Illustrated sheet music was one of the most democratic forms of visual imagery in the U.S., owned by millions of Americans who were wooed by compelling lithographic covers, displayed the material culture in their parlors, and performed compositions on home pianos. Advancements in printing technologies in the 19th-century, together with an emergent commercial system that facilitated the publication and broad distribution of popular music, led to a surge of elaborately illustrated sheet music. This book features essays by cutting-edge scholars who analyze the remarkable images that persuaded U.S. citizens to purchase mass-produced compositions for both personal and social pleasure. With some songs selling millions of copies as printed musical scores, music publishers commissioned artists to draw every conceivable subject as promotional illustrations, including genre scenes, portraits, political and historical events, sentimental allegories, flowers, landscapes, commercial building
