Auto harp 1890-1900

Description

Auto harps  or chorded Zithers were invented by Gutter  in Germany around 1880.  A popular instrument in American Christian  communities at the time , it also became a missionary instrument  taken out to far away places round the globe , to accompany the singing of hymns in small indigenous far flung communities.They work by damping strings with felt ,allowing the remaining strings to ring out as a set chord!

This is a 32 string , 9 chord instrument , complete with its original chord and German note markers, and with a lovely folk painting of Roses on the main body under the strings.