Henry Ford loved music-especially the fiddle tunes he enjoyed at the country dances of his youth. As a young man, Ford bought this inexpensive fiddle and learned to play it a bit. Though he was never able to play as well as he would have wished, Ford's love of the fiddle and rural dance music remained with him throughout his life.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford purchased several exquisite Italian violins, including this one by Carlo Bergonzi. Bergonzi's violins are prized for their powerful, yet sweet tone. This 1740 violin--one of the finest examples of Bergonzi's work--was owned by William Ackroyd from 1915 to about 1922. Ackroyd was the violin master at the Harrow School, a renowned school for boys located in London.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford purchased several fine Italian violins, including this one by Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi. Landolfi was trained in Cremona, Italy and returned to his native Milan to establish his workshop. Ford purchased this 1780 Landolfi violin from Ole H. Bryant, a Boston violinmaker who served as principal repairer for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Nicola Gagliano's violins were inspired by the work of his father Alessandro Gagliano and master violinmaker Antonio Stradivari. Henry Ford purchased this Gagliano violin in the 1920s through Ole H. Bryant, a Boston violinmaker who served as principal repairer for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This violin is said to have been once owned by a young Arthur Fielder, later conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford purchased several exquisite Italian violins. This Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu violin is the finest among them. The craft of violinmaking reached artistic heights during the 17th and 18th centuries in the workshops of Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy. Ford's Guarneri is called "The Doyen" because it was once owned by M. Louis Doyen, a French amateur violinist.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford purchased several exquisite Italian violins, including this 1703 Stradivari. From the 1680s until the 1730s, Antonio Stradivari was the leading stringed-instrument maker in Cremona, Italy--an important center of stringed instrument production. Henry Ford's 1703 Stradivari violin was made during Stradivari's "golden era." It is known as the "Rougemont" because it was thought to have been owned by a family of that name.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford purchased several exquisite Italian violins, including this 1709 Stradivari. From the 1680s until the 1730s, Antonio Stradivari was the leading stringed-instrument maker in Cremona, Italy--an important center of stringed instrument production. Ford's 1709 violin was made during Stradivari's "golden era." It got its name--"the Siberian"--because it was once owned by a Russian amateur violinist who lived in Siberia.

Henry Ford loved fiddle music. As a young man, he bought an inexpensive violin and taught himself to play a little. By the 1920s -- as one of the wealthiest men in the world -- Ford could choose from among the world's finest "fiddles." He bought several exquisite classical Italian-made violins. In this photograph, Ford strikes a musician's pose, holding one of the instruments he acquired during this time.

Henry Ford loved Jep Bisbee's fiddling--it was a pleasant reminder of the country dancing of Ford's rural youth. In November 1923, Bisbee, with his daughter Beulah and son Earl, played music at Ford's childhood home, which Ford had lovingly restored to its 1870s appearance. Ford later recalled that Bisbee's music inspired the industrialist to revive the dances of his youth.

Henry Ford led a nationwide revival of country fiddling and old-fashioned dancing during the mid-1920s. Ford organized an "Old Time Orchestra" to provide music as dancing master Benjamin Lovett taught Ford's friends, business associates, and local schoolchildren the dances of Ford's 19th century rural youth. The orchestra's recordings of "Early American Dances," complete with dance instruction, were still being sold decades later.

In 1925 and 1926, Henry Ford led a nationwide revival of interest in country fiddling and old-fashioned dancing, which swept the nation in 1925 and 1926. This cartoon, published in 1926 in the Des Moines Register, captures Henry Ford's unbridled enthusiasm for the old-time fiddlers and music of his youth. The jazz-era young people in the background look a little less pleased.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford purchased several exquisite Italian violins, including this one by Nicolo Amati. Amati's grandfather Andrea founded the Cremona school of violinmaking in the 16th century. During Nicolo Amati's working life, the Amati workshop produced some of the finest violins in Europe and trained many apprentices, possibly including the young Antonio Stradivari.

Henry Ford collected fine classical violin bows, as well as fine violins. This bow was made in the Tourte Workshop--a well-known family of French bow makers. By the early 1800s, Francois Xavier Tourte developed--through modifications which took years to perfect--the modern violin bow. Violinists could now play their instruments using techniques that couldn't be accomplished before this time.

Henry Ford likely purchased this "18th century" style coat to wear at old-fashioned dancing parties. Ford likely only donned the costume for special occasions--not his weekly dances. The garment's maker, the Eaves Costume Company of New York, designed and rented costumes for a variety of plays and musical revues. They also provided costumes for masquerades and balls attended by wealthy socialites.

An amateur fiddler, Henry Ford had a special passion for the violin. This wealthy industrialist could choose from among the finest. In the 1920s, Ford purchased several classical violins through the Wurlitzer Company's violin department. In this album are the certificates of authenticity provided by the company, identifying each violin's maker, describing its construction, and listing previous owners, if known.

Rudolph Wurlitzer, a violin dealer and musical instrument manufacturer, had helped Ford acquire his Italian-made classical violins during the 1920s and kept them in good repair for the industrialist. Jay C. Freeman was the Wurlitzer Company's violin expert who handled the repairs. In this letter, Freeman mentions Grisha Goluboff, a young violinist to whom Ford had lent his 1703 Stradivari violin.

When Henry Ford invited Mellie Dunham, Maine's champion fiddler, to play at one of Ford's Dearborn dances in late 1925, Dunham's town of Norway, Maine, celebrated like never before. Stores and schools were closed, Maine's governor conducted the farewell festivities, and the citizens paraded behind Mellie. Children carried signs reading "Mellie will play and Henry will dance" and "Send him safe home Henry."

Benjamin Lovett was a well-known New England dance instructor. In 1923, Henry Ford invited Lovett to teach old-fashioned dances at Sudbury, Massachusetts, where Ford was restoring the historic Wayside Inn. The following year, Ford moved Lovett and his wife Charlotte to Dearborn, Michigan. Lovett would serve as Ford's dancing master for the next twenty years--helping teach traditional American dancing to adults and children alike.

In 1937, Henry Ford built this elegant ballroom for his old-fashioned dances. At the October 26th dedication, Henry and Clara Ford (right) led the dancing, as Ford's Old Time Orchestra played dances like waltzes and quadrilles. Benjamin Lovett--Ford's dancing teacher for over a decade--called the steps for the 300 guests. Ford named the ballroom Lovett Hall for him.

Henry Ford needed a band to play at his "old-fashioned" dances, so he put together his "Old Time Orchestra" in 1924. Fiddles and dulcimers had often accompanied the dances of his youth. He tried out different instruments and musicians till he got the sound he wanted. In the early years, the orchestra included a fiddle, dulcimer, cimbalom--and a sousaphone.

Henry Ford's dancing master, Benjamin Lovett, accompanied by Ford's Old Time Orchestra, traveled to colleges to instruct students in traditional American dances. While planning his trip to teach at the North Carolina College for Women, Lovett expressed interest in experiencing fiddle music and country dances as well as the company of the rural people of the Greensboro, North Carolina, area.

Henry Ford's revival of early American dancing encouraged others to join in. In January 1926, members of Detroit's Twentieth Century Club held a ball featuring the old-fashioned dances. Most everyone came in period costume. Henry and Clara Ford looked elegant in their "old fashioned" garb--Henry in a waistcoat and vest, and Clara with a pink silk gown and her hair dressed in side curls.

Henry Ford likely purchased these "colonial" style shoes to wear with the 18th century style costumes he donned for a few of his old-fashioned dancing parties. The manufacturer, Israel Miller, a Polish immigrant, established a successful custom-made theatrical footwear company in New York City, making shoes for actors and vaudevillians. In the 1920s, Miller began manufacturing stylish shoes for women as well.

Henry Ford lent some of his violins to promising young violinists. American prodigy Grisha Goluboff played Ford's 1703 Stradivari from about 1934 to 1938 at performing engagements in the United States and Europe. Henry Ford had lent the violin to Goluboff after Adolph Hitler demanded that Goluboff, son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, return the Guarneri violin lent to him by a German nobleman.

Eighty-year-old Jep Bisbee, a northern Michigan fiddler, and his wife Sarah left northern Michigan for Thomas Edison's New Jersey laboratory in November 1923. Henry Ford was much taken with Bisbee's playing and wanted Edison's company to record him. Ford even sent his personal railroad car to transport the Bisbees from Traverse City to New Jersey.

Fiddler Mellie Dunham's fame as a Henry Ford favorite garnered him enormous publicity--and he took full advantage of it. After playing for Ford, Dunham took a train to New York, where he signed a $500-a-week contract with the Keith-Albee vaudeville circuit. He played throughout the United States and Canada for seventeen months. Dunham also published this 1926 book of "Fiddlin' Dance Tunes."

Henry Ford's "Good Morning" book provided illustrated instructions on the proper steps and deportment for old-fashioned dancing--it was part of Ford's crusade to revive the dances of his youth. Written by Ford's dancing master Benjamin Lovett, much research--based on old dance manuals and interviews with "old-timers"--went into it. First printed in 1926, the book sold widely for many years.

Students from Highland Park High School dance in the Lovett Hall ballroom in spring 1940. Ford's Old Time Orchestra provided the music as Benjamin Lovett called the steps to the traditional dances. The ballroom--with its elegant teak floor, crystal chandeliers, and decorative detail--was an impressive setting for these dressed-up teens.

As Henry Ford extended his traditional American dance classes to local Dearborn schoolchildren, some parents grew alarmed--they weren't sure they approved of boys and girls dancing together. A dance demonstration by the children soon set most of the parents' minds at ease. They quickly realized the benefit of having their children learn these old-time dances--and the good manners that went along with them.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford thought the old-fashioned dances of his youth should be revived. So he published a book of dance instruction--and also this sheet music for school orchestras or community musicians who wished to provide live music for 19th century dances like the reel, quadrille, schottische, and gavotte. The music included parts for violin, bass, cello, viola, clarinet, flute, piano, trumpet, trombone, and drums.

Henry Ford sent his Old Time Orchestra to out-of-state parties, including the all-male Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. Benjamin Lovett, Ford's dancing master, gave the young men instruction in the basic steps for the traditional American dances like the quadrille and the schottische. Then, young women from Pennsylvania State College joined them for a formal dance.

Henry Ford often received special gifts from ordinary people. Clay Speegle, an Alabama farmer, made this violin entirety out of parts from a discarded 1923 Ford Model T touring car. It took Speegle about 30 days to create this violin in his spare time. Combining Ford's love of violins with his car that changed the world--it's a quite appropriate gift for Henry Ford.

Young people living in the vicinity of the Martindale House, a hotel run by George Martindale in rural Greenfield Township, Wayne County, Michigan, gathered in the hotel's large ballroom to enjoy dancing to quadrilles, reels, and schottisches. Albert Race played the dulcimer, as he called off the dance steps. This dance card is from the night Henry Ford met his wife, Clara Bryant.

Henry Ford also collected 18th and 19th century violin bows, as well as fine violins. Rudolph Wurlitzer selected this early 18th century English bow from his personal collection and presented it to Ford in 1937. Wurlitzer, a violin dealer and musical instrument manufacturer, had helped Ford acquire his Italian-made classical violins during the 1920s and kept them in good repair for the industrialist.

Like the collections of antique vehicles, farm equipment and cooking implements Ford began to amass with vigor during the 1920s--music was part of Ford's larger vision for preserving the American past. By this time, much of America had left traditional music behind. But Ford never forgot it. And, through Benjamin Lovett's instruction, Ford wanted to share it with new generations.

In 1924, Henry Ford put together an "Old Time Orchestra" to play at his old-fashioned dances. Ford chose musicians William Hallup (cimbalom), Maurice Castel (string bass), Clayton Perry (fiddle; here guitar) and Edwin Baxter (dulcimer). Henry Ford loved fiddling and could play a bit. At this July 1933 dance in celebration of Ford's 70th birthday, Henry sat in with the band.

Henry Ford's Old Time Orchestra play dance music on the band shell in the Lovett Hall ballroom. The musicians are William Hallup (cimbalom), Clayton Perry (violin), Gino Caporali (string bass), Don Van DeVen (accordion), and Ed Baxter (dulcimer). Benjamin Lovett, at the microphone, called the dance steps. Gino Caporali joined the band in the late 1930s, replacing Maurice Castel.

During the 1920s, Henry Ford organized an "Old Time Orchestra" to play at dances Ford hosted to teach his friends and business associates the dances of Ford's rural youth. In 1925, Thomas Edison's staff traveled to Dearborn, Michigan, to record Ford's orchestra. For this recording, they set up their equipment at Fair Lane, Ford's home, capturing the orchestra playing this American country dance.

In the mid-1920s, Henry Ford was on a crusade to revive the old-fashioned dances of his youth. To encourage participation, Ford published a dance manual, called "Good Morning," and produced recordings of the dance music (with and without the caller calling the steps). Many schools--including colleges--added traditional American dancing to their physical education curriculum.

As a youth during the 1880s, Henry Ford had attended dances at the Botsford Inn, an 1836 tavern on the route from Detroit to Lansing, Michigan. After buying and restoring the building in 1924, Ford held some of his early "old-fashioned" dance parties in the inn's ballroom. This image shows the musicians' stage and the maple dance floor Ford installed there.

Students attending Henry Ford's Edison Institute Schools received instruction in old-fashioned dancing from Benjamin Lovett. Lovett not only taught them dance steps, but also good manners--the dance classes were exercises in social training as well. This photograph was taken just a few months before Lovett retired--after serving as Henry Ford's dancing master for over two decades.

During the 1920s--the "Jazz Age"--Henry Ford led a nationwide revival of rural fiddling and old-fashioned dancing. Ford organized an "Old Time Orchestra," musicians who played at the dances Ford hosted to instruct his guests in 19th century dances like the schottische. This recording of the orchestra was made after Ford's musicians performed at the 1926 New York Automobile Show.

During the 1920s -- the "Jazz Age" -- Henry Ford led a nationwide revival of rural fiddling and old-fashioned dancing. Ford's "Old Time Orchestra" played at dances Ford hosted, while a dance instructor called the steps. After the orchestra performed at the New York Automobile Show in 1926, Edison recorded them at his New Jersey laboratory and included several selections in his record catalog for sale to the public.

In the mid-1920s, Henry Ford was on a crusade to revive the old-fashioned dances of his youth. To encourage participation, Ford published a dance manual, called "Good Morning," and produced recordings of the dance music (with and without the caller calling the steps). Many schools--including colleges--added traditional American dancing to their physical education curriculum.

Having attended many of Henry Ford's old-fashioned dancing parties, some of Ford's guests decided to give a special dinner party in honor of Henry and Clara Ford. Everyone dressed in historical costumes and enjoyed dinner at the Clinton Inn (now Eagle Tavern) in Greenfield Village, where they posed for this photograph. Then they proceeded to nearby Lovett Hall for dancing.

From January 1944 to July 1944, a Ford-sponsored half-hour radio program, "Early American Dance Music," featured Henry Ford's Old Time Orchestra. Broadcast live from Ford Motor Company's recording studio at the Engineering Laboratory, the program achieved a fair amount of popularity--though most of it with an older audience.

For many of us, the music of our youth holds special meaning. It was no different for Henry Ford. Country fiddlers had provided the lively music for the rural dances of Henry Ford's youth. Ford loved the sound of a violin and learned to play a bit in his youth. He continued to enjoy fiddling into the final years of his life.

Henry Ford created a dance room at Ford Motor Company's Engineering Lab, where his office and the company's engineering activities were located. Here, from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s, Ford held his old-fashioned dancing parties for adults and hosted dance lessons for children. Ford's Old Time Orchestra provided the music, while Benjamin Lovett called the dance steps. 70-year-old Ford listens with pleasure.