What is this instrument?

Are they still in use today?

This is a type of reed organ called a harmonium! It is also sometimes called a "pump organ," because of how its sound is made: the player presses the two pedals with their feet, and that action pumps air through the instrument.

The heyday of the harmonium was between the 1850s and the 1920s, when they would often be played in small churches and homes. However, they have been occasionally used in popular music, and they have become quite popular with Indian and Pakistani musicians. This harmonium presently sits in the Pioneer Room, a reconstructed early American classroom, at the Karshner museum.

For more information, visit:

• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• Pump Organ [Wiki]
• Harmonium [Britannica]
• How do pump organs work?
• The Reed Organ Society