It's Music Monday! The Appalachian dulcimer is a type of zither with frets, the strings of which are plucked with a pick (traditionally a feather quill). One of the earliest recorded makers of dulcimers is James Edward Thomas, who built this well-preserved and elegant 1913 example. He was once asked why he painted some of his instruments black, and his simple reply was that he happened to have a can of black paint sitting around his shop. | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston