Image: Piccolo by Asa Hopkins, about 1830

This flute is in the collection of the Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments.

The information below the image is from the museum.

See The Western Concert Family of Flutes for more context about this image.

Piccolo

American, 19th century

By Asa hopkins

Litchfield, Connecticut, ca. 1830

A native of Litchfield, Asa Hopkins (1779—1838) was trained as a clockmaker, which trade he practiced from arount 1810 to 1825. In the latter year he sold his clockmaking business and, inspired perhaps by the success of the Graves company in New Hampshire, he established a large water-powered wind instrument shop on the Naugatuck River in the area of Litchfield that came to be called “Fluteville.” Although Hopkins’ instruments tended to be conservative in their mechanism, they were beautifully crafted. This is the only piccolo by him known to have survived.

Stamped on head joint: “A. HOPKINS / LITCHFIELD / CONN.” Stamped on middle and foot joints: “A. HOPKINS / LITCHFIELD. Boxwood, in three sections. Ivory end-cap and ferrules. One square brass key, pin-mounted in a wooden boss. Overall length 33.1 cm.

Collection Purchase: The Friends of Music at Yale Fund

Accession No. 3208.1960.1982