Hugo Sohmer marketed the first modern "bijou," or baby grand piano, built with a symmetrical case design which he patented in 1884.H. Sohmer, Piano Case. United States Design Patent D15,250, August 12, 1884 "Only five feet long," these pianos were advertised as "the smallest grand ever manufactured,"advertisement, John Frost, ed. History of the State of California. Hurst & Co., New York, n.d. (ca.1885) having "great power and volume of tone, together with the tone-sustaining quality and elastic touch heretofore only found in the concert grand.""Merit and Enterprise" The New York Times, January 1, 1886 The company also patented improvements in agraffe bars and actions in 1882, and in 1887 an agraffe for a quadruple strung "reverbation scale" and a pianissimo pedal in uprights, and bridge agraffes in 1890.H. Sohmer. Agraffe Bar for Pianos United States Patent 268,562 December 5, 1882; H. Sohmer, Piano Action. United States Patent 268,563. December 5, 1882; H. Sohmer, Piano-forte. United States Patent 358,946, March 8, 1887; Peter Weber, Pianissimo Pedal for Piano. United States Patent 357,436, February 8, 1887; P. Weber, Stringing pianos. United States Patent 438,393, October 14, 1890.
