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The Haines Brothers piano manufacturing company began in 1851 by brothers Napoleon J. and Francis W. Haines of New York.

Haines' Brothers
By 1855, the “Haines brothers’ firm was one of the larger ones in the city” with “50 men and 4 boys” employed and a production of 250 pianos annually.[1]

1856 was an eventful year with the implementation of an “improved iron frame” for their pianos in January, the shipment of a pianoforte to Washington D.C. for the Musical Congress that March in which they were described as “celebrated” manufacturers, and finally, their movement into a large “manufactory and warerooms” at 2nd avenue and the corner of 21st street in December.

In 1859, Napoleon Haines patented their square action design.

Throughout their tenure, the Haines Brothers were known for personally working with their journeymen as they were not just owners but also master craftsmen.[3]

[1] Nancy Jane Groce, “Musical Instrument Making in New York City During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries (Volumes I and II),” PhD diss. University of Michigan, 1972, 148.

[3]  Groce, “Musical Instrument Making in New York City,” 130.