It was late into the 19th century, and many Americans were fascinated with the history and cultures of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the United States, this historical period was called Neoclassicism. It had been in vogue for nearly 100 years.
Several New York state municipalities with Greek or Roman names were founded during the Neoclassical Era. Among them are Athens (1815), Cicero (1827), Cincinnatus (1804), Marathon (1828), and Syracuse (1825). So it’s not surprising that a Lake George steamboat captain would have fashioned a replica of an early Greek and Roman musical instrument.
It was reported in regional newspapers in the summer of 1884 that Captain Elias Harris, the pilot of the Lake George steamboat Ticonderoga, contracted to have such a reproduction-stringed instrument crafted. Horace Harris, a Sandy Hill (now Hudson Falls) woodworker of exquisite objects, made the copy.
Reported to be of “ten strings,” it was modeled in the likeness of a classical instrument from the Roman city of Pompeii on the Italian peninsula. From this description, Harris’ musical memento was most likely a cithara (or kithara), related to a lyre, whose design evolved centuries later into the modern guitar.
Pompeii, with 10,000 to 20,000 people, was destroyed in 79 AD (79 CE) from an eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius. The magnificent settlement was entombed by 19–23 feet of pumice and ash.
Excavations of Pompeii, near present-day Naples, began in 1748. The unearthing of Pompeii continued from 1853–1861, and in 1868, 1872, and 1929. The archaeological fieldwork in the latter half of the 19th century intrigued Europeans and Americans.
One of the structures excavated at Pompeii became known as the “House of the Citharist.” The aristocratic dwelling had a bronze statue of Apollo, a Greek and Roman deity. Son of Zeus and Leto, Apollo was the god of sun, light, music, and prophecy. He was frequently depicted holding a cithara in Greco-Roman mosaics and sculptures.
The cithara had a wooden soundboard, a core body that was box-shaped, two hollow arms, and several strings.
Additionally, what reportedly made Captain Harris’s reproduction special was the wood in the antiquated-looking object. It reportedly came from a chair once owned by General Philip Schuyler, a patriot general during the Revolutionary War (1775–1783).
Furthermore, some of the timber used to create Harris’ curiosity was claimed to be 200-year-old cherry. This repurposing of historic objects was popular during the late-19th century in America. It was believed by some people that retooled-historic items would be imbued with great fortitude.
Captain Harris’ cithara was quite likely a conversation piece along the shores of the “Queen of American Lakes.”
A version of this article first appeared on the Lake George Mirror, America’s oldest resort paper, covering Lake George and its surrounding environs. You can subscribe to the Mirror HERE.
Illustration: A vase by the Goluchow Painter, Athens (circa 520 BCE) that depicts a person playing a cithara.
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