Ivory Consumption: Then vs. Now

Are the keys of the Wylie House pianoforte made of ivory? How can you tell?

As you can see in the side view of the keyboard, the keys are primarily made of wood with a thin layer of ivory on top. Before the 1930s, most piano keys would have been ivory, but certain more affordable piano brands were already using substitutes like mother-of-pearl and celluloid. It wasn't until the 1930's that true "ivory substitutes" began to be developed, and it took up to another 30 years for major piano manufacturers to deem plastic and other alternatives suitable. In The New Yorker article from 1958, the owner of a piano plant Henry Steinway was interviewed about the shift away from ivory. Steinway says, "Ivory has always been a pain in the neck", and admits that ivory was primarily a status symbol and didn't have any "particular advantages as a material". As time went on and ivory became scarcer, it became more expensive and less worth using as a material. 

How did the developments of the 1800s encourage ivory consumption?

From around 1760 to 1840 the Industrial Revolution was taking place, which means that some of the industrial technology that developed increased the consumption and production of ivory by making the process faster and easier. The idea of extinction didn't really exist in the common discourse until around 1820 and by that point thousands if not hundreds of thousands of elephants had already been poached for their ivory. 

What did the elephant population look like in the 1800s vs now? 

In 1800 the elephant population was roughly 26 million elephants. By 1900 it had gone down to 10 million, and by 2000 there were only 1 million elephants in the world. Despite legislation passed in 1989 banning the international sale of ivory, other countries continued to participate in poaching and selling for ivory. It wasn't until 2016 that major countries such as the US and China nearly completely banned the commercial sale of ivory, deincentivizing the illegal sale and trade. 

But the ban worked right? Elephants aren't in danger of going extinct anymore? 

Yes and no. There are currently approx. 415,000 African (forest and savannah) elephants and 40,000-50,000 Asian elephants in the world. Even though these both seem like high numbers, the African savannah elephant and the Asian elephant are both endangered, while the African forest elephant is critically endangered. The ban reduced certain countries consumption of ivory, but some countries still don't follow the ivory ban and continue to operate illegal ivory trading often fueled by tourist economies. In addition to the ivory trade there are additional threats to the elephant population today, like the destruction of their habitats for palm oil production as well as human infrastructure.

What can I do about it?

The World Wildlife Fund and the International Fund for Animal Welfare both have webpages dedicated to the information around the ivory trade and how you as an individual can help. In addition, the most basic thing you can do is not purchase goods made from animal byproducts such as ivory or bone. Purchasing these goods, especially in tourist-based economies, indicates to poachers that there is a demand and they can continue to make money off of ivory sales. 

Additional information about the Pianoforte:

What's the difference between a pianoforte, a piano, and a harpsichord?

A pianoforte is more closely related to a modern piano than a harpsichord; pianofortes & pianos have hammers that strike the strings when a key is played while harpsichords have picks that pluck the strings. Harpsichords were extremely popular from the 1500s to the 1700s but were eventually made obsolete because the pianoforte was able to project sound a lot further, ideal for concert hall settings. People soon began to refer to pianofortes/fortepianos as just "pianos", even before they had evolved into what we know as a piano today. 

Is the pianoforte original to the Wylie family?

Maybe! When this pianoforte was found in storage in 1998, Wylie House sent out a newsletter in which they said they believed "this is Andrew Wylie's long lost piano!". Although we have this newsletter, we aren't positive that this pianoforte truly is a Wylie artifact. What we do know is that the Wylie family mentions having a piano in letters, and they would have been one of the first families to have one in Bloomington.