Drawing of an F hole for a violin

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Type: Drawings
Date: 1920
Place: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Materials: Paper
Collection: Dods Violin and Viola collection
Accession number: 2008.0047.0007.017

Description

A folded piece of paper with a drawing of an F hole for a violin.

About the collection

The collection includes four violins and a viola in individual cases, two jars of varnish, tools, photographs, a book of violin music published in Adelaide around the turn of last century, and a book on violin making with notes by William Whinfield Dods. The instruments are made from spruce and maple and are in fair condition. The instruments, tools, books and other objects provide a snapshot of Australian cultural life in the 1920s and 30s, displaying an ingenuity, practical application and a yearning for something beyond the grind of everyday life. They were made in Melbourne by assayer turned violin-maker W.W. Dods, and played in various orchestras by him and members of his family. Dods was a friend of, and is believed to have received some assistance from, William Dow, who was considered the best and most prolific violin-maker in Melbourne in the late 1800s. The instruments range in age from 1919 to 1929 and show a progression in style and technical skill that adds to their significance as examples of Australian luthierism. Photographs of the instruments being played in various orchestras place the instruments in an historical context.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 5:44:22 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2020-08-26. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.