No, that is not a Steinway.

Probably a Bechstein

Definitely early Pearl River

The lyre looks really like a Bechstein!

It's his Blüthner

Bluthner... an original one!

Steinway doesn't put the music desk on top of the lid. Not without some kind of protection. At least a piece of cloth or something. And Steinway high backed bar stool chairs are straight legged.

Actually, Bechstein and Bluthner did not cut into the case like The picture. I'm betting Ibach or Feurich.

Yep. Blüthner. The oval shaped cheekblock screw head just visible under the keyboard is unique to Blüthner and the single lyre support rod at the slightly steeper angle.

Is the light fixture on the wall an early arc lamp?

Rich got it right in one.

BLUTHNER

No the original one ( serial number #1 ) was sold in Leipzig, Germany to a professor of acoustics at Leipzig University in 1853. He also considered Bösendorfer at the time.

Is that what you meant Rich?

Yes, it's Henry Steinways third youngest brother Joseph!

Norbert

This photograph adorns the walls of many Blüthner dealers and I see it is the first photograph in the section on Blüthner artists in Wikipedia.

In the early 1970's, I used to tune the Blüthner (not this one) in the apartment where Rachmaninov occasionally stayed when he was in London. The wall next the piano had framed line drawings of the great man done by his host who left a legacy that the piano be tuned 4 times a year. The then owner used to beg me to find students to come and practice on it because, sadly, it was no longer being played.

By the way, Rich said it was 'an' original one, not 'the' original one, although, in 1905, I doubt the piano in the picture was anywhere near 50 years old. Interesting bit of history, though.
I think I'm right that, by 1905, the concert instruments were sporting a roller action. The smaller grands still had the patent action until around 1923.

ALEX!!! Where have you been??

It is great to see you here. I am very happy you posted.

Alex, nice to 'hear' your voice. I saw a silver BMW SUV going down Douglas Blvd yesterday. It had a Bluthner Pianos license plate frame, too, so at first, I thought maybe you were in town. But it wasn't you.....

Rich, thanks, I hope all is well with you.

Dale, that wasn't me but I would love to swing by the shop sometime and see what's up with you and Brett.

See my signature.

I thought that Rachmaninoff used Steinway pianos, but I guess I was misinformed by the period ads etc.

A man who has a music store here in Italy told me that once upon a time people did not consider Steinway the best and he cited Bluthner as being one of the more desired pianos..

this fits in with what I've heard and seen in France, which in the 1800's was the capital of piano music.

I think that although Steinway pianos are certainly excellent, they have been very heavily marketed in the late 1800's until the wars, and maybe after as well

the reason I say that is that if I go and look at some of my favourite pianists of the day, they all used different kinds of pianos but they all ADVERTISED Steinway, which I believe has to do more with money than with a sudden change of tastes.. as we know Steinway provided guaranteed money for tours of the USA which at the time was a very lucrative market.

for example:

Rachmaninoff used Bluthner
Cortot used Pleyel
Paderewski used an Erard everywhere but the USA
Liszt in the late 1800's used Bechstein, Chickering etc. in a time when Steinways were available.
Josef Hoffman used Weber (as far as I know) and later on he had a custom-made piano with an action of his design

I've always thought the Steinway-mania was a bit out of control.. perhaps more a function of trying to keep market prices high etc.

not sure there are many good alternatives TODAY, of course..

I remember reading somewhere that he owned two Steinway Ds and a Bluthner.

Whatever it is, I bet it sounded absolutely wonderful when Rachmaninoff played it !!

could be,

influential pianists often got pianos from manufacturers for free etc. so you have to know what they actually used

Rachmaninov's home in Switzerand - Villa Senar

Where he had a Hamburg Steinway

That particular picture is a Bluthner. Unquestionably.

Bluthner used roller actions in their concert grands in the early 20th century, but mostly patent actions in the smaller grands as has already been stated.

Julius Bluthner preferred the patent action to the roller action, and I can see why, but I guess times have changed.