Poor oppressed or the contraband Schottisch, by E.A. Benson / German & Bro. lith., Louisville, Ky. – Vintage Print
![Poor oppressed or the contraband Schottisch, by E.A. Benson / German & Bro. lith., Louisville, Ky., Nashville, Tenn. : Published by C.D. Benson, [1862] — antique lithograph](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/f9/f9ab79674430-L.webp)
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
Few images capture their era like this antique lithograph of Poor oppressed or the contraband Schottisch, by E.A. Benson / German & Bro. lith., Louisville, Ky.. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.
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Poor oppressed or the contraband Schottisch, by E.A. Benson / German & Bro. lith., Louisville, Ky.
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Few titles on this board pair the word "contraband" with a dance tune as directly as this one does. The sheet music was published in Nashville around 1862, shortly after Union forces took the city, and "contraband" was the wartime term for people who escaped slavery and came under Union lines. The cover carries a dedication to Miss Dinah Dobson of Nashville, a personal detail that hints at who may have bought or played the piece. The lithograph was printed in Louisville by German & Bro. Viewers should read the cover critically, since popular music of this period often presented Black subjects for amusement in ways that reflected the racial attitudes of the day.
| Created / published | Nashville, Tenn. : Published by C.D. Benson, [1862] |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print : lithograph, color. |
| Notes | Notation on cover reads Dedicated to Miss Dinah Dobson of Nasville |
| Subjects | African Americans--Women--1860-1870. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,163 × 1,459 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-216555 |
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