Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 32: Christopher Columbus

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0300.S32
Dates:
1843-1957
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Boxe
Repository:
Sam DeVincent loved music and art and began collecting sheet music with lithographs at an early age. Series 32 contains materials documenting Christopher Columbus in popular culture. An overview to the entire DeVincent collection is available here: Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Consists of material documenting the cultural values and popular attitudes toward Christopher Columbus in the United States. The bulk of the material dates from 1893 to 1929. The materials are arranged alphabetically by title in one box. The music is generally composed for piano and piano/vocal. Most of the materials in the series are based on the theme of American patriotism. Many songs praise Columbus's journey and thank him for finding the United States. Some of the songs are directed towards children, teaching them about Columbus's travels. The illustrations in the series depict Columbus sailing across the sea, ships and sailors, and patriotic imagery.

Administration

Author
Justine Thomas
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was purchased by the Smithsonian Institution in 1988 from Sam and Nancy Lee DeVincent.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Eva Buchanan, Katie DeFonzo, and Stephanie Haeg, interns, summer 2017; Amanda Scott; Monisha Bernard; supervised by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Preferred Citation
The Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Forms part of

Forms part of
Series 32: Christopher Columbus forms part of the Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music.
An ongoing, updated list of DeVincent topical series is available via the Smithsonian finding aid portal.

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Donald J. Stubblebine Collection of Musical Theater and Motion Picture Sheet Music and Reference Material, 1843-2010 (AC1211)

Materials in Other Organizations

Materials in Other Organizations
Sam DeVincent Collection of American Sheet Music, Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
This collection contains duplicates of materials in the Smithsonian collection, as well as materials acquired by Mr. DeVincent after the donation to the Smithsonian. The phonograph records described above were transferred to the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu