his superb banjo is inlaid with mother-of-pearl on the neck and has a gold-plated metal resonator, which produces a striking visual effect.

Banjo By George Kindness Toronto, Ontario 1933 Wood, gold-plated metal, mother-of-pearl Overall length: 85 cm; diameter of body: 34.5 cm; sides: 62 cm Gift of Phyllis Kindness

It has only four strings; the melody string, usually attached to a peg on the side of the neck, is absent.

     

George Kindness

Born in 1888, George Kindness learned the luthier's craft in his native Edinburgh. After settling in Canada in 1911, he worked for the large Toronto workshop of R.S. William & Sons, where he made numerous violins. He owned his own workshop in Toronto from 1921 to 1931 and then worked as a cabinetmaker for the Robert Simpson Company for fifteen years, while continuing to make violins and other stringed instruments. In 1946, with the help of his son Robert, he again opened his own workshop. George Kindness built approximately 150 violins, many of which are played by professional musicians.