This Franz Schwarzer Elegy zither, serial number 10378, dates to 1918. An early catalog provides a description of this particular type of zither: This Zither is three and one-half inches longer than the concert Zither. It is tuned four tones below concert pitch, or in 'E.' It is an excellent instrum...

I continue to be amazed at the number of US branded zithers. This fine example, from Chicago, lists M. Kraus as the maker. Unlike the typical concert zither which has 32 strings, this maker has added a number of additional contrabass strings. The maker's label reads: M. Kraus / Maker, 1205 N. Halste...

On Oct. 26, 1886, Franz Schwarzer was awarded a patent for his string holder, which he used on his Arion model zithers. Photos and a copy of the awarded patent are attached.

The zither and its music is most commonly associated with "The Third Man" movie. It has, however, made appearances in other films. In this photograph, French actress Annabella receives zither lessons from Charles P. Burton for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's "Bridal Suite," while the film'...

Dr. William Thiel shared the following story and zither club photograph. This photo of the "Zither Club Almrausch" was taken in Livingston, Illinois, in 1914. The man seated center at the table is Ignatz Thiel, Dr. Thiel's grandfather. My Grandfather came over from Bochum-Wattenscheid Germ...

Zither rings with a rückschlag (backstroke) thorn allow the player to strike the fretboard strings in both directions. For those interested in working with this technique, Alfons Wimmer, a zither player in Paderborn, Germany, offers these instructions on how to construct one using easily accessible ...

Zitherists Sofian Zapf and Joachim Reichert - with Ludwig Probst on violin - are shown in this program for a zither concert in Philadelphia in 1928. Philadelphia has a long tradition of zither clubs and performances, going back as far as the 1870s. Thank you to Leonard Zapf for sharing this.

With domestic zithers makers, string manufacturers and music publishers, the US was once fairly self-sufficient when it came to meeting the needs of its zither players. The attached photograph, shared by Sandy H., shows a concert zither string manufactured and packaged by the National Musical String...

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This example of a Schwarzer perfecta was sent in by Gary S. According to Gary, the previous owner of this instrument learned to play the zither while living in the Amana Colonies, Iowa. It has serial number 10363, which dates it to 1918.