York, Pennsylvania
William F. Strickler

Wood, ebony, mother-of-pearl, bone
August, 1908
Length 23.5 in
Strings – Lutes – Violin Family

Handwritten Label inside: m.B.W.F. Strickler / York PA August 1908

A signed vintage violin with an inside label identifying W.F. Strickler, as maker. Strickler is a listed violin maker c. 1915 out of Hallam, Pennsylvania, a small village near the Susquehanna River in southeast Pennsylvania. The violin is a marvel of folk art and Strickler was a master of inlay. Both the top and back have a checker inlay binding around the edges, as do the folds of the scroll. The top has four checkered stars. The back has six checkered stars, as well as a pair of symmetric floral designs. The fingerboard has inlay mother-of-pearl dots and a crescent moon.  The top is 14-3/4″ long, but the overall length is 23.5″.  This violin came with a handmade bow, an original case, pitch pipes, four extra bridges, and a First Place blue ribbon printed: YORK COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 1897 / Logo 1853.  A paper attachments reads 2006 YORK FAIR ANTIQUES / MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS