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VIDEO & PHOTOS: Jim Morris Re-Creates Historic Fiddle from Just a Photo

Several months ago, I posted this photo from the 1890's in a Cigar Box Nation email with the challenge for somebody to make a similar instrument. The young man in the photo was from Savannah, GA and is playing a crude violin.

Jim Morris of Springfield, WV immediately took the challenge. Morris, a fantastic old time guitarist and fiddle player, has been featured in previous Cigar Box Nation features, including Gus Cannon's Frying Pan Banjo (article link). I must first mention that the photo posted in the original email was a lot smaller than the cleaned up version above.

Here is his version along with builder's comments. Great work, Jim!!!

A lot of guesswork went into this one. Decided it needed a homemade twig bow too.

It looked like a 3 stringer from the pic.

Most of the details were hard to make out in the pic but I didn't see a fingerboard so I went without one.

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Permalink Reply by Greg Tiffany on May 21, 2018 at 2:15pm

Wow very well done.

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on May 21, 2018 at 11:23pm

That's awesome, nice work Jim!

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on May 22, 2018 at 3:58am

Thanks Korrigan

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Permalink Reply by QGolden on May 22, 2018 at 1:27am

Wow! Very inspiring work Kim!

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on May 22, 2018 at 3:58am

Thanks Q

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on May 22, 2018 at 2:32am

Thanks Shane for putting this on the page. And thanks for posting the larger, cleaned up photo since I can now make out what appears to be a carrying bag complete with a side pouch for the bow on the ground at the musician's left foot. Now I gotta make one of those too!

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Permalink Reply by Bob Wurster on May 22, 2018 at 3:25am

Jim, you keep outdoing yourself. Very cool.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on May 22, 2018 at 3:57am

Thanks Bob. I had fun with this one!

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on May 22, 2018 at 5:57am

Thanks Poopshoe. I think Shane deserves a ton of credit for his research and bringing these things to our attention. I'm pretty sure I'd never have made this , or several other instruments, if he hadn't posted pictures or other info about these old homemade things.