The Sheet Music Art of Horace Waters, 333 Broadway, New York

Life can be full of happy accidents, and today's entry is the result of one such happy accident that happened when we were trying to think of something to write about. Normally we try not to write about anything too esoteric, but we'd like to make an exception when discussing the beautiful typographic sheet music art published by Horace Waters, whom we just discovered as we were looking for inspiration. (In which case we found what we were looking for, so--mission accomplished!)

 "Buckley's Melodies" sheet music cover (1854)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

After a bit of research on Horace Waters, we found that he was primarily a hymn publisher and musical instrument manufacturer, active between 1845 and 1864, when his sons took over the business. All of the sheet music we found has 333 Broadway, New York printed on the covers as the publisher's address, and we couldn't help but be curious about the building itself, so we did a little more digging. Having found a Google Streetview of the place where 333 Broadway would have stood today, we discovered an article by the Tribeca Citizen which says that the entire block where Horace Waters' building stood was demolished in 1863, and replaced by a row of white marble buildings. A few decades later, the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company, and Wickoff, Seamans, & Benedict, both typewriter manufacturers, occupied two adjacent buildings within that block and were in fierce competition. Wickoff, Seamans, & Benedict, with their lauded Remington typewriter, won in the end, and as their business grew, they annexed the whole block, making it into one big building. This building, (which is referred to as 325-333 Broadway,) remains standing today. [Source: https://tribecacitizen.com/the-history-of-tribeca-buildings/the-history-of-325-333-broadway/]

325-333 Broadway as it appeared in July, 2018. (Now we can't help wondering, what would the devoutly religious Waters think of the fact that a restaurant called Wichcraft is located in his building?) [Image source: Google Maps]

Horace Waters, circa. late 1800s

[Image source: Wikipedia]

No article on any obscure topic such as this is complete without some background information, but the real centerpiece is the sheet music art that was published by Waters, which is a veritable treasure trove of typography and illustration. Here we will showcase some of the most visually impressive examples of Horace Waters' sheet music art.

The Palace Garden Polka (1858) It was common for Horace Waters sheet music art to feature intricately detailed landscapes and architecture. [Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The Rachel Schottisch (1855) Portraiture was also a common theme in the sheet music art of Horace Waters. [Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

I Will Not Deem Thee Faithless (1854)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

Prescott House Polka (1853)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The Fireman's Heart is Bold and Free (1855)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

St. Nicholas Schottisch (1853)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

Melodies. No. 2. Beautiful Sea. Ballad. (Date unknown)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

"To Morrow! To Morrow!" (1854)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The Swinging Schottisch (1858)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The Wanderer's Return (1854)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

Mary's Beauty (1853)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The Sparkling Polka (1855)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The illustration art on these covers is undeniably breathtaking, but Horace Waters also published sheet music without illustrated covers, instead opting for simple typographic designs. These designs, in spite of their lack of imagery, are still beautiful to look at because of the intricacy of their typographic arrangements.

Poor Old Bob (1856) This cover is an interesting exception for its use of an inconspicuous image that, while not meant as an illustration in the strict sense of the word, compliments the typography very nicely. [Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

Bright Things Can Never Die (1855)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

Our Banner (1855)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The City Guard Quickstep (1859)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

The Right of Nebraska (1854)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

Funeral March. In Memory of John Quincy Adams (1848)

[Image source: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu]

We hope you've enjoyed our presentation on the sheet music cover art of Horace Waters, whom we discovered completely by accident, and are very glad we did. This begs the question, what happy accidents have you had lately? Please tell us in the comments below.

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Automobile Advertising Art in the Early 20th Century

We've been thinking a lot about automobile advertising, since we bought a couple of originals last week with the intention of restoring them and making them available for purchase. (Restoration videos will be coming soon.) But anyway, we thought today would be a good day to talk a little bit about these old car advertisements, and how they evolved over the first few decades of the 20th century.

We'd like to start the conversation with some ads from our favorite automobile advertiser. Pierce Arrow cars advertised with art only, and said very little about the features or benefits of owning their cars. For them, the art was the ad, and as a marketer myself, my best guess is that they wanted to make an emotional connection between their cars and the people who saw them being advertised. And you have to admit: art depicting people enjoying the cars definitely makes a bold emotional statement.

If you take just one look at the Pierce Arrow advertisements, it'll become evident that they were intended for the wealthy upper class folks who lived in the lap of luxury. (Think first class passengers on the Titanic.) Well dressed ladies and gentlemen and their leisurely drives through the countryside, (or their shopping trips or their nights at the opera) are always given special emphasis, and in a few of them you can even see their chauffeur lurking in the background, either standing beside the open car door, or sitting quietly behind the wheel. These were cars sold with elegance in mind, and perhaps that's why they didn't need to go much further than to artistically depict that elegance.

Here are a couple of Pierce Arrow ads from 1909.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

Unfortunately, the Pierce Arrow company went out of business in 1938, but we can't help but wonder what their ads might have looked like if they were around today. (Perhaps social media would have given them an opportunity to bring back their art-focused ads. One can only speculate...)

As for some of the other car advertisements focusing almost exclusively on art, below is one from 1919. The car company being advertised is the Cole Motor Car Company, which had a considerably shorter run than Pierce Arrow, (Pierce Arrow was around for 37 years, whereas Cole was around for only 16 years--less than half of Pierce Arrow's lifespan.) According to Wikipedia, Cole Motors went out of business because there was a brief but severe recession, and hardly anyone was buying Cole Automobiles. They tried reducing their prices, and making new and improved models, but to no avail. Eventually, J. J. Cole, the owner of the company, decided to liquidate the company rather than risk his fortune by continuing.

Maybe the cars themselves weren't worth buying, especially during the economic setbacks that were going on then, but it can't be denied that the ads are also very artistic, and although they don't have the human component shown in Pierce Arrow ads, there is likewise emphasis on visuals over any lengthy explanations of features and benefits. There were, of course, many exceptions to this rule, as pragmatism was not entirely nonexistent in the minds of those who wanted to be sure that they were buying a good car, but the elitist social constructs of the turn of the 20th century was what made it possible for companies such as Pierce Arrow to sell their cars with nothing more than art. As we'll see in just a bit, this would no longer be possible, as the socioeconomic constructs shifted in favor of people who actually had to work for a living rather than simply inherit obscenely large sums.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

As can be seen in this advertisement, there is an emphasis on art, but if you look closely, you'll see that it says

"EXCLUSIVE DESIGNS - ADVANCED ENGINEERING

GREATER PERFORMANCE EFFICIENCY"

That's at least some explanation of the product, and while not being wordy enough to detract from the artwork, it does show an inclination towards practicality that Pierce Arrow ads simply don't have.

And as the century progressed, people lost massive fortunes in such cataclysmic events as WWI, and luxury or emotional appeal was no longer on people's minds. The Great Depression cemented this further, so the car companies would likely have had to double up their advertising efforts by telling people what they can get out of their car from a practical standpoint. Emotion alone was simply not enough, so inevitably you get ads like these ones from 1934 and 1936 respectively.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

Earlier, during the 1920s, this was still the prevailing attitude towards buying anything, as the feudal, elitist society of the early 1900s was on a rapid decline, and money was, for many, no longer a given. But there was still a pronounced emotional component in car advertising, and these ads clearly show a disinclination towards throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Emotion and practicality went hand in hand, and the result is a beautifully composed aesthetic where the words compliment the graphics.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

A lot of the above information is purely theoretical, but it can't be denied that historical shifts in political, social, economic, or other factors does have an effect on advertising, no matter what product is being advertised. However, what we can say with 100% certainty is that these shifts are to our benefit ultimately because they result in a variety of different aesthetic flavors that, as art lovers, we can look back on and enjoy for their visual appeal if for no other reason.

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If you liked this post, please visit our website, where you can get a $20 gift card, as well as a chance to win two FREE prints (a $200 value). This offer is only available to the first 50 email subscribers, so get yours today!

Pets On Magazine Covers

We haven't been posting to this blog in a while, but today we're back at it again! Since it's National Love Your Pet Day, we thought we would explore some of the best magazine art featuring our non-human friends.

Magazine art has always been focused on the more glamorous side of life, and of course the main reason is that it helps sell magazines. Pet ownership is really no different, and it's not at all hard to find magazine covers depicting the more idealized aspects of owning a pet, (but we also think the reason they are so ubiquitous is simply that pets are among the best things in life!)

Let's start with everybody's favorite: Dogs.

Dogs have been a big part of our lives since about 12 to 14 thousand years ago, when wolves were first domesticated, and our pet dogs are all descended from these wild origins. The bond between human and wolf was so rapidly and firmly established that there is an abundance of archeological evidence of deep affection. For example, a Paleolithic tomb in northern Israel contains the remains of a man who was buried with his four legged friend. His hand perched tenderly on the animal's shoulder touchingly suggests that the two had a very close bond. [Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk]

As our bond with these friendly animals has been so firmly cemented in our daily lives, their presence on magazine covers is inevitable, and right away, we can see an abundance of different artistic depictions. The first one we're going to show you is probably one of the most relatable scenes of dog ownership. In it, a young boy is just coming home from school and is immediately greeted by his little dog, who is so happy to see him that it's as if they were separated for many years.

 [Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

The magazine itself is "The Country Gentleman," which was an agricultural periodical issued between 1831 and 1955, when it was bought by Farm Journal, a more largely circulated periodical which is still around today. The artist is Ray C. Strang (1893-1957) a popular illustrator who specialized in Western scenes, but frequently contributed to this and several other magazines. His best known piece was called Slow Poke, and prints of it are available everywhere. [Source: Wikipedia]

Although we all love dogs, there are some things most of us wish they wouldn't do. Even these are depicted on magazine covers, though mainly for comic effect rather than as a more idealized depiction. One of the most puzzling behaviors that fit this category is licking. It seems that dogs can't seem to keep their tongues off anything, from their paws, and (ahem!) their more unmentionable parts, to your hands, feet and face. The image we're about to show you next depicts a little girl with a piece of toast, which, to her disappointment, she can no longer eat because her dog beat her to the punch. To cap it all off, there is a tongue-in-cheek caption in the lower left that says "I know on which side my bread is buttered!" We can't help but laugh a little when we see this, even though perhaps we should be sorry for the girl.

 [Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

This issue of Life magazine was published on January 10, 1930, and the signature of the cover artist says "Edwina". A brief Google search reveals that this refers to Frances Edwina Dumm (1893-1990), a cartoonist who drew the comic strip "Cap Stubbs and Tippie" and was America' first full-time female editorial cartoonist. She was awarded the Gold Key by the National Cartoonists Society in 1978. [Source: Wikipedia]

And of course, the other major four-legged contender for that special place in our hearts is the cat. Cats have been domesticated for a slightly shorter time than dogs, (roughly 12,000 years,) but their independence, and their anatomical similarities to their wild ancestors, have made it unclear when they first became domesticated, and for a long time it was thought that they have been our companions for only 8,000 years. [Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com] Be all that as it may, cats are another popular pet that has abundantly graced the covers of magazines. Up next are a couple of magazine covers depicting our feline friends.

[Image source: http://www.pinterest.com]

As common as it is, for example, to see art featuring young boys with their dogs, the same can be said of beautiful young women with their cats. This magazine cover is for a publication called "Picture Play," which was in circulation between 1915 and 1941, when it merged with Charm Magazine. The motion picture industry was at this time rapidly maturing into the mainstream form of entertainment we know it as today, and this was one of several magazines that emerged to fill the need for news on the film industry. Just as today, news about the various personal affairs of celebrities was in high demand. (People Magazine, anyone?) The young woman who is proudly holding up her cat for all the world to see is film actress June Collyer (1906-1968). According to IMDB, she was in 36 different films between 1927 and 1958.

 [Image source: http://www.pinterest.com]

No offense to dogs, but it seems cats are popular enough to have their own literary magazine named after them. This one, The Black Cat, was published between 1895 and 1922, and specialized in short stories. One of the magazine's most notable contributions was A Thousand Deaths, an 1899 short story by Jack London. Other noteworthy authors who contributed to The Black Cat were O. Henry and Henry Miller.

Next up, we'll talk about horses. Though not strictly pets, horses have amazing personalities and make great companions, so it's not unusual for people to keep them as pets. One of the best things about horses is that you can ride them, and although this is how people got around before the car was invented, we now mostly ride them for pleasure and for sport. Magazines depicted horses quite often, and even as their practical use for a means of transportation was on the decline, agricultural magazines still depicted them performing various tasks. This next cover we're about to show you features a team of two horses pulling a cart. Heavy farming tasks were (and sometimes still are) assisted by horses, and this depiction is a perfect example of the magazine art appealing to the more practical need for them, rather than an emotional need for companionship or love.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

But horses were still as much an emotional component of magazine cover art, and although they themselves weren't the object of our emotional response, it was the broader context in which they were depicted. In the early twentieth century, old west nostalgia was a big part of motion pictures, books, and art. Author Zane Grey and artist F. C. Yohn are two of the most prolific contributors to nostalgic depictions of the old west in pop culture. This next cover features an idyllic old west scene with a young woman in a cowboy hat riding her horse.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

The Woman's Home Companion was a hugely popular periodical that circulated between 1873 and 1957. It enjoyed a massive circulation rate of over four million subscriptions in the 30s and 40s, and published contributions by such notables as P. G. Wodehouse, Willa Cather, and John Steinbeck.

But what about those pets that we like just for their ornamental beauty? Birds and fish are two that come to mind, and although they can certainly add color and charm to a living space, those of us who are more scientifically-minded will want them around because they appeal to our intellectual need to observe and to study. Birds on magazine covers are especially interesting because, in most cases, they are depicted as colorful and whimsical accents in a larger scene, and as such, although they recede to some extent from the main focus of the images, they add an undeniable charm that makes them all the more irresistible.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

And as we mentioned earlier, there are intellectuals who keep such pets as hobbies, and the aquarium fish crowd has its own periodical devoted to keeping aquariums as a hobby. Here are two covers of The Aquarium, both published in the 1930s.

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

[Image source: http://www.magazineart.org]

We hope you've enjoyed this journey into the realm of pets in magazine cover art. We all love our pets every day of the year, but today is a special day to honor that love. We've done our part, and now we ask all pet owners the world over: have you loved your pet today?

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If you liked this post, please visit our website, where you can get a $20 gift card, as well as a chance to win two FREE prints (a $200 value). This offer is only available to the first 50 email subscribers, so get yours today!

Picturing the Night Before Christmas

"'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there."

Pretty evocative, isn't it? I dare you to read the whole poem and tell me it hasn't conjured up some type of imagery in your head! I bet you can't. That's what makes this poem so memorable!

But incidentally, this also happens to be why this poem lends itself so well to illustration. There have been countless illustrated editions of this poem since it's publication in 1823, and while some are more easily recognizable than others, it goes without saying that they pretty much run the gamut. No matter what your stylistic preferences are, there's an edition for you--or even more than one! In our family Christmas box, we have several different editions, including (my personal favorite) a 1984 edition with very detailed and whimsical drawings by Anita Lobel. (As a very young child, I enjoyed it because of the faint and barely visible faces she drew on the moon.)

Illustration by Arthur Rackham (circa. 1931)

The poem itself, while evocative enough to spawn a plethora of illustrated editions, was also evocative enough to accomplish much more. At the time of its publication, New Years' was the family holiday of choice, while, owing to heavy Protestant criticism, Christmas took a backseat. It was The Night Before Christmas that cemented the idea of Christmas as a family holiday into the American psyche, and it's remained there ever since. In fact, our tradition of putting the kids to bed on Christmas Eve while waiting for St. Nick to leave all kinds of goodies under the tree was influenced in a major way by this poem. [Source: https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/influential-images-the-night-before-christmas]

And now let's take a look at some illustrations and graphics from various noteworthy editions of this poem.

W. W. Denslow (1902) Denslow is best known for illustrating L. Frank Baum's

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".

"He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf" (Illustration from an 1862 edition)

"He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf" (Illustration by Jessie Wilcox Smith, 1912)

"His eyes, how they twinkled." (Illustration by Arthur Rackham, circa. 1931)

Illustration from 1896 (illustrator unknown)

"In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there" (1928, illustration by Elizabeth MacKinstry)

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If you liked this post, please visit our website, where you can get a $20 gift card, as well as a chance to win two FREE prints (a $200 value). This offer is only available to the first 50 email subscribers, so get yours today!

Honoring Graphic Design's Past

It's a sad state for designers in today's world, as machine learning and artificial intelligence begin to dominate creative professions and disciplines. Naturally, it's a concern for designers themselves, (which is why I never became a graphic designer, although I wanted to at one point,) but I'm more inclined to think about the bigger picture. Namely, not just how design jobs are affected, but also the way the general aesthetic quality of design will be affected.
We've already seen the computer come along and change design quite a bit, and while typesetting, for instance, became no more difficult than using a keyboard and mouse, there was still an actual person at the other end. An actual person who knew what looked good and what didn't. When that actual person is gone, we're left with the aesthetic judgments of a robot, which, quite frankly, I don't trust.

This is a huge reason why I started this venture. Having witnessed a lot of these changes firsthand, I wanted to preserve and honor the glorious history (and integrity) of graphic design. And I thought the best way to do this was to make some of the most beautiful works of art from design's heyday available as decorations for the modern day homeowner--and incidentally as monuments to an era that has all but slipped away.
We'll never forget the amazingly intricate typesetting, the creative artwork, and the incredibly rich and nuanced aesthetic that enriched our lives with the amazing design work we saw all around us. Here are some visual examples that will (probably) make you cry. And that's because we won't see anything like them in the years to come.

 Rhinocerus, by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)

Hartmann Schedel's (1440-1514) Register (circa. 1493)

"Rip Van Winkle" Title Page (1905) by Dard Hunter (1883-1966)

Poster by Alfred Leete (1882-1933)

The Crystal Goblet; Sixteen Essays on Typography (1955) by Beatrice Warde (1900-1969)

Beethoven Festival Poster (1983) by Michael Cronin (1951-2013)

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If you liked this post, please visit our website, where you can get a $20 gift card, as well as a chance to win two FREE prints (a $200 value). This offer is only available to the first 50 email subscribers, so get yours today!