John J. Wise

Biography

John J. Wise was a Baltimore piano-maker who began business in 1829 and, before 1852, became a noted manufacturer, ranking before 1840 second only to Hartye among makers south of Philadelphia. A frequent Patent Office applicant, he introduced numerous small mechanical improvements over his career. On November 19, 1833 he was granted a patent for a method of tuning and stringing that later proved impracticable. His square action of 1839 was a genuine improvement on the familiar French action, though later inventors reproduced its features as their own. He patented a sound-board improvement in 1848 and exhibited his pianos at various institute exhibitions with honor. After 1850, as large, well-capitalized firms rose to dominance, Wise's business sank to a third-rate position, though it did not close: in 1860 John Wise & Brothers, evidently his sons, carried on the business at 31 Hanover Street, Baltimore, and the firm still appeared in records as late as 1876.

Highlights

• Began business as a Baltimore piano-maker in 1829 and, before 1840, was next to Hartye the most important maker south of Philadelphia
• Patented an impractical tuning and stringing method in 1833 and a sound-board improvement in 1848; his 1839 square action was a notable modification of the French action
• His firm continued as John Wise & Brothers under his apparent sons, still operating in Baltimore as late as 1876

Source

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 133, 134.

Public domain.