John Boulton Simpson

Biography

John Boulton Simpson acquired control of the Arion Piano in 1869 and manufactured high-grade pianos under that name until 1885, when he combined his firm with the Esteys, changing the name from Arion Piano Company to Estey Piano Company. A large, modern factory was erected in New York, and the Estey grand and upright pianos became a dominant force in the piano trade. According to the text, Simpson was still president of the company at the time of writing, assisted by active business managers Jacob Gray Estey and J. Harry Estey, maintaining the Estey reputation for high-class products. From Spillane (1890): J. B. Simpson was one of the principals of the Estey Piano Company of New York, serving alongside Julius Estey and R. Proddow. The Estey Piano Company, formed in 1885, succeeded to the plant and interest of the Simpson Piano Company, whose Simpson & Company piano had itself replaced the discontinued "Arion" instrument -- a lineage suggesting Simpson's connection to the firm's predecessor.

Highlights

• Acquired control of the Arion Piano in 1869 and manufactured high-grade pianos under that name until 1885
• Formed a combination with the Esteys in 1885 that renamed the firm the Estey Piano Company
• Remained president of the Estey Piano Company as of the writing
• One of the principals of the Estey Piano Company of New York
• Connected to the predecessor Simpson Piano Company

Sources

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911).

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 284.

Public domain.