WM Lewis & Son 4/4 Size Cello Bow circa 1955

click picture to enlarge Stamped: WM LEWIS & SON William Lewis (1835-1902), bow maker from Germany, founded one of the largest violin houses in the United States in 1874. Originally, the business was named Lewis, Newell, and Gibbs, his partners when he first opened. Later the music store was renamed the Chicago Music Company. The name finally changed to William Lewis & Son when Frederick Lewis joined the firm. Bows were made in the Markneukirchen area of Germany and imported to America branded “WM. LEWIS & SON.” In the past I must have purchased an entire pile of these German WM Lewis & Son bows in all the instrumentations. They were probably sold in a large grouping of sticks and I acquired the entire box. They all need work and it simply takes time to get them in good playing condition and out to the show room. There are no bass bows, just cello, violin, and viola Lewis bows. This pernambuco cello bow is above average for a standard German trade stick. It has the traditional Lewis brand while being round section and mounted in nickel silver fittings. The ebony frog has single pearl eyes, fully-lined nickel mounts and a two-piece end screw. This is a beautiful firm cello bow with a perfect weight and very good balance. Yes, I really like this stick, and it is worth trying it on your cello. • Pernambuco Specie, Round in section • Full Size Cello Bow • Fully Mounted Nickel Silver in an Ebony frog • German Made circa 1955 Weight fully haired 80.0 grams