William Lindeman

Biography

William Lindeman was born in Dresden, Germany, in 1795, where he learned piano making. Among the many Germans who advanced the piano industry in New York, he was credited as the first to successfully overcome prejudice against German makers there. He came to New York in 1834 and established his own business in 1836. Although his pianos were of the highest order, success came slowly until his son Henry introduced the 'Cycloid' piano -- a compromise between grand and square designs -- in 1860, which secured the firm a strong hold on the market. The Civil War slowed further growth. William Lindeman died on December 24, 1875, after which Henry assumed management of the firm. From Spillane (1890): William Lindeman was born in Dresden, Saxony, where he learned the piano trade before emigrating to the United States. Around 1835 he began manufacturing pianos on William Street in New York, becoming, according to Spillane, the pioneer German manufacturer in the city to build a lasting business, despite the hostility German workmen faced and his own early handicap with the English language. His 1847 square piano won notice at the Mechanics' Institute, and in 1860 he patented the distinctive "cycloid" piano (No. 29,502), a shape occupying a middle ground between the grand and square that later makers reportedly declined to imitate out of respect for his patent. Before 1860 his eldest son Henry was taken into partnership, forming Lindeman & Son, later Lindeman & Sons. William Lindeman died December 24, 1875, and the firm continued as Henry Lindeman & Sons.

Highlights

• First German maker credited with overcoming prejudice against German piano makers in New York
• Came to New York in 1834 and established his own business in 1836
• Firm gained strength under son Henry's 'Cycloid' piano introduced in 1860
• Founded a piano manufacturing business on William Street in New York around 1835, becoming the pioneer successful German-born manufacturer in the city
• Exhibited an award-winning square piano at the 1847 Mechanics' Institute exhibition despite early struggles with the English language
• Patented the "cycloid" piano (Patent No. 29,502, August 9, 1860), a precursor to the "bijou grand" that compromised between the concert grand and the square

Sources

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

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 186, 187, 188.

Public domain.