The shimmering sound of the harp
accompanied ballads of fabled bards,
odes to legendary chieftains,
and even the canticles of angels.
Of all musical instruments
the harp has the most ancient of pedigrees.
accompanied ballads of fabled bards,
odes to legendary chieftains,
and even the canticles of angels.
Of all musical instruments
the harp has the most ancient of pedigrees.
It also has the most recognized musical design
as the classical architecture of its carved pillar
flows down its sensuous curved neck
into a pear-shaped soundboard.
as the classical architecture of its carved pillar
flows down its sensuous curved neck
into a pear-shaped soundboard.
Artists of all kinds and every age
have depicted the harp
as a representation of musical beauty
and photographers could do no less.
have depicted the harp
as a representation of musical beauty
and photographers could do no less.
And though not uncommon
it is rare to find three vintage photos
of the same harp and harpist.
The first image comes
from a large boudoir size cabinet card photograph
and shows a young woman dressed
in a Grecian-style white gown
and standing next to a ornately carved concert harp.
and shows a young woman dressed
in a Grecian-style white gown
and standing next to a ornately carved concert harp.
The photography studio was
Fox & Symons
of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Fox & Symons
of Salt Lake City, Utah.
On the back is a name written in ink
Bell Bishop-Tuttle.
Bell Bishop-Tuttle.
The cabinet card style is late 1890s or early 1900s, but the harpist's pose is timeless. Many years later it was recreated by an unnamed photographer for two 8" x 10" portraits of the same woman, this time dressed in a elegant sleeveless gown made of dark satin.
Conveniently she signed her full name
on the back of both photos.
Laura Bell Tuttle (née Bishop.)
on the back of both photos.
Laura Bell Tuttle (née Bishop.)
Laura Bell Bishop was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1868. In 1895 she married Walter G. Tuttle, also of Michigan, and in 1900 they were recorded in the US Census as living in Salt Lake City. Walter, age 34, was employed as a Real Estate Agent. In the 1910 census, Walter and Laura, now ages 44 and 41 respectively, lived in a nice residential neighborhood in central Salt Lake City and employed a Danish woman as a servant. In 1900 the population of Salt Lake City was 53,531, by 1910 this number grew over 73% to 92,777 citizens. It was a good time to be in real estate and Walter and his brother set up the Tuttle Bros. Company for property sales, rentals, and loans. Laura was listed as treasurer and her sister-in-law as vice-president.
In this era most women were recognized formally by their husband's name, and Mrs. W. G. Tuttle was frequently mentioned on Salt Lake City's society pages. Occasionally she would host a luncheon of friends at her home and also provide entertainment on the harp.
 |
| Salt Lake City Telegram 14 October 1904 |
In 1910 Salt Lake City was the next biggest western city after Denver on the rail lines connecting Chicago to San Francisco and Seattle, and had become an important cultural center for theater and music. The Salt Lake Symphony Orchestra, a predecessor to the Utah Symphony, at least once in 1907 engaged Laura Bell, Mrs. Walter G. Tuttle, as a harp soloist. In 1909 the Salt Lake City Herald Republican ran a different photo of her with her harp when she performed a recital in the city.
 |
| Salt Lake City Herald Republican 14 November 1909 |
A harp is special instrument of a symphony orchestra and is usually not required for most of the orchestral repertoire. And playing the harp in an orchestra requires as much patience as great skill, causing harpists to take up knitting as they await their turn to play their brief part in a suite or symphony. A concert harp, or pedal harp, typically has a range of six and a half octaves, with 46 or 47 strings. The pitch of these strings are controlled by a complicated mechanism of over 1400 parts that link small levers to cables attached to seven foot pedals. A harp can weigh about 36 kg or 80 lbs. and is played seated with the instrument tilted onto the right shoulder. That is the pose Laura Bell chose for her second photo.
Most harps in America are made by the Lyon & Healy Company of Chicago which has been in business since the 1860s, and I believe it very likely that Laura Bell's instrument was made by this renowned harpmaker. I found very little about Laura Tuttle's background and how she became a musician. A concert harp is a very unusual and very expensive instrument to learn, but as she was from Grand Rapids, MI, she may have studied the harp in Chicago which is relatively close to Grand Rapids. In any case she had a talent and training to become a music teacher herself and taught at a music academy in Salt Lake City. In November 1911, one of her students, Miss Edith Corolinn Gunnell, appeared in recital and her picture with harp was featured in a Salt Lake City newspaper.
 |
| Salt Lake City Herald Republican 26 November 1911 |
The solo and chamber music repertoire for harp is much larger than the orchestral. The Salt Lake City Symphony folded in 1911 and it seems likely that Laura Bell performed mostly in recitals and for society events like weddings. In February 1916 she appeared at the Ladies Literary Breakfast in Salt Lake City, and a paper printed a photo of her at her harp surrounded by several small children dressed as nymphs. Though the archived image is very grainy, I think there is enough definition to Laura's face to date her two formal portraits to about this time, 1915-1920 when she was between 47-50 years old. If so, then the first photo is more likely from 1897-1898.
 |
| Salt Lake City Telegram 17 February 1916 |
 |
| Salt Lake City Telegram 28 March 1941 |
In the all the census records, 1900 to 1940, Laura Bell never listed any occupation, nor did she have a listing in the city directory under "music teacher". Yet clearly she was an accomplished musician and teacher as I think is revealed in her photographs.
Walter G. Tuttle passed away in 1939 and his wife, Laura Bell Bishop Tuttle died in March 1941 at age 73. They had no children and a few months later the newspaper reported on the settlement of her estate valued to the penny at $67,117.78 and divided between friends, her brother-in-law and 20 nieces and nephews.
Curiously on the state medical certificate of her death, the cause was listed as unknown but natural, and due to Christian Scientist.
_ _ _
It seems fitting to finish
this woman's story
with the sound of the harp.
So here is Harpo Marx playing
Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
from the Marx Brother's 1935 film "A Night at the Opera."
I feel sure Laura Bell smiled
to see her instrument featured so beautifully
in such a funny comedy.
this woman's story
with the sound of the harp.
So here is Harpo Marx playing
Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
from the Marx Brother's 1935 film "A Night at the Opera."
I feel sure Laura Bell smiled
to see her instrument featured so beautifully
in such a funny comedy.
* * * *
* * * *
This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where you might find other people playing a Pontiac.
where you might find other people playing a Pontiac.
6 comments:
Lovely harp and harpist, and I had no idea Harpo Marx played the harp! I suppose I should have figured out his playing the harp led to his name?! And he plays so beautifully - with a little funny business in the middle of the performance which put me in mind of another well-known comedy character, Victor Borge, who played strings of a different nature in a different way. Thanks for including the video.
WHat a lovely clip of Harpo and one of my favorite Litz pieces...which I played on a piano in a recital once many years ago. I love listening to harps, and also have a friend who teaches harp, and who has built her own Celtic harp. There was a concert of a harpist group here last year, I think more than a dozen small harps and 3-4 concert harps gave some great music...but it was rather strange - most of it was either duets or a few trios...and of course some solos. Thanks for the great info on Bell!
The harp is a lovely instrument. I wish I could hear one more often. I did like going to a hotel in China where young ladies played the Chinese zither every evening. So soothing.
Fascinating post and how great that the photos included names so you could trace the harpist. Odd that she wouldn’t have been listed in a city directory, but it may be that — like many women who gave piano lessons, my mother included — she found her students by word of mouth rather than advertising. Love the tableaux! And of course Harpo Marx, who did so much to popularize this incredible musicale instrument.
As usual your posts are entertaining and informative. I love the sound and the look of the harp. Thanks for sharing your detailed research.
Love the poses and love the graceful instruments. As usual a great post!
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