Sometimes, to truly understand where we are going, we must look at where we came from. Today, we travel back to December 22, 1898.
A Treasure from the Archives: José Ramírez in the 19th Century Press
Thanks to the kindness of Juan del Pino, who provided us with this fantastic find from the National Library of Spain’s Digital Newspaper Archive, we have recovered an advertisement published over 125 years ago in the weekly magazine Bellas Artes.
In this historical clipping, our founder, José Ramírez I, promotes his workshop at the legendary location of Calle Concepción Jerónima 2 in Madrid.
History in the Details
The text offers a fascinating window into the past of Spanish guitar making. Here are three details that made us smile:
- “Sevillana” Guitars? The ad highlights a specialty in “Concert and Sevillana Guitars.” It is very likely that this term referred to what is universally known today as Flamenco guitars. A fascinating terminological distinction from the late 19th century.
- The 1897 Gold Medal: The ad proudly displays the medal won just a year prior, cementing the brand’s prestige from its very beginnings.
- Prices from Another Era: Reading that “mechanical tuning pegs for guitars” were sold “starting at 5 pesetas” gives us a dizzying perspective on how the economy (and the value of craftsmanship!) has changed in 128 years.
“Repairs are made on violins, cellos, and double basses.” — José Ramírez I (1898)
This detail reminds us that the original workshop was a comprehensive hub for string instruments, where mastery wasn’t limited solely to the guitar.
A Special Thank You
We want to publicly thank Juan del Pino for sharing this piece of history with us. Keeping the memory of the Spanish guitar alive is a collective effort, and documents like this inspire us to continue building instruments with the same passion as we did back on Calle Fuencarral.
