Series XV. Sheet Music, 1842-1948

The sheet music found in this collection spans over a century, from 1842-1948. Today, sheet music is a particularly valuable form of ephemera, with its text and pictorial covers offering keen insight into contemporary pastimes and the societal and racial attitudes of their eras. In the 1840s, such pictorial covers were characterized by simple black and white designs often incorporating ornamental scrollwork and simple lettering, and were commonly reproduced with woodcuts, steel engraving, and lithography. Advances in color printing technology (chromolithography) by the end of the 19th century brought about an increased focus on illustrated covers, which became a successful vehicle for commercial artists. As the Industrial Revolution gave rise to prosperity and the growth of the middle classes, Americans found themselves with increased time for leisure activities, which included the home piano as a popular form of entertainment. In America, the production and popularity of sheet music would reach its heyday in the late 19th century, with the rise of Tin Pan Alley and the American music publishing industry. Over the ensuing decades, demand for sheet music would gradually lessen in importance with the introduction of the phonograph and radio, and the advent of the record industry.

The thematic groups in the series list below were previously arranged by the collector, with category titles assigned by N-YHS. The remaining sheet music in the collection has been arranged by decade.