Marburg, Hesse Cassel, Germany. He was a soldier during the war with Napoleon in 1814 and 1815. Meyer served a four year apprenticeship with a cabinetmaker in Marburg, which he completed on May 13, 1818. On May 14th, Meyer set sail for America, but did not arrive until August, 1819. Upon his arrival in Baltimore, Maryland, 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. It 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 involved in the German and Marburger Societies. He was active in musical enterprises. Meyer married Martha A. Reed; they had at least two children. At the time of his death in 1881, the piano making firm was under the management of his sons, Reed and Charles E. Meyer.

This collection of papers documents Meyer's career, first as an apprentice in Germany and later as a working craftsman 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.

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

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These papers were a joint gift of Mrs. Virginia Smith, Mrs. Raymond L. Rafetto, and Mr. Hughan Conrad Meyer, Jr., descendants of Conrad Meyer, in 1986.

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Repository code: DeWint File name: col171.xml Abstract: Personal and business papers of Conrad Meyer, a native of Germany who established the pianoforte manufacturing company of Conrad Meyer and Sons, in Philadelphia. Extent: 0.2 linear feet Date range: 1814-1881 Related materials: Language: English and German Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera Winterthur, DE 19732 (302) 888-4853 Conrad Meyer Papers Col. 171 Creator: Conrad Meyer, 1793-1881 Title: Papers Dates: 1814-1881 Call No.: Col. 171 Acc. No.: 86×181 Quantity: 1 box Location: 13 E 5