Here's another label, that appears handwritten....
... but isn't. It's a print. Still nice looking, in any event.
It reads: François Guillmont, Aix la Chapelle.
What do we know about François Guillmont? Certainly there were men by that name, but this violin was not made by such a person, nor was it made in France. Françios Guillmont appears to be a 'trade name' (aka, made up) for the Ernst Reinhold Schmidt violin shop (aka, factory) in Germany. Late 1800s, early 1900s.
Not that this makes it a bad violin at all. Fairly decent, upper middle-class, as was the one in my last post.
Why would folks put in fake labels? It evokes a story. Exotic locations, craftsmen toiling away in some idyllic setting. People like stories. Probably folks making fiddles in France put in German names and locations as well.
So labels are fun. Don't take them too seriously.
I'd be curious to see what the instrument this label is attached to looks like, even though I know the post is about the label, not the instrument. I also have a violin with a fake label. I have no idea where it was made.
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