IDNO

LS.121213.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: "Africa. 111.Af.36.
Fiddle with tortoise-shell resonator." [manuscript in ink]

Documentary photograph of two musical instruments, with the fiddle on the left now in the care of MAA, reference 1927.326, and described as: "Stringed musical instrument, possibly a folk lute or guitar made of wood with a tortoise shell resonator. Two tuning pegs, with a cylindrical neck. Resonator is attached to the neck with a nail; four groups of intentional holes on the resonator. Two strings remain partially in place, each attached to one of the pegs.
Africa; North Africa; Maghreb; Algeria; Constantine
Farrell, W. J. [?collector]; Ridgeway, William (Professor Sir) [bequeather] "

Place

N Africa; Algeria; Morocco; Constantine; Casablanca [Maghreb]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Museum Photographer

Collector / Expedition

Farrell, W. J. [?Object collector]; Ridgeway, William (Professor Sir) [Object bequeather]

Date

pre 1908

Collection Name

Teaching Slide Collection

Source

Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: Same image published in Ridgeway, William. "The Origin of the Guitar and Fiddle". In 'Man', 1908, Plate B, fig. 2, with related text noting: " P1. B., Fig. 2, shows two little guitars: One is used by the
natives in Algeria ;t it has but two strings and its sounding board is madle of a tortoise-shell. The other, which has three strings, is from Casa Blanca, in north-west Morocco, whilst similar ones are regularly in use amongst the ministrels of Tangiers. It will be seen that each of these sounding boards has a waist, owing to the natural conformation of the tortoise-shell.
[footnote] The Algerian specimen was given to me by my old pupil, Mr. W. J. Farreell, Fellow of Jesus.
Coll., Camb. ; that from Casa Blanca by my old pupil, Mr. Clement Gutcli, lecturer of St. John's
Coll., Camb." [Source: https://about.jstor.org/terms1908, JD 16/12/2025]