noseflute.org: Humanaphone

Showing posts with label Humanaphone. Show all posts

May 2, 2016

The Australian Magic Flute - Part I

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that we tried several times to disentangle the skein meshed around the Magic Flute. To sum up the enigma, let's say that a « Magic Flute » appeared in the Howe catalogue in 1903 (see this post) and that the Humanatone Co. probably bought the brand (and the patent?) and used it to sell Humanatone nose flutes (see this post and that one). The Humanatone Co. also used indifferently the brand « Magic Nose Flute » (please see here).

Two archives where the Humanatone is advertised as « Magic Flute »:

Where the story got tricky, is when, on one hand, a « Magic Nose Flute » appeared in the Ellisdon catalogue (UK) with the mention « British make » (check here), and on the other hand, **the** Australian nose flute was branded... « Magic Flute » (this post).

Let's say right now that whether we don't formally know (no evidences), we assume that the brand « Magic Flute » was registered by the Humanatone Co. only for United States, where it was solely produced and sold (Maybe the Stivers' nose flute is directly at the origin of the British « Humanaphone », but that's another story).

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We recently found a beautiful nickel plated and boxed sample of an early Australian « Magic Flute », which made us understand there was no objective link between the US Humanatone and the Aussie nose flute.

This baby is absolutely magnificent, nickel plated with almost no oxydation traces. Smooth and shiny!

This early Magic Flute has no stampings, contrarywise to the later ones, which will show deeply embossed brand and trademark numbers« MAGIC FLUTE - REGISTERED - No 40634 AUST - No 22231 N.Z ».

Now, the comparison between the Magic Flute and the Humanatone shows similarities, but also differences. The main one is the width of the nose saddle collar, which is enough to prove the Magic Flute was not formed on the Humanatone template. It may have been copied from it (more than likely), but it was not a « Humanatone Australian make ». Indeed, as we'll see later, the Magic Flute was probably made in... Germany!

The box itself is beautiful and very interesting. It has a great design and typographics! The image of the instrument is clearly a copy of the "official" Humanatone advertisement (with a correction on the angle of the mouth shield, if you look well :). I made a montage to show what the box would look unfolded:

Let's guess that the version of « Home Sweet Home » mentioned on the box is this Australian version!

Oh.. and there were different models... Look what picture I found on the net (I would kill for it!!):

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And last, but not least (and maybe the most interesting part on an historic purpose), the Magic Flute I acquired was provided with its papers! But you'll have to wait for Part II to discover them :)

>> Access Part II

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Feb 17, 2013

British archives

I didn't find much with the British newspaper research tools, but interesting facts and evidences for nose flute history.

The first mention I found is a classified ad recruiting two men for Humanatone demonstrations. Yes, Humanatones were apparently imported to Great Britain as soon as 1913!:

Liverpool Echo, Jan. 31, 1913:

In 1927, the Humanaphone, "all british make", was sold for 4 (old) pence and a half, as a Jazz instruent:

Hull Daily Mail, Oct. 3, 1927:

Was the Humanaphone a metal Humanatone copy, or a real Humanatone manufactured in Great Britain under license? What is sure is that it was the european nose flute the most similar to the american instrument. The differences with an early Humanatone look very tiny. Even the rivets and shape of the flap in which they are soldered are similar. Only the nose saddle edge looks a bit wider on the Humanaphone.

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The North Devon Journal (05/25/1933) reported a Salvation Army musical festival, at the end of which the Captain Montgomery played his "Humanotone".

And finally, a 1938 Cheltenham advertisement selling nose flutes for an (old) sixpence the piece:

4½d in 1927 and 6d in 1938 represents a 33% increment in the price. We were surprised to notice a 25% augmentation between 1927 and 1936 in the price of the french Ocariflute (3FF to 4FF) [check the end of this post], but finally, the rise was comparable on the other side of the Channel.

Oct 18, 2012

Nose Flute Pioneers: The Stivers - Part IV

With the "Nose Flute Pioneers" series, Noseflute.org enters a little cycle of research. I hope it won't be too arid for a blog, but I really think that the facts I found have to be published. The sources : Google patents, US Census and an access to newspaper archives. But also, depending on the topic, correspondence by e-mail with descendants. Let's better say : internet searching tools available for a Frenchie not able to access US real paper archives.

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Nose Flute Pioneers: The Stivers - Part IV

The Stivers: Big Money

[sequel of Part I, Part II and Part III]

In 1919, George W. II is 43 years old. He resides at 225 W105 and is commercial representative for his father's and brother's activities. But George has another occupation. That year, George and his wife Kathryn apply for a passport. They intend to go to Cuba. On Kate's form, the purpose of the travel is "Visit". But on George's one, it is written "Racing". And in the occupation field: "Racing".

And more, the witness identifying George for the passport is a certain Eugene Bell, a family friend, having "racing" for principal activity and declaring to know G.W. for having been « associated with him in past 15 years racing ». George has been practicing racing for that time, i.e. since 1904!

OK. But what races? Bicycle, horse or roller-skate? I don't know, but...
But George applies for his passport November 6, and specifies he intends to come back to the USA before 6 months, that is before the 6th of May. He does not specify when he will leave (he may have applied long in advance for his passport).

In Marianao, Havana, there is one racetrack (the only one), quite new (1915), called Oriental Park. Wikipedia precises: « In its heyday, American owners brought their horses to race at Oriental Park Racetrack during the winter months, and future Hall of Fame jockeys Laverne Fator rode there in 1918, as did Alfred Robertson in the mid 1920s and the Cuban-born Avelino Gomez. »

So, did George practice horse racing? I don't know. There was also a car race in April 1920 at Oriental Park. And if you look well at the picture below, you'll discern 2 people in the car. Did George and Eugene pilot cars? I *feel* that cars fit better with the Stivers than horses, but it is just a feeling, an intuition, no a fact.

The fact is that, on an ulterior passport form (1922), George gives a bit more details, but I am not able to read what is written after the word "racing" (If someone of you is able to...). It might be the answer.

Last but not least, the 1919 passport application sheet and the 1922 one are both agremented with a picture of George W. II Stivers! We finally are able to "put a face on a name", in this "pioneers series" !!

The 1922 passport application sheet is very interesting, and this, in several ways. George's occupation is still "racing" but he applies for "Commercial" reasons. He intends to visit France and British Isles. This time, G.W. asks for a passport the first of May in order to embark on the Homeric on... 6th of May. He should be back after 2 months. In fact, George will cross the sea aboard the Mauretania, and reach Southampton on 22nd of May.

We can see on the passengers list that George was hosted in Cecil Hotel, London. The Cecil Hotel was and huge and very luxuous hotel.

So, how can we be sure that the "commercial" Stivers was in London, Ireland and France for "Humanatone reasons"? Easy! Here is a warrant letter from the G. W. Stivers & Co., allowing George to "buy any goods with his own approval". Well, I guess George was there mostly... to sell!

The letter heading shows 3 products that probably were ground-breaking sellers for the company.
In the middle: the Lucky Penny Bank, which was a tin bank shaped like a large and thick coin. The one below dates from 1975, but certainly uses the same concept:

The other items are instruments. For sure, The well-known Humanatone, but also the « Wonderful instrument Flutophone »

What was the Flutophone? It was another "variable tonality whistle". But the instrument was not blown by the nose, but by the mouth. So, the mouth was used at the same time to produce the flow and the note, by using the tongue as a separator of the mouth cavity. In fact, the Flutophone is an exact "shepherd's whistle", to which a rectangular horn was added.

An ad published in Secret Service, Sep. 1, 1911.

And a modern shepherd's whistle:

The Flutophone was invented by John A. Bartholomew, citizen of New York, in 1903. John Bartholomew was french, born from a german father and a belgian mother, in 1868. In fact, in the 1920 census, his father appears to be french, and the explanation is that at the moment of the 1900 census, the north-east part of France where he was born was german, since 1870 war and until 1918. Yes, from my region!). John imigrated in the USA in 1870, maybe because of the war. In 1903, Bartholomew was ventriloquist and widowed (later, he'll re-marry and become a comb maker!).

Well, the Stivers bought the Flutophone patent [US733,122] to exploit it, and become owners and manufacturers of the instrument. When was it? Certainly rather early, and maybe when James J. turned the Stivers' shop into a music instruments one.

1922 was already late for George W. II Stivers to visit Europe. Maybe did he do it earlier too. Anyway, in the early 1920s, the Humanaphone appears in the Keith Prowse catalog, London, then in the Jedson list. The fact is that the Humanaphone is very similar to the Humanatone... Was it a copy, or did George sell a licence to a british manufacturer, who also decided to produce a celluloid line?

In fact, the two instruments are rigorously the same ones! Generally, to avoid problems with copies, the manufacturers prefer to change some small details. Here, everything is the same, stampings excepted: even the shape of the flaps that hold the rivets...

Aug 19, 2012

Huma... something.

It is very difficult not to confuse several early nose flute names, since many manufacturers chose on purpose very similar brands to market their product. Let's make a tour...

Humanatone

This is the name of the original tin nose flute produced by James J. Stivers and the Humanatone Co., N.Y.C. As stated by Stivers himself : « This trade-mark has been continuously used in my business since July 6th, 1903 ». The brand has since been used continuously until now, acquired by Fred Gretsch Mfg. Co. in 1947 to market the new plastic model, and later by Grover-Trophy Music Co.

But, as the Humanatone was soon (and still is) a best-seller, the name Humanatone has oftenly used as a generic name for ny nose flute. To add to the confusion, the tin design as the plastic model were both imitated — when not forged - by other makers.

Humanotone (Humantone, Human-a-tone,...)

As far as I know, this name has never been a nose flute brand. However, one can easily find it written here and there, as Humantone, Human-a-tone, Human-tone, Hum-a-tone.

Humanaphone

The Humanaphone was British, and produced in the 1925. Its a tin nose flute, very similar to the Humanatone, but offered a celluloid version regarded as a "hygienic line".

Humanophone

This nose flute would have been produced in the USA as early as 1920. Harvey Jones, Louisville jug band musician, used to play one : « The Humanophone was purchased at Lyons & Healy music store at Wabash and Jackson, Chicago, soon after Jones arrived in 1920, and when he was looking for novelty instruments. Jones knows of no one else who ever captured the technique of the Humanophone. »
However, I have never seen a picture or an ad for the Humanophone.

Humanophone/Humanaphone

But with those names (Humano- Humana- phone), problems arise : the name Humanophone has been used for other "instruments"!

Indeed, the Humanophone is an instrument invented by George Edward Ives (1845-1894), father of the famous Charles Ives, in New England, and made of a group of humans behind a curtain. Each of them sings a single note and only their heads appear, arrayed like a xylophone.

Logansport Journal (Indiana), Oct. 25, 1887 :

Ives Studies, edited by Philip Lambert, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1997 :

But Humanophone was also for a phonograph brand and Humanaphone a theater play title.
And moreover, most of the newspapers confused this "o" and that "a", even using both spellings in the same article!

So, in some cases, thanks to the context and the publishing date, there is no confusion possible. In 1886, the "instrument" is the Ives' Humanophone choir, no doubt :

Harrisonburg Rockingham Register, Jul. 29, 1886 :

Or later, when the text clearly mentions Ives' instrument (because of the presence of several musicians):

Adams County Press, May 4, 1904 :

Ada Evening News, Nov. 3, 1939 :

Idem for the theater play "Humanaphone" :

Parnell Iowa County Advertiser, May 19, 1910 :

Idem (probably) for the phonograph :

Belleville Telescope, Jan. 23, 1903 :

But, most of the time, it is not possible to know which Humanaphone or Humanophone is mentioned. However, some late articles could possibly mention the nose flute...

Bar Harbor Record, Apr. 16, 1902 (with both spellings!):

Wills Point Chronicle, Nov. 11, 1909 :

The Clintonian, Nov. 18, 1915 :

Winnipeg Free Press, Nov. 28, 1925 :

And sometimes, but rarely, we got it, for sure! (the date, the solo...) :

The Sioux City Journal, Apr. 11, 1922:

Nevada State Journal, Reno, Feb.7, 1935 :

The Twig, Raleigh, Apr. 27, 1943 :

Conclusion ?

Humanatone, despite the misspellings Humantone, Humanotone, Human-a-tone... has always been standing for ... 2 nose flutes : the Stivers' tin one, and the Gretsch's then Grover's plastic one.

Humanaphone was a British tin nose flute, marketed in the 1925's. It was also the name of an early century american theater play. The name has been oftenly misspelled into Humanophone.

Humanophone was an american tin nose flute, marketed at least from 1920. It was also the name of 1886 George Ives' choir instrument, and of a phonograph. The name has been oftenly misspelled into Humanaphone.

And it is a real mess in the newspapers archives :)