Composed by

O'Brien, Charles Sydney

Written by

Johnson, Lee

Published by

The Zeno Mauvais Music Company, American, 1877 - 1906

Owned by

McDonald, Vernon Sugg, American, 1906 - 1982

Sugg, Mary Elizabeth, American, 1839 - 1915

Date

1895

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 14 × 10 5/8 in. (35.6 × 27 cm)

Description

Sheet music for the song Ma Angeline. The front cover of the sheet music features a black and white photograph of a man in blackface. An image of the man not in makeup appears in bottom left corner. Red type on top portion of front cover reads: [Respectfully Dedicated to Mr. Carroll Johnson. / Ma / ANGELINE]. Type along proper left edge of front cover reads: [GREATEST / COON SONG / Of the Age / BY / Charles / Sydney / O'Brien / Authur [sic] of / "De Ole Black Coon" / "De Happy Virginny Darkey" / Arranged By / Lee Johnson / Authur [sic] of / THE POPULAR / "NEW / BULLY."]. Type directly below photograph of man in blackface reads: [Published by / THE ZENO MAUVAIS MUSIC COMPANY, / 769 Market Street, San Francisco. / Copyright, 1896, by THE ZENO MAUVAIS MUSIC COMPANY.]. Type along proper right side of the cover reads: [Sung / with / Electric Success / by / Carroll Johnson / KING OF / Singing Comedians].The bottom corners of the cover have text that reads: [4 / Schottische / 4 / Song]. There is handwriting, in pencil, on the top of the cover that reads: [Mr. Earnest Sugg / Comp. of D.W.M. / March. 22. 96.]. Handwriting on the bottom of the cover, in black ink, reads: [Yours in Color / Carroll Johnson]. The interior of the sheet music contains four pages of music bars and notes in black ink. The back cover has several other short songs.

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

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

Credit Line

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

Object number

2014.275.9

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

GUID

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd52dacfeef-1a4f-4e1b-ad8d-5b3c781f1a38