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Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Guide to the Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 5: Politics and Political Movements
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NMAH.AC.0300.S05
- Creators:
-
DeVincent, Sam, 1918-1997
- Dates:
-
circa 1817-1982
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
19 Boxes
- Repository:
Sam DeVincent loved music and art and began collecting sheet music with lithographs at an early age. Series 5: Politics and Political Movements contains circa 1,565 pieces of sheet music and song folios documenting the political history of the United States. An overview to the entire DeVincent collection is available here: Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music.
Scope and Contents note
Scope and Contents note
The Politics and Political Movements series contains circa 1,565 pieces of sheet music and song folios documenting the political history of the United States. The two largest subseries by far are Patriotic Music (5.1) and Politicians and Political Figures (5.2). Although some political campaign songs are in 5.3, most of this material is placed in 5.2 under the name of the individual politician.
Although the several subseries devoted to specific political movements are much smaller than the first two subseries, there are some impressive sections here as well. The Ku Klux Klan material evidences that organization's popularity in the midwest and west during the 1920s and its preoccupation with the dangers of immigrants and new European political ideologies. There is also a sizable gathering of prohibition and temperance materials. The prohibition songs offer both pro and con arguments about "voting dry."
The material dates from circa 1817 to 1982. Most pre-1840 imprints are not dated. Estimates have been made for the dates of many early imprints by checking publisher and address of the publisher in the "Index of Publishers, Engravers and Printers" in volume III of Richard Wolfe's Secular Music in America 1801-1825: A Bibliography and in Harry Dichter and Elliott Shapirol's Handbook of Early American Sheet Music, 1768-1889.
The Ephemera file, arranged in the same subseries as the sheet music, is described on page 13. The Politics and Political Movements ephemera file is placed in one document box and numbered with the same series and subseries numbers as the sheet music.
The seven subseries in the Politics and Political Movements series are arranged with the two major subseries placed first and the subseries on various political movements following in alphabetical order.
Arrangement note
Arrangement note
Arranged in 8 subseries.
- 5.1: Patriotic Music
- 5.2: Politicians and Political Figures
- 5.3: Politics and Political Parties
- 5.4: Klu Klux Klan
- 5.5: Prohibition and Temperance
- 5.6: Trade Union
- 5.7: Women's Rights
- 5.8: Ephemera
Administration
Author
NMAH Staff
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
This collection was purchased by the Smithsonian Institution in 1988 from Sam and Nancy Lee DeVincent.
Digital Content
See all digital content in NMAH.AC.0300.S05Using the Collection
Preferred Citation note
The Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Conditions Governing Access note
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use note
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.
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.
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)
Forms Part Of
Forms Part Of
Series 5: Politics and Political Movements 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.
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu
