Manufacturing Guitars for the American Parlor: James Ashborn's Wolcottville, Connecticut, Factory, 1851-56.

By the 1850's Americans flocked to musical theater and minstrel shows as popular music found an eager audience. Greater leisure time and the spread of labor-saving technology aided its growth and the parlor became the focal point of domestic life. James Ashborn's account book reveals the details of the production and distribution of the parlor guitar, the most popular musical instrument. The author traces the structure and growth of Ashborn's business and how he modified traditional artisanal production to meet the demands of factory production.