Charles Trute built this petite, four-and-one-half-octave piano in London in 1781; it is his oldest known instrument and was probably made for a wealthy client. Trute's signature appears on the back of the inscribed nameboard. The elegant crossbanded case is enlivened by inlaid stripes, formerly dyed green, now faded. The separate stand is noteworthy for its fancy front apron, and the ivory and ebony keyboard has a delicate molding across the front. A lever to the left of the keyboard presses a mute against the strings; there is no separate control for the dampers attached to hinged arms above the strings. At the right side, a brass hitchpin plate, maybe added later, prevents the string tension from twisting the case. Trute immigrated to Philadelphia in about 1790 and died in Wilmington, Delaware, where he ended his days as an innkeeper.