How Telegraph was key to 19th-century piano mystery
EVER since The Telegraph first rolled off the printing presses in 1855, its pages have been recycled in numerous ways.
From wrapping fish and chips to cleaning windows or even lining cat litter trays, this newspaper has, on occasion, proven invaluable once its loyal readers have read the news.
But, a recent restoration of an 1800s piano has revealed a remarkable use for old newspapers, as well as offering a fascinating insight into the trials and tribulations of people from a bygone era.
In 2019, Dave Green, a professional photographer specialising in cultural heritage, received an email from Ronald G Franklin, a wealthy Texan lawyer and keen pianist, who had bought a valuable Erard grand piano from Italy, which was being restored in the UK.
Tucked under each key were piano balance washers. Rather than being made from specially manufactured paper meant to cushion each keystroke, they had been cut carefully from an unidentified newspaper.
Analysis of the tiny rings of newsprint offered tantalising glimpses into life in London. There were fragments of stories of “ruffianly looking burglars”, mention of “gold earrings” and “prison” and a “dog … prosecution”. There was even an advert for a steam engine. Mr Franklin commissioned Mr Green to solve the mystery behind the newspaper clippings, as well as create an artwork celebrating the stories behind each washer.
Mr Green, 58, from Bideford, north Devon, began scouring online newspaper libraries to try to find the original source of the washers.
“I became obsessed with finding the single newspaper that must have been lying around the workshop when the piano was made,” he said.
“I hit the jackpot at the British Library,” he said. “I studied microfilm of the paper from February the 7th, 8th and 9th, 1861. Suddenly it dawned on me – all the washers came from two pages of The Daily Telegraph February 7th edition.
“It was overwhelming. I couldn’t believe they were all there from just those pages.”
Mr Green is convinced his discovery means the final finishing touches for the piano can be dated specifically to the publication of the paper. He believes the technician ran out of the specialist paper and decided to use a copy of The Telegraph to make the balance washers.
Now, his research, those pages of The Telegraph with the discs that made those washers – as well as the personal stories behind each one – take pride of place in Mr Franklin’s music room.