24 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
January, 1914 
Covers of music published by early New York 
music publishers 
THOiiUB BAKSfl. 
Tilt VALAtZ WttDZtl MIX A 
one of the highest prices ever brought for a lithographic 
title was that obtained for a copy of “Firemen — the Pride 
of the Nation,” namely, fifty-one dollars. The 
publication of this is attributed to 1825, although 
it is probably of later date, and shows on its title- 
page a view of the corner of Broadway and Bar- 
clay Street, looking north, with the American 
Hotel and Lydig residence. 
Still another music sheet of both interest and 
value is a copy of “The Rail Road March,” pub- 
lished by Willig in 1828, showing the first train 
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This litho- 
graph is one of the earliest known of a railroad, 
and sold several years ago at a private 
sale for many times the original price. 
Every inducement to attract the eye 
and ear of the purchaser was made in 
these early days of illustrated music 
titles and to assist in their sale, such as 
the use of the portraits of celebrated 
singers who had sung the song or to 
whom it had been dedicated on the title 
page, the effort to allure the buyer with 
the further assurance that this was a 
“favorite sonata for the piano-forte,” 
and in the annotation upon the inside of 
the sheet accompanying the climaxes of, 
for example, a march description of a battle, in which the 
phrases “cries of the wounded,” “roar of the cannon,” “beat 
of the drums” were intended to inspire and thrill 
the player with the real spirit of the composition. 
With the introduction of color, early in the 
fifties, the titles became even more elaborate, 
often requiring as many as seven impressions to 
complete the picture, which was chiefly scenic 
views or theatrical illustrations. The art at- 
tained its height in the sixties, when photography 
came to the assistance of the engraver; but this 
lacked the beauty of the old free-hand work of 
the early times, such as is shown in the titles 
illustrated, namely, “The Castle Garden 
Schottisch,” with Castle Garden as it 
was in the days of Jenny Lind, in i8?i, 
when all New York went to hear her 
magic voice. The view shows the 
bridge, which about seven years later 
was removed, the space filled in with 
earth and Castle Garden made a part of 
Battery Park. The “Fort Hamilton 
Polka Redowa” and “Palace Garden 
Polka” are other examples. 
To the student of costumes and fash- 
ions the music titles of this period are 
also valuable in the portrayal of dress, 
Lincoln 
Belgian Gallery 
A group of rare music covers from the collection of Mr. M. F. Savage, New York 
