Subject of

Williams, Bert, American, 1874 - 1922

Composed by

Muir, Lewis F., American, 1884 - 1915

Written by

Tracey, William G., American, 1893 - 1957

Published by

J. Fred Helf Company, American

Owned by

McDonald, Vernon Sugg, American, 1906 - 1982

Sugg, Mary Elizabeth, American, 1839 - 1915

Date

1910

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 13 1/2 × 10 3/16 in. (34.3 × 25.9 cm)

Description

Sheet music for the song Play That Barber Shop Chord. The front cover of the sheet music features an image of a man in blackface wearing a tuxedo and top hat. The man is set against a background of music bars and notes. On the top of the front cover, red and black type reads: [PLAY THAT / BARBER SHOP CHORD]. Above and below the image of the man, black type reads: [PROMINENTLY FEATURED BY / BERT WILLIAMS / Words by / WM. TRACEY / Music by / LEWIS F. MUIR]. At the bottom of the front cover there is a logo for the publisher that reads: [J. Fred Helf Company / 136 West 37th St. N.Y. City / Successor to Helf & Hager Company]. Underneath the logo the number 6 appears in black ink. The inside cover of the sheet music contains music bars and notes printed in black in for a song titled: [Betsy Ross]. The interior of the sheet music contains three pages printed in black ink for the song Play That Barber Shop Chord. The back cover features sheet music in blue ink for a song titled: [My Love Is Greater Than The World].

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

Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America

Place printed

New York City, New York County, New York, 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

2014.275.5

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

GUID

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd581813d8b-f56b-45ae-b0b0-230a385348a4