Written by
Jerome, William, American, 1865 - 1932
Schwartz, Jean, Hungarian American, 1878 - 1956
Published by
Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., founded 1900
Date
1902
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W x D (closed): 12 × 9 3/8 × 1/4 in. (30.5 × 23.8 × 0.6 cm)
Description
A book of sheet music with songs by William Jerome and Jean Schwartz. The "Comic Song Folio" was published by Shapiro, Bernstein, & Company. The front cover is printed in orange, dark green, and black with a floral vine behind two black-and-white portraits, the portrait on the left of Jerome and the portrait on the right of Schwartz. There are fifty-four (54) interior pages printed and numbered on both sides. The back cover has advertisements for other publications available from Shapiro, Bernstein, & Company printed in dark green ink. The pages are bound along the left side with string and there is black cloth binding adhered around them and underneath the front cover. The book contains fifteen (15) songs, including the minstrel songs "The Man Who Plays the Tambourine," "There'll Never be a Coon in the Presidential Chair," "Dusky Dudes Song," and "Looping the Loop." The latter two songs reference the cake walk.
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 printed
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Liljenquist Family Collection
Classification
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
Written Music
Type
sheet music
Topic
Minstrel (Music)
Politics
Popular music
Stereotypes
U.S. History, 1865-1921
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
Object number
2016.166.32.2
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f6ae27f7-6c98-4969-b6bc-c7e5d3094181

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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