John Buttikofer
b. Switzerland; immigrated 1839 · Swiss
Biography
John Buttikofer, a native of Switzerland, landed in the United States in 1839. Before emigrating he worked in Brussels, Paris, and London, holding an important position in Paris in the shop of Pape, where he acquired much of his skill as a piano-maker. Settling in New York, he began business past 1840 and built up a strong reputation among the city's musicians by about 1851; he was credited with making excellent grand pianos as early as 1845, instruments that were 'the talk of the town' in their day. In later years he continued as a small manufacturer of very reputable pianos, still in business in an unpretentious way at the time Spillane was writing.
Highlights
- Native of Switzerland who landed in the United States in 1839
- Worked in Brussels, Paris, and London before emigrating, including in the Paris shop of Pape
- Credited with making excellent grand pianos as early as 1845
Source
Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 198.
Public domain.