Image Survey Examples and Instructions
for Submitting Wurlitzer Harp Music Rolls

(Photograph courtesy of Bob Gilson)

Wurlitzer Harp music roll #146 with label and leader showing beginning perforations. With some common types of music rolls it can be useful to see the beginning perforations so as to help determine who cut it, but harp rolls were all cut by the J. W. Whitlock Company (Rising Sun, Indiana) on the same type of white paper and then labeled with a preprinted Wurlitzer roll label. Consequently there is no need to snap a picture of anything but the actual music roll label, be it on a music roll or music roll box. However, please notice the glare on the upper part of the label, which in this instance makes reading the roll number very difficult. The glare here is due to the slight curl of the label in relation to the camera position, which would have photographed better if the label had been lying flat,

(Photograph courtesy of Bob Gilson)

Camera image of the music roll box label for Wurlitzer Harp music roll #146. Here the box rests at an angle, one end raised and supported on yet another Wurlitzer Harp roll box. This is an easy and convenient method of positioning the roll box so as to make it quite easy to snap a good picture of the roll label. Notice that the camera is being held slightly above the top of the roll label, which eliminates any chance of glare from the camera flash.

(Photograph courtesy of Bob Gilson)

Camera image of the music roll box label for Wurlitzer Harp music roll #104. Here again the box rests at an angle, one end raised and supported on yet another Wurlitzer Harp roll box. This label has darkened and yellowed from age much more so than the previously shown roll label, In this instance the camera was held a bit lower than the top side of the label, whereupon a hint of glare is visible in the upper portion of the label, the saving grace in this case being the dullness of the paper, which tended to disperse any glare effects. In comparison, however, labels similarly photographed but that retained much of their original gloss would have been difficult and/or partially impossible to read. This demonstrates the importance of holding the camera slightly above the top edge of the roll label, so as to eliminate offending glare from the camera flash.