Dear colleagues,
I wonder whether anyone might be able to help me to locate the Erard (London) double-action harp numbered 1955, if it still exists, or might have any information about its history after it was sold on 11 February 1824 to a Miss Shearman of 73 Guildford Street, [London]. Students of the Erard ledgers might note that this date is an exception to the prevailing chronological sequence of numbering; the number 1955 would otherwise have been assigned some nine years earlier, in the early months of 1815. The harp had previously been out on loan; it was returned to the maker on 27 February 1821 but as the start of the loan was not recorded, the precise date of manufacture is not known.
I am interested in this double-action instrument because I am investigating an extant single-action Erard harp which is consistently numbered 1955 in the usual places, with no other number or countervailing indication anywhere to be found. This single-action instrument was evidently built as number 1955, with no expectation at the time that the same number would subsequently be assigned to a double. The single numbered 1955 is apparently a prototype or experimental model which, though it escaped formal inclusion in the ledger, must eventually have left the workshop one way or another; its condition attests to a history of use and repair. If it might be of interest, I will prepare a blog post about it. Meanwhile, I'd be very grateful for your help regarding the double-action no. 1955.
Kind regards, Lewis.
This from 10 December 1894 - didn't take as long as I though to locate this entry.