"The Ukelin" Musical Oddities Poster Series #1 - 12x18 reprint of a vintage U. S. Patent

We present "The Ukelin": a historical musical instrument patent poster from our Musical Oddities Series of breathtaking, oddball instruments.  Art.  History.  Inspiration.

The Ukelin was one of the most common of the snake oil instruments. Salesmen covered rural America, hawking these violin-zither hybrids at inflated prices with weekly payments.  The pitch was simple: “This is the easiest instrument your whole family can learn.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy.  Many people gave up and sent them back to the New Jersey factory.  Others simply shelved them. Yet the design is beautiful.

Learn more about these instruments and see pictures here on the Ukelin Wikipedia page.

These vintage musical instrument patents straddle the line between Da Vinci brilliance and lunatic ranting.

• Many of the instruments came to fruition and were offered on the market.
• Some were sold door-to-door by snake oil salesmen.
• Others simply vanished over time, leaving no trace… save for their beautiful patent.

Your purchase of this inexpensive poster helps support our research and historical preservation work, ensuring that more gems like this will be re-discovered and made available to the homemade instrument community!

Printed on 12 x 18" brown kraft paper, it would be a perfect decoration for your workshop, man cave or music room. They also make great gifts for the music lover in your life! Designed and printed in the USA!