This wonderful painting was found in Charleston, SC several years ago. It was made circa 1790 and shows what is believed to be a dance at a slave wedding. At present, this is the earliest known depiction of a banjo. The instrument shown is a gourd bodied one with sound holes cut out in various shapes. Like other known banjos of the period, it has only 4 strings, one of which is the short drone or "thumb" string. The player's right hand is in a position well known to banjo scholars today known as "stroke" style. Stroke style is the ancestor of modern clawhammer, or frailing styles.
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