Draft:Peter Baltzerson
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Peter Baltzerson | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1876 Tjøtta, Norway |
| Died | 1938 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Resting place | Unknown |
| Occupation | Violin maker |
| Years active | c. 1897–1938 |
Peter Baltzerson (c. 1876 – 1938) was a Norwegian-American violin maker active in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early twentieth century. Over a career spanning roughly four decades he made more than 200 stringed instruments, chiefly violins modeled on those of Stradivari, and his work is still bought, sold, and collected today.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Baltzerson was born around 1876 in Tjøtta, Norway.[1][2] He emigrated to the Boston area in the late 1880s.[1] As a young man he worked in building construction, and began making violins around 1897 as a hobby.[1] He subsequently worked in the Boston workshop of violin maker O. H. Bryant, a shop that served members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[3]
By 1923 Baltzerson had built a home near the Arnold Arboretum and lived for some years in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston (then still commonly associated with West Roxbury) and maintained a wood-carving shop at 218 Tremont Street.[4] At that time he had applied for United States citizenship but had not yet been naturalized.[4]
Career
[edit]Baltzerson established his own violin-making shop around 1920, after leaving Bryant's workshop.[1] Over his career he made more than 200 instruments—chiefly violins, with a small number of violas and cellos—generally modeled on Stradivari patterns.[1][2] Dealers have described his instruments as notable for consistent craftsmanship and a rich, full tone comparable to that of his European contemporaries.[1]
By the mid-1920s Baltzerson operated as a violin dealer as well as a maker, with a shop in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, variously reported at 328 Massachusetts Avenue and on Huntington Avenue.[5][6]
Notable instruments
[edit]In 1923, the Washington Times reported that Providence, Rhode Island, collector John W. Coggeshall had commissioned an inlaid violin from Baltzerson for his collection, which also included instruments by Guarneri, Stainer, and Stradivari.[4] Baltzerson traveled to Norway to select wood for the commission, using sycamore and pine, including wood reported to be 75 years old for the instrument's back; the finished violin, with hand-worked pearl-and-gold pegs, was valued in 1923 at more than $1,000 ($19,500 value in 2026).[4] Around the same period, Baltzerson donated one of his violins as a prize to students at the New England Conservatory.[4]
Larceny complaint against Eva Morrison (1927)
[edit]In July 1924, Baltzerson introduced long-distance swimmer Eva Morrison to John C. Coggeshall, a family member of the same wealthy Providence wool merchant and antique violin collector who had earlier commissioned an instrument from him.[6] Baltzerson subsequently told Morrison that Coggeshall had made her a gift of a violin, bow, and case.[6] In February 1927, Baltzerson filed a criminal complaint accusing Morrison of larceny of the instrument, valued at roughly $225–233 in contemporary reports, claiming he had extended it to her on trial rather than as a gift.[5][6]
The case was heard in Boston Municipal Court before Judge James H. Devlin. Baltzerson was represented by attorney Bacigalupo; Morrison's counsel, Peter C. Borre, produced a letter in Baltzerson's own handwriting demanding return of the violin, in which Baltzerson noted that Coggeshall had been unable to pay for it due to business losses.[6] Judge Devlin acquitted Morrison, finding the prosecution had not established guilt beyond reasonable doubt.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Little is documented of Baltzerson's personal life in currently available sources. He is described in 1923 as unmarried and residing in Roslindale, Boston.[4] No confirmed record of a spouse, children, or specific residence in later years can be established at the time of writing.
Death
[edit]Baltzerson died in Boston in 1938.[1] His place of burial has not been established.
Legacy
[edit]Baltzerson is listed in the Bio-Bibliographical Index of Musicians in the United States and in Tarisio's Cozio Archive of instrument makers.[2] His violins continue to be bought and sold by dealers, including Johnson String Instrument (Carriage House Violins) and Reuning & Son; one sold at auction for $13,200 in June 2023, the maker's current auction record.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Peter Baltzerson 1876–1938". Johnson String Instrument, The American Collection. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Peter Baltzerson". Tarisio Cozio Archive. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Peter Baltzerson maker biography". Tarisio. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Washington Times 1923.
- 1 2 Boston Globe & 1927-02-07.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Boston Evening Globe & 1927-02-10.
"Modern Fiddle Is Added to Museum". The Washington Times. March 8, 1923. p. 12. "Eva Morrison Faces Charge of Larceny". The Boston Globe. February 7, 1927. p. 1. "Eva Morrison Not Guilty". Boston Evening Globe. February 10, 1927. p. 14.
External links
[edit]Peter Baltzerson maker profile at the Tarisio Cozio Archive Peter Baltzerson at Johnson String Instrument's American Collection
Category:1876 births Category:1938 deaths Category:Norwegian emigrants to the United States Category:American violin makers Category:Musicians from Boston Category:People from Roslindale, Boston
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