Composed by

Williams, Bert, American, 1874 - 1922

George Walker, American, 1873 - 1911

Produced by

Hurtig & Seamon, American

Printed by

San Francisco Examiner, American, founded 1863, American, founded 1863

Owned by

Sugg, Mary Elizabeth, American, 1839 - 1915

McDonald, Vernon Sugg, American, 1906 - 1982

Date

1899

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 14 × 10 5/8 in. (35.6 × 27 cm)

Description

Sheet music for The VoodDoo Man with red, green, brown, and black ink on paper. The front cover features two black and white photographs. Each photograph features an unidentified man, mouth agape, wearing a boater hat. The cover text reads: [The VooDoo Man / WILLIAMS & WALKER'S / GREAT SUCCESS / Published by Permission / of Hurtig & Seamon / owners of the Copyright / MUSIC SUPPLEMENT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER.]. The initials: [K.E.R.R.] are at the bottom center of the drawing. There is tearing around the edges of the front cover. The inside has two pages of musical bars and notes in black ink for the song The VooDoo Man. The song credits read: [Words & Music by Williams & Walker]. The music for The VooDoo Man continues on the back cover in black in. Music for two additional songs are beneath the end of The Voodoo Man. The text for the two additional songs reads: [Gladys / Written and Composed / by Theo. H. Northrup] and [I Certn’ly Was A Very Busy Man / (A Coon Rhapsody.) / Words by / Sam Bennett / Music by / Theo. H. Northrup].

Statement

Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.

Place collected

Sugg McDonald House, Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America

Place printed

San Francisco, California, United States, North and Central America

Classification

Documents and Published Materials-Sheet music

Racist and Stereotypical Objects

Type

sheet music

Topic

Blackface

Minstrel (Music)

Stereotypes

Vaudeville

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Sylvia Alden Roberts

Object number

2014.275.13

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

GUID

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5c26199cb-9c60-44ed-b41c-1597c0280b4c