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PHOTO FEATURE

ONLINE PHOTO FEATURE, World War II

When Pianos Went to War​

Steinway & Sons’ Victory Verticals
​were tougher than your average upright

BY WINNIE LEE, SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
From AtlasObscura.com
Picture
A demonstration by the Special Service Unit in Fort Meade, Maryland, in 1943. 
Banging out a melody on the ivories doesn’t seem like it has anything to do with winning a war, but that doesn’t mean that pianos haven’t had a place in the American military. New York–based Steinway & Sons even had a model of upright piano - known as Victory Verticals or G.I. Steinways - that were built specifically for troops in World War II.

During the war, the U.S. government essentially shut down the production of musical instruments in order to divert vital resources such as iron, copper, brass, and other materials to the war effort. Yet the government also determined that the war effort ought to include entertainment that could lift soldiers’ spirits. But just any old piano wouldn’t do. They needed ones hardy enough to withstand the trying conditions out in the field - including being packed into a crate and dropped out of a plane.

READ THE FULL STORY AT
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/victory-verticals-steinway-pianos
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE STEINWAY & SONS COLLECTION, SAN DIEGO AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM ARCHIVE, LA GUARDIA AND WAGNER ARCHIVES, LAGCC, CUNY.

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