Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

2013

  • Work on this object began.

2025

Photograph, Gwendolyn Folk inserts lead weights into the keys to ensure balanced action

This is a Photograph. It was photographed by Christopher Payne and subject: Steinway and Sons.

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from Christopher Payne as part of Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne.

It is dated 2013. Its medium is digital pigment print. It is a part of the Exhibitions department.


A piano’s "action" is how hard the player needs to press to play the key. Touchweights are used to balance the keys so that the pressure is consistent across the keyboard.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 61 × 81.3 cm (24 × 32 in.) Not framed

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-3.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318812381/ |title=Photograph, Gwendolyn Folk inserts lead weights into the keys to ensure balanced action |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=30 November 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>