View source for William Lewis & Son Co.

'''William Lewis & Son''' was a distinguished [[Chicago]]-based music store that specialized in violins and [[bow (music)|bow]]s.  The firm was founded in 1874.<ref name="US Violin Makers" />  In 1995, the company was purchased by Selmer, and has since become a division of [[Conn-Selmer, Inc.]], a wholly owned subsidiary of [[Steinway Musical Instruments]].<ref name="Conn-Selmer" />
== Firm history ==
Established in 1874, the firm endured for over 80 years, and among other things, amassed an important collection of fine orchestral string instruments from the violin family, which included those of [[Antonio Stradivarius]], [[Giuseppe Guarneri]], [[Domenico Montagnana]], [[Sanctus Serafin]], [[Lorenzo Storioni]], Rugeri, [[Joannes Baptista Guadagnini]], [[Nicolas Lupot]], [[Jean Baptiste Vuillaume|J. B. Vuillume]].  The bows collected included those of [[François Tourte]], [[Dominique Peccatte]], [[Nicolaus Kittel]], [[Jean Pierre Marie Persois]].
The firm gained coast-to-coast clientele and built credibility with notable musicians — professional and amateur. With comprehensive services for string players, the firm came to be known as the "Violinist's Headquarters."  Several notable makers and restorers worked for the firm, including Carl G. Becker (1887–1975) and [[Frank Kovanda]].  Lewis & Son produced influential publications, including ''How Many Strads'' by Ernest Nicholas Doring (1877–1955),<ref name="Doring" /> (who worked for the firm), ''Violins & Violinists'' a magazine for which Doring was editor,<ref name="Violins and Violinists" /> and ''[[Bows for Musical Instruments of the Violin Family]]'', by Joseph Roda (1894–1963).<ref name="Roda" />
In 1862, after the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]], Lewis moved to Chicago where he joined [[Root & Cady]], a music publisher founded in 1858.  The [[Great Chicago Fire]] of 1871 destroyed Root & Cady — its place of business, then located at the [[Crosby Opera House]], and all its assets.  Unable to recover, Root & Cady folded under duress of bankruptcy in February 1875.
In 1874, Ebenezer Towner Root (1822–1896) partnered with Lewis to form the house of Root & Lewis. Ebenezer Root, brother of [[George Frederick Root]] (1820–1895), had been a senior partner at Root & Cady when it folded.  The Cady part of the name belonged to Chauncey M. Cady (1824–1859).
From 1878, the firm was known as the Chicago Music Co., also known as Lewis & Newell, in the late 1880s, known as Lewis, Newell & Gibbs.
'''Locations'''
* 1885: 148 & 150 Washbash Avenue
* to 1946, 207 S. Wabash, 8th floor
* after 1946 to the 1970s, 30 E. Adams, 5th floor
'''Initial partner'''
* Edward Gibbs Newell (1840–1902)
'''Later partners'''
* William Adams Pond Sr. (1824–1885), a New York music publisher
* Charles A. Zoebisch (1803–1890)
* Platt P. Gibbs (1853–1935),<ref name="Marquis' Chicagoans" /> William Lewis' brother-in-law
* Frederick Clatworthy Lewis (1874–1940), William Lewis' son
The firm name was finalized as William Lewis & Son in 1888.<ref name="Brompton’s Book" />
== Lewis biography ==
William E. Lewis (1837 [[Devonshire, England]] – 1902 [[Chicago]]), the son of a formidable cellist, became a violinist. His concertizing at the age of eight elicited acclaim by English critics as a musical prodigy. In 1850, his parents brought him to [[United States|America]], settling in [[Bellevue, Ohio]].  He soon joined a musical troupe known as the Continental Vocalists.  During trips to [[New York City]], Lewis took lessons with [[Theodore Thomas (conductor)|Theodore Thomas]], who later became the founding musical director of the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]].<ref name="Chicago History by Andreas" />  Lewis married Elizabeth Gibbs (1838–1912).<ref name="Elizabeth Lewis Obit" />  One of Lewis' business partners, Platt P. Gibbs, was Elizabeth's brother.
==References==
'''General references'''
* ''Dictionnaire Universel del Luthiers,'' by [[Rene Vannes]] 1951 {{OCLC|993024}}, 1972, 1985 (vol.3)
* ''[[Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers]]'', by [[William Henley (violinist)|William Henley]] (1970) {{OCLC|301499}}
'''Inline citations'''
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="Doring">''How Many Strads?'' by Ernest Nicholas Doring (1877–1955), William Lewis & Son (1945) {{OCLC|13966919}}</ref>
<ref name="Roda">''[[Bows for Musical Instruments of the Violin Family]]'', by [[Joseph Roda]] (1894–1963) in collaboration with Gladys Mickel Bell (1901–1992), William Lewis & Son (1959) {{OCLC|252650631|906667}}</ref>
<ref name="Violins and Violinists">''Violins and Violinists'', William Lewis & Son Co. (publisher), Vol. 20, Nos. 2, 3, & 6 (1959) {{ISSN|0748-8645}}</ref>
<ref name="Brompton’s Book">''[http://www.amati.com/maker/index.php?option=com_amati&view=makerslanding&catid=&Itemid=846 The Brompton’s Book of Violin & Bow Makers],'' edited by John Dilworth & John Milnes, London: Usk Publishing (2012) {{OCLC|818410546}}</ref>
<ref name="Chicago History by Andreas">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=V_A1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA551&lpg=PA551 History of Cook County, Illinois: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time],'' by [[Alfred T. Andreas|Alfred Theodore Andreas]] (1839–1900), Chicago: A.T. Andreas (publisher) (1884), pg. 551 {{OCLC|3228404}}</ref>
<ref name="Marquis' Chicagoans">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=xlQDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA264 The Book of Chicagoans],'', edited by [[Marquis Who's Who|Albert Nelson Marquis]], Chicago: A.N. Marquis & Company (1911), pg. 264 {{OCLC|19542516}}</ref>
<ref name="Elizabeth Lewis Obit">''Obituary: Elizabeth Gibbs Lewis'', ''[[Sandusky Register|Register]]'' (Sandusky, Ohio), September 20, 1912, pg. 3, col. 4</ref>
<ref name="US Violin Makers">''The violin makers of the United States: Biographical Documentation of the Violin and Bow Makers Who Have Worked in the United States,'' by Thomas James Wenberg, Mt. Hood, Oregon: Mt. Hood Pub. Co. (1986), pg. 177 {{OCLC|15026360}}</ref>
<ref name="Conn-Selmer">''[http://www.conn-selmer.com/en-us/about/history/our-brands/wm-lewis-and-son Conn-Selmer history],''</ref>
}}
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[[Category:American families of English ancestry]]
[[Category:Bow makers]]
[[Category:Bowed string instrument makers]]
[[Category:Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United States]]