Mills Novelty Co. (Chicago, Illinois)

This special Violano-Virtuoso is the only known example with two keyboards and three piano pedals incorporated into the two-violin DeLuxe model, enabling it to be played by hand as well as from a music roll. Known as the shipboard model, it is believed to have been built for use on the private yacht of Herbert Mills, the Minoco, where it was played to entertain passengers.

The mechanism includes tension springs instead of violin tuning weights and a pneumatic vibrato mechanism powered by a small vacuum pump in the lower part of the case, both to improve stability in a moving boat. This single known example was acquired from the Zygmunt Collection after residing in the Zelinsky Collection. The Haughawout Music Company conducted a full restoration in 2000. It includes a dozen Violano-Virtuoso music rolls and a modern Mills digital MIDI system with hundreds of tunes.

Reference: The Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments by Q. David Bowers (pp. 520-521). 49x70x34 inches.