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Collection Photo, Print, Drawing Sheet music cover collection (Library of Congress)

About this Item

Title

  • Sheet music cover collection (Library of Congress)

Summary

  • Images reflect varied aspects of American history, culture, and politics of the nineteenth century. Examples of topics depicted include African Americans; animals; children; cities; the Civil War; daily life; dancing; educational institutions; emblems and symbols; entertainers; fashion; flags; genre scenes; landscapes; love and marriage; military personnel; musical instruments and people playing instruments; U.S. Presidents; sports; theater; transportation; and women.

Names

  • Brown, George Loring, 1814-1889, artist
  • Champney, Benjamin, 1817-1907, artist
  • Grain, Frederick, artist
  • Hewitt, William Keesey, 1817-1893, artist
  • Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910, artist
  • Johnston, David Claypoole, 1799-1865, artist
  • Lane, Fitz Henry, 1804-1865, artist

Created / Published

  • 1830-1880.

Headings

  • -  African Americans--1830-1880
  • -  Animals--1830-1880
  • -  Children--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Cities & towns--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Clothing & dress--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Dance--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Domestic life--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Educational facilities--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Emblems--1830-1880
  • -  Entertainers--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Flags--1830-1880
  • -  Love--1830-1880
  • -  Marriage--1830-1880
  • -  Military personnel--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Musical instruments--1830-1880
  • -  Presidents--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Ships--1830-1880
  • -  Sports--1830-1880
  • -  Symbols--1830-1880
  • -  Theatrical productions--United States--1830-1880
  • -  Women--1830-1880
  • -  United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Songs & music

Headings

  • Engravings--1830-1880.
  • Genre prints--American--1830-1880.
  • Humorous pictures--1830-1880.
  • Landscape prints--1830-1880.
  • Lithographs--American--1830-1880.
  • Sheet music--American--1830-1880.

Genre

  • Humorous pictures--1830-1880
  • Landscape prints--1830-1880
  • Genre prints--American--1830-1880
  • Lithographs--American--1830-1880
  • Sheet music--American--1830-1880
  • Engravings--1830-1880

Notes

  • -  Arrangement: Organized by broad subject (Views, War, Portraits, Topics) with eighty-eight subdivisions.
  • -  Alice Lee Parker. "Prints and Photographs Division", Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress, v. 19, Dec. 1961. pg. 51-55
  • -  Special Collections in the Library of Congress / compiled by Annette Melville. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1980, no. 166
  • -  LOT title devised by Library staff.
  • -  Former LOT title: Music cover collection (Library of Congress): pictorial americana.
  • -  Includes illustrations by George Loring Brown, Benjamin Champney, Frederick Grain, William Keesey Hewitt, Winslow Homer, David Claypoole Johnston, Fitz Hugh Lane, and others.
  • -  Prints are from a variety of U.S. printers and publishers.
  • -  Many covers are detached from the sheet music and mounted on paper. Some still accompany the music for which they were designed.
  • -  Digitized images of some items in the collection and their associated identifying information are available through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, by searching using the call number "LOT 10615."
  • -  Copyright deposit; 1800s to 1960.
  • -  Transfer; Music Division; 1961.
  • -  Gift; Harry T. Peters; 1961.
  • -  Publishers of nineteenth century sheet music used illustrated covers to promote sales of popular music.
  • -  Finding aid listing the eighty-eight subdivisions is available in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room. Also available online https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/eadpnp.pp002001

Medium

  • whole collection ca. 1,700 items
  • ca. 1,700 prints : chiefly lithographs, b&w and color ; 36 x 28 cm. or smaller.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • LOT 10615 (H) [P&P]

Repository

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2002696074

Rights Advisory

  • No known restrictions on publication.

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For information about assessing rights, see the Rights and Restrictions Information page.

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: LOT 10615 (H) [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

Generally, catalog records for Groups of Images in High Demand describe multiple items, from which a selection must be made. The individual items in the group may or may not be represented online.

  1. 1. Determine whether the desired materials can be retrieved online.
    • Select the "About this Item" tab
    • Select the "Check for online items from this group" link
    • Select the "Obtaining Copies" tab for any retrieved items that are of interest.
  2. 2. If the desired material cannot be retrieved online:
    Select images for reproduction through one of these methods:
    • Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). OR
    • P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (but many original items are too old or fragile to make such copies). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page. OR
    • Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers is available at: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Brown, George Loring, Artist, Benjamin Champney, Frederick Grain, William Keesey Hewitt, Winslow Homer, David Claypoole Johnston, and Fitz Henry Lane. Sheet music cover collection Library of Congress. United States, 1830. to 1880. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002696074/.

APA citation style:

Brown, G. L., Champney, B., Grain, F., Hewitt, W. K., Homer, W., Johnston, D. C. & Lane, F. H. (1830) Sheet music cover collection Library of Congress. United States, 1830. to 1880. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2002696074/.

MLA citation style:

Brown, George Loring, Artist, et al. Sheet music cover collection Library of Congress. to 1880. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2002696074/>.