Whenever I notice a photo like this one of the Darling Saxophone Four, I always wonder: Whatever happened to their instruments? Who has this bass saxophone now? Did it get melted down for the war effort? Is it still being played? What about the other ones? Do I own one of these horns?
Source: eBay.com
Currently a seller on eBay is auctioning this studio photo of an all-female saxophone quartet from the early part of the 20th century. Here is what the seller says about this photo, and about the ensemble:
ANTIQUE CABINET PHOTO
DARLING SAXOPHONE QUARTET
c1919
THIS IS A VERY FINE STUDIO B/W PHOTOGRAPH BY
F. J. LEE,, TACOMA, Wa. THE PHOTO SHOWS FOUR
WOMEN MUSICIANS WITH SAXOPHONES. THEY WERE
A WELL KNOWN GROUP AT THE TIME AND WENT BY
SEVERAL NAMES AS DARLING SAXOPHONE FOUR AND
FOUR HARMONY MAIDS. THE 8 X 10 INCH SIZE INCLUDES
THE BLACK MATTED FRAME.
Source: eBay.com
I did some searches for the 2 band names provided by the seller, but didn’t find any references to either the Darling Saxophone Four, or the Four Harmony Maids. Since the photographer was from Tacoma, Washington, it’s a good bet that the group was fairly local to the area.
Perhaps someone from the Seattle/Tacoma area knows something. Gandalfe, does this ring any bells? Ever heard of them? Perhaps someone in your posse knows something.
In any event, I think this is an interesting shot back in time. I love the bass saxophone, and the fact that a woman was playing it. It is a Conn, and quite possibly nickel plated. Notice as well that she is not wearing it on her neck. The leather strap appears to be only on the left side of her neck. The horn is worn at an angle like a guitar would be.
Given the age of the photo, the horn would most likely be a New Wonder Series I. The features—at least those that are visible—appear to be consistent with that model of horn.
If you are interested in acquiring this 8X10 snapshot into the past, you have until May 3 to get your bid in. At the time of writing there were 3 bids on this vintage photo, with the high one being $9.50.
Hello, I’m interested in the name of the girl with the alto saxophone ( the second in the right). Can you help me? Verdiana
Sorry, I don’t have any more information on the players of the band. I just did a 5 minute search of Google results, and found a number of references to them, but none listed the names of the individual players. Sorry about that.
Good luck in your search for information.
Update: OK, so this one totally surprised me. Either this group is more famous than we all know, or someone is just really interested in having an antique photo of an all-female saxophone band in their place.
By auction’s end there were 7 bids on this photo of the Darling Saxophone Four. The winning bid—are you ready for this—was $87.75! I wonder if any of my photos will be worth that much when I’m dead? 😉
Here is another ebay ad for more pics and info of the ‘Darling Saxophone Four’:- # 130757323418.
Sorry, only 11.5 hours to go so get in quick !
Helen, any chance of seeing pics of you in similar outfits ? Surely they would be worth good bids ? !!
Hey there Bob.
Thanks for pointing out that auction. Interesting… I originally thought that the group was from the Seattle area, since that’s where the first photo that popped up on eBay was from. Now these other ones showed up that are from Chicago. Obviously the group was much more popular than I originally realized.
And as far as ever seeing me in one of these period outfits goes… Well… If the branch of quantum physics that hypothesizes about multiple universes is indeed correct, and multiple realities are all occurring simultaneously, than I am probably wearing one right now, have worn one in the past, or will wear one in the future. However, in this reality: It ain’t gonna’ happen. 😆
Alas, I have no further information. But I luv vintage pictures of unique ensembles. It’s like a blast from the past and leaves me wondering if they played well or were just an oddity. Good find Helen.
I was hoping maybe someone you knew through your connections might have heard of them.
With a woman on bass sax they would certainly have been an oddity. The multiple stage names makes me wonder what’s up. That’s more likely to have occurred with a group that performed regularly for the public. I suspect that they were actually good. Of course that’s pure speculation on my part.