Lot 226

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Description:

Slavery Song Sheet, "Darling Nelly Gray", She Was Separated from Her Love & Sold to Georgia

A printed American slavery song sheet entitled "Darling Nelly Gray," ca. 1856, with music and lyrics written by Ohioan composer Benjamin Russell Hanby, published by "H. De Marsan / Dealer in Songs, Toy-Books &c. / No. 60 Chatham St. NY." With an intricate geometric border depicting vignettes of a black Romeo and Juliet and black putti playing percussion instruments. Light even toning and isolated foxing. Scattered closed edge tears repaired verso. Reversible pencil inscriptions from a former collector or dealer found along the bottom edge. Else near fine. 6.5" x 10.125." Accompanied by provenance information from the Notable Kentucky African Americans Database.

"Darling Nelly Gray" tells the story of Nelly, a female black woman in Kentucky, possibly free, who is enslaved by a white man and sent to Georgia to toil until death in the "cotton and the cane." The song, set to a mournful melody, is sung from the perspective of Nelly's grieving lover, who joins her only in death at the end of the song.

Benjamin Russell Hanby (1833-1867), an abolitionist minister, teacher, and composer, was inspired to write "Darling Nelly Gray" after hearing similar stories of separation. Hanby was the author of about 80 popular nineteenth-century songs, including the rousing Christmas carol "Up on the House Top."

Song sheet publisher H. De Marsan specialized in marine songs, black songs rooted in the minstrel tradition, Irish songs, and Civil War songs. The location of De Marsan's publishing headquarters on Chatham Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side is suggestive of the publisher's business model of inexpensive, mass production; just outside of the brutal Five Points neighborhood, Chatham Street was highly commercialized and scattered with brothels, tattoo parlors, and flophouses.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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February 16, 2022 10:30 AM EST
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