"Strapless" mechanism with posts soldered directly to flute body.

William Winthrop Haynes
The Haynes Flute Co., Incorp.
Serial # 365; Boston; 1920; solid silver, drawn, strapless, C footjoint; sl 603mm; 459g; .017"h .021"b.

Where to start with this bit of flute history? A few facts and a bit of scuttlebutt should get the ball adjusters rolling. I'll put down a little of what I think I know, and then wait for the experts to correct me....

William Winthrop Haynes (1890-1960) was the son of noted Boston flutemaker William S. Haynes, apparently much to the chagrin of both. After working for some years in his father's shop, young William was discharged in 1913 and became estranged from his father. Not all that unusual for a 23 year old, especially since his father seems to have left his wife of 40 years and married Lola, his attractive 25 year old shop secretary. (By the way, 1913 is also the year Verne Q. Powell joined the W. S. Haynes workforce.)

Young William did not disparage his father's profession, nor did he object to capitalizing on the old man's reputation as a premier flutemaker. He immediately opened his own shop with every intention of manufacturing quality flutes in direct competition with his father, and he managed to get some impressive testimonials from professional musicians of the day. The flute battles began in earnest, with father deriding the inferior impostor flutes (such as those made by William W. Haynes & Co.).

"Ball" shaped adjusters on WW Haynes #365 flute above are similar to original Boehm design..
Barrel adjustors on WSH #6984

"Cylinder" shaped adjusters on WS Haynes #6984 (1922) commercial model.

Barrel engraving of William Winthrop Haynes flute could easily be mistaken for one of his father's instruments.

After much legal wrangling, in 1920 the son had incorporated his firm to form "The Haynes Flute Company, Incorp." -- with engraving almost identical to his dad's. He even went so far as to change his legal name to William S. Haynes, Jr. -- one can only speculate that this might have been less a business stratagem than a backhanded compliment.

The courts ruled in favor of the father and, in July 1921, the younger company's name was changed again to "The Haynes-Schwelm Co." (John Schwelm came from the father's shop, a few years later leaving the son as well to eventually become foreman at Powell's shop.)

Note the similarity even in the engraving style. The top two come from 1922 and 1923 commercial Wm. S. Haynes flutes, the bottom from this W. W. Haynes flute.

This flute appears to have been made during the brief period of 1920-1921. Not surprisingly, keywork is very similar to flutes from the father's shop.

The son's R1 shake pictured on the left shows a bit more "robust" work with angled key arm and less finish than the more fluid keywork of the 1923 (#7458) flute from his father's shop just below.

At the right is a comparison of footjoints, with this flute pictured above a 1922 WSH footjoint. The C# key arm is simply notched to accommodate the C roller in the son's flute (top), while the same key arm in the father's flute (below) is more delicate in its sweeping curve below the C roller. The father's flute also shows more of the older style "teardrop" D# touch (and a better reflection of my hand holding the camera).

The toneholes are drawn but not rolled. This is not so much a problem as it could be on some flutes -- the edges that contact the pads are not very sharp since the flute body is quite as thick as any I've run across at .021". This also provides a solid base for the strapless mechanism, with key posts soldered directly to the tube body.

Over the years following the Haynes-Schwelm incorporation, flute quality declined as emphasis shifted from handmade to mass-produced instruments targeting the beginner market.

This flute belonged to a respected hobby shop owner and amateur musician in the Long Island area, and came to me in remarkably good condition for its age. Thanks to Alan Weiss at William S. Haynes for helping ferret out a bit of the above, admittedly speculative, provenance.

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William Winthrop Haynes The Haynes Flute Co., Incorp. Serial # 365; Boston; 1920; solid silver, drawn, strapless, C footjoint; sl 603mm; 459g; .017"h .021"b.

William Winthrop Haynes
The Haynes Flute Co., Incorp.
Serial # 365; Boston; 1920; solid silver, drawn, strapless, C footjoint; sl 603mm; 459g; .017"h .021"b.