Tambourine folk-art fretless banjo Circa 1882
Banjos became so much a part of popular culture during the period 1870-1900 that some were created simply to be hung on the wall as works of art. This banjo has a fretless neck with inlaid ivory fret markers, but was probably never meant to be played. The painting was first rendered on a rectangular piece of paper which was then glued to the tambourine head and the artist filled in the rest of the scene on the head itself.