Though few people today have ever even heard of a harp-lute, let alone seen one, these lovely musical instruments were extremely popular during the Regency. However, their popularity was mainly restricted to one select group of musicians, the amateur musicians among the ladies of the gentry and aristocracy.... In the early 19th century, it was expected that well-bred young ladies of the upper classes would acquire a certain level of musical skill as part of their feminine accomplishments, the point of which was to enhance their prospects for marriage. These young ladies would be expected to demonstrate their musical accomplishments at the occasional private musicale or musical evening in the family home, preferably in the presence of possible suitors. Under no circumstances were these young ladies to play in public, outside their closely-knit social circle. More importantly, these young ladies were forbidden to play any instrument which might distort their face or body as they played. Thus, the violin, the cello, the flute or even the recorder, were quite out of the question for a lady musician of the Regency. Musical instruments appropriate for upper-class ladies were considered to be the English guitar, the harp, the lute, the harpsichord, the pianoforte, and of course, the harp-lute in its many variations, all of which could be played while maintaining a polite expression and perfect posture. However, once a woman had landed a husband, she was never expected to play for anyone outside the immediate family circle ever again. Instead, she was expected to take up her duties as wife and mother, devoting herself entirely to the well-being of her family, perhaps playing privately for their pleasure from time to time. ...In 1810, Edward Light introduced his most popular instrument to date, the harp-lute. [The article continues with a wonderful history of the guitar and the harp-lute, among other things.] (https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/the-harp-lute-the-regency-ladys-instrument/)