Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

2024

2025

2026

  • You found it!

Photograph, Trumpet bells before being shaped on a lathe

This is a Photograph. It was photographed by Christopher Payne and subject: Conn Selmer, Vincent Bach Division.

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from Christopher Payne as part of Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne.

It is dated 2024. Its medium is digital pigment print. It is a part of the Exhibitions department.


Each trumpet begins as a flat, fan-shaped sheet of brass that is stamped, beaten, and rolled into a tube. Skilled craftsmen will continue to refine the shape into the familiar polished bell.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 81.3 × 61 cm (32 × 24 in.) H x W (framed dimensions): 86.4 × 66 cm (34 × 26 in.)

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318812230/ |title=Photograph, Trumpet bells before being shaped on a lathe |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=9 January 2026 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>