In a hurry? Save or print these Collection
Connections as a single file.
For most of the nineteenth century,
before the advent of phonograph and radio technologies, Americans learned the
latest songs from printed song sheets. These were new songs being sung in music
halls or new lyrics to familiar songs, like "Yankee Doodle" or "The Last Rose
of Summer." Not to be confused with sheet music, song sheets are single printed
sheets, usually six by eight inches, with lyrics but no music. Song sheets are
an early example of a mass medium and today they offer a unique perspective on
the political, social, and economic life of the time, especially during the Civil
War. The collection spans the period from the turn of the nineteenth century to
the 1880s, although a majority of the song sheets were published during the height
of the craze, from the 1850s to the 1870s.
These online exhibits
provide context and additional information about this collection.
The
History of Song Sheets
These historical
era(s) are best represented
in the collection, although they may not be all-encompassing.
The New Nation, 1780-1815
Expansion and Reform, 1801-1861
The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877
Development of the Industrial United States, 1876-1915
| related
collections and exhibits |
These collections
and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Also
browse the Collection
Finder for more related material on the
American Memory Web site.
African
American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
Civil War Maps
Civil War Photographs,
1861-1865
Historic American
Sheet Music, 1850-1920
Music for the Nation,
1870-1885
"We'll Sing
to Abe Our Song"
Recommended additional
sources of information.
Read
More About It! - A bibliography
Specific guidance
for searching this collection.
To find items in this collection, search
by Keyword or browse
by Titles,
Names, or
Publishers.
For help with search strategies,
see Finding
Items in American Memory.
For some images, you have the option
of seeing high-quality .tif or .tiff (Tagged Image File Format) photographs. These
are of higher resolution and larger file size than .gif or .jpeg images and require
a special viewer. See American
Memory Viewer Information for details.
|
