Premium
Object number2016.121.1
Datec. 1910
MediumMetal; Paint; Felt
Credit LineGift of Sharon Beattie
DescriptionPainted metal premium paperweight. Gold painted rectangular base with slanted edges with raised text advertising the company and their product. Atop the base sits a red-brown cabinet and a black and white dogDimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 2.813 × 3.5 × 2.25 in. (7.1 × 8.9 × 5.7 cm)MarksEdges of base have raised text: front and back sides have "Mellor's PITTSBURGH" and left and right sides have "VICTROLAS".
Historical NotesPaperweight from the Mellor’s music store that features a Victrola radio and the famous Nipper dog used in Victrola advertising, c. 1910. The C.C. Mellor Company was a retail dealer of pianos, organs, and other musical instruments founded by John H. Mellor in 1831, and was the first music store in Pittsburgh. The company’s final location was at 602-604 Wood Street. Many sources claim that Mellor came to Pittsburgh to be the organist for Trinity Episcopal Church, but it appears from a family history that he was born in England, and that his parents made their way to America and then Pittsburgh, shortly after his birth. Mellor’s has been called America’s oldest piano house. His son, Charles C. Mellor, took over ownership of the store in 1863, and was a trustee of The Carnegie Library, appointed by Andrew Carnegie in 1895. The family was very involved in the cultural life of Pittsburgh. The grandchildren and then great-grandchildren continued to run the store until it closed in 1944.
Related institution
C.C. Mellor Company
Related person
John H. Mellor
Related person
Charles C. Mellor
Terms
On View
Not on view
American Safety Table Company
1981
1930-1957
