Re: J E Dallas London Mandolin- late 19th- early 20th century
Your wide-body mandolin is unusual for a J E Dallas instrument, but not unknown. I have one that needs restoration, very similar to yours but with different accessories (an elevated pickguard, for instance). The photo in tonydxn's post is the typical shape used. There was a big growth in mandolin playing and production in England between about 1890 and 1915, and Graham McDonald covers some of this period in his book 'The Mandolin: a History', which includes a number of photos of Dallas and other English mandolins of the period.
I am not sure how reliant this industry was on migrant workers, any more than other industries. In London there was already a big furniture industry, which branched out into piano making, and many string instrument craftsmen would have come from there - official statistics classed musical instruments as part of the furniture-making industry back then.
There is some discussion of English mandolins of this period on this thread.
Kevin
Anglocelt
mainly Irish & Scottish but open to all dance-oriented melodic music.
Mandos: Gibson A2, Janish A5, Krishot F5, Taran Springwell, Shippey, Weber Elite A5; TM and OM by Dave Gregory, J E Dallas, Tobin & Davidson.
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