Photo of DCM 0124: Astor Flute in C - Public domain dedication

Instrument type: Flute in C
Medium: Boxwood, stained, brass key, ivory ferrule.; 61.5 cm.
Key Holes System: 1 key, square flat flap.
Mark Maximum: GxASTOR & Cº / LONDON / (unicorn head)
Mark Additional: Mark on all joints.
Condition: Crack at upper end of head joint. According to DCM ledger: "Key was missing, replaced by DCM Nov. 1920." Original head joint cap was missing. Probably of the simple sort that fit over the head joint and into a mortice or shoulder cut to receive it. DCM devised a bone ferrule to fill the mortice space and then a simple boxwood plug to serve as a cap.
Provenance: William R. Gibbs, Boston, 9 Mar. 1920.

The Dayton C. Miller collection in the Library of Congress, contains nearly 1,700 flutes and other wind instruments, statuary, iconography, books, music, trade catalogs, tutors, patents, and other materials mostly related to the flute. It includes both Western and non-Western examples of flutes from around the world, with at least 460 European and American instrument makers represented. Items in the collection date from the 16th to the 20th century.