Fife 1800 - 1850

This is a wooden fife made sometime between 1800 and 1850 by Edward or Frederick Riley, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The fife has a black wood body and brass caps, and the finger holes are arranged along the body of the instrument. Fifes are a type of woodwind instrument historically used in military bands. The fife was an important instrument in the British military during the 18th and 19th centuries.