A. A. Farland Concert Grand banjo, made in 1902. This instrument comes from the catalog of Alfred A. Farland, a prominent Canadian-American banjo virtuoso and designer who patented and manufactured his own banjos in the early 20th century.
The Concert Grand features traditional turn-of-the-century banjo construction with a wooden rim, and wooden bevel tone ring. This model represents the classic pre-war American banjo design that dominated parlor music, minstrel shows, and early 20th-century popular music before the guitar became the dominant string instrument.
The banjo has a 27-inch scale length, 11½-inch head diameter, and 1¼-inch nut width. It was built with attention to tonal quality and playability, reflecting Farland’s reputation as a performing artist and designer who understood the instrument’s requirements from professional use. The construction follows standard late 19th-century and early 20th-century American banjo patterns with brass hardware and traditional headstock design.
