The following is an actual photo and original copy
of a recent online auction.
CIVIL WAR FIFE 7TH CT INF
this rose wood fife was made by CLOOS and CROSBY and is so marked it is
also marked 7th ct inf above the makers name this regiment saw lots of
action no soldiers name but nice regiment markings i tried to
photograph these but they do not show up well they are however period
done and show wear over the top of them. the end ferrels are coin
silver or plate there is also wear marks that show a cheater was used at
one time this is a really great example of a civil war fife
~CRITIQUE~
The instrument is marked Cloos Crosby. This means that the fife was made by
George and/or Frederick Cloos and it's a Crosby model. In other words, modeled
after a style of fife
attributed to Walter Crosby of Boston. Crosby made his instruments from 1830 to
1872. Although Cloos did make instruments as early
as 1862, there is no evidence that made fifes at that time or that he ever acquired a contract to produce
military instruments. The bulk of his fife business was post-war, during the
civilian fife and drum boom that continued into the 20th century. Like most
Cloos
fifes we've seen at auction, this one exhibits features which identify it as
late 19th c. or early 20th c. Although difficult to tell in this photo, it
appears that the finger holes are of varying size. This is characteristic of
fifes made in the late 19th century (to date) and was apparently an attempt (a
successful attempt) to extract tone of truer pitch expected by audiences of
civilian corps. In addition, the equipment required to manufacture the tapered
ferrules seen here was not patented until 1869, four years after the war. Since
the physical characteristics of the instrument indicate a late 19th century
manufacture, it is our opinion that
the imprint of the 7th Ct Infantry is a forgery, and actually reduces the value
of the instrument as an antique.
