The First Model of the Violano-Virtuoso
by Johnny Duckworth
With the Mills Violano-
Virtuoso having such a fas-
cination with collectors to-
day, one can only imagine
the impact it must have had
in the early 20th century.
The machine was labeled
by the Mills Novelty Com-
pany as the world 's greatest
musical attraction, as well
as honored and designated
as one of the greatest sci-
entific inventions of its age
by the United States Patent
Office. Today, when you
hear an expertly restored
or correctly tuned Violano
play, the piano and violin
produce an unbelievable
sound together.
The
Violano-Virtuoso
traces its ancestry to the Au-
tomatic Virtuosa invented
by Henry K. Sandell, using
only a violin. These were
intended as an amusement
device for use in penny ar-
~~~
cades, railroad stations, and
other locations, circa 1906. Mills decided it was capable
of more serious use, and performances were arranged
with an artist playing on a nearby piano to accompany
the violin. In 1908, an Automatic Virtuosa and pianist
gave concerts in England. After this success, Mills took
the next step forward and incorporated a 44-note pia-
no into the cabinet with the violin. Sandell would also
later devise a symmetrical piano plate around 1910, for
which he received a patent two years later. This piano
placed the bass strings in the middle of the cabinet, re-
suiting in a balanced tension on the piano plate, which
was intended to keep the instrument in tune longer.
Some of the Automatic Virtuosas that had already been
produced and shipped from the factory would later be
traded back in or returned to have a piano added. The
8
addition of the piano can
be seen on the illustrated
model, as well as some of
the earlier bow fronts. You
will notice the added pia-
no with some of the early
bow fronts by looking at
the curved cabinet design
which had to transition
into a square back to hold
the new piano. None of
the early violin-only cabi-
nets have ever been found
without the piano added.
The model shown in
this article is of the first
Automatic Virtuosa case
design used by the Mills
Novelty Company, and
it's the only surviving ex-
ample known to date. This
early case style didn't last
long as it was replaced
before they ever got it off
the ground. It's believed
that Mills started the Vio-
-~~~~~~~-
lano-Virtuoso production
with serial number 101.
The piano in this machine bears serial number 204. It's
marked 9-27-1913, this date being located behind the
hammers, which indicates when the piano was installed.
The lowest serial number known for a Violano is on a
home model, numbered 116. Some of the low serials
which are found on bow fronts are 139, 146, 156, 163,
168, 169, 188, and 191 and the highest piano numbers
reached just over 4900. Keep in mind the piano serial
numbers are in order of when they were installed at the
factory so you can't determine the original build date
with the handful of the violin-only models. The early
violin machines were being sent back to the factory to
be fitted with a piano, while at the same time, later ma-
chines had already been produced with the piano and
violin combination. Those early violin machines will