The case work

Is this instrument (1,2) a Debain harmonium or not?

Luff 1

Luff 2

From the label (3) George Luff & Son would appear to be the manufacturer, but to us anoraks it has “middle period  Debain” (as in 4 & 5) written all over it.
Compare these salient features (the photos of the ‘non-Debain’ harmonium are captioned ‘luff’):

a) The rather flat-footed look given by the shallow plinth (1vs 4, 2 vs 5)
b) The full-width pedal arch (1-5) also still found in quite late-period Debains (6, 7)
c) The rather ugly double pilasters (1-5)
d) The use of blond wood Forte boards, even when the rest of the case is dark wood (3 vs 8, 13 vs 14)- again still found even in quite late instruments (7, 12). Note the resplendent label of 8, fancy labels being a Debain feature – he was evidently proud of supplying both the French Emperor and the British Queen (8-11 and just visible in 12).
e) The sumptuous mouldings, especially the deep ribbon marking the (internal) division between the action+ reed pan and the bellows (13 vs 14)
f) The velvet faced candle- or oil lamp-stands let in to the cheeks of the case (13 vs 15)
g) The stop-faces of paper, each apparently hand-drawn and denoting the range of the stop, protected by a transparent film of perhaps some early form of celluloid (16, 17 vs 18, 19).

Internal comparisons to follow in Part 3.

The case work

Is this instrument (1,2) a Debain harmonium or not?

Luff 1

Luff 2

From the label (3) George Luff & Son would appear to be the manufacturer, but to us anoraks it has “middle period  Debain” (as in 4 & 5) written all over it.
Compare these salient features (the photos of the ‘non-Debain’ harmonium are captioned ‘luff’):

a) The rather flat-footed look given by the shallow plinth (1vs 4, 2 vs 5)
b) The full-width pedal arch (1-5) also still found in quite late-period Debains (6, 7)
c) The rather ugly double pilasters (1-5)
d) The use of blond wood Forte boards, even when the rest of the case is dark wood (3 vs 8, 13 vs 14)- again still found even in quite late instruments (7, 12). Note the resplendent label of 8, fancy labels being a Debain feature – he was evidently proud of supplying both the French Emperor and the British Queen (8-11 and just visible in 12).
e) The sumptuous mouldings, especially the deep ribbon marking the (internal) division between the action+ reed pan and the bellows (13 vs 14)
f) The velvet faced candle- or oil lamp-stands let in to the cheeks of the case (13 vs 15)
g) The stop-faces of paper, each apparently hand-drawn and denoting the range of the stop, protected by a transparent film of perhaps some early form of celluloid (16, 17 vs 18, 19).

Internal comparisons to follow in Part 3.

The case work

Is this instrument (1,2) a Debain harmonium or not?

Luff 1

Luff 2

From the label (3) George Luff & Son would appear to be the manufacturer, but to us anoraks it has “middle period  Debain” (as in 4 & 5) written all over it.
Compare these salient features (the photos of the ‘non-Debain’ harmonium are captioned ‘luff’):

a) The rather flat-footed look given by the shallow plinth (1vs 4, 2 vs 5)
b) The full-width pedal arch (1-5) also still found in quite late-period Debains (6, 7)
c) The rather ugly double pilasters (1-5)
d) The use of blond wood Forte boards, even when the rest of the case is dark wood (3 vs 8, 13 vs 14)- again still found even in quite late instruments (7, 12). Note the resplendent label of 8, fancy labels being a Debain feature – he was evidently proud of supplying both the French Emperor and the British Queen (8-11 and just visible in 12).
e) The sumptuous mouldings, especially the deep ribbon marking the (internal) division between the action+ reed pan and the bellows (13 vs 14)
f) The velvet faced candle- or oil lamp-stands let in to the cheeks of the case (13 vs 15)
g) The stop-faces of paper, each apparently hand-drawn and denoting the range of the stop, protected by a transparent film of perhaps some early form of celluloid (16, 17 vs 18, 19).

Internal comparisons to follow in Part 3.