The story
Firth and Pond reformed under the name Firth, Pond & Company. Publishing of sheet music made up their core business, and the company played a key role in the popularizing of works by composers such as Stephen Foster and Dan Emmett. They preferred material from the minstrel shows to more serious fare, although the company did publish material such as Foster's non-blackface ballads and songs by Louis Moreau Gottschalk.
In the 1850s, demand steadily grew in the United States for guitars. Firth, Pond & Company offered the instruments under its imprint, advertising, "Guitars of Our Own Manufacture, of Superior Tone and Finish, in Lined Case, for $15 to $50". These were actually created by guitar makers such as C. F. Martin and James Ashborn. By 1855, Firth, Pond & Company sold $50,000 in pianos and $30,000 in guitars and other instruments; sheet music revenues were $70,000.
When Firth and Pond parted ways, the company split into Firth, Son & Company and William A. Pond & Company (William Adams Pond; 1824–1885). Firth, Son & Company was acquired by Oliver Ditson & Co. in 1867. William A. Pond & Company ceased in 1917; its catalog was eventually acquired by Carl Fischer Music.
From Wikipedia’s article on Firth, Pond & Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3