Legal tender polka by F. Chase / A. McLean Lith. – Vintage Print
(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
A window into the past: Legal tender polka by F. Chase / A. McLean Lith., preserved in this antique lithograph. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.
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Legal tender polka by F. Chase / A. McLean Lith.
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Published in St. Louis around 1863 by Balmer & Weber, the *Legal Tender Polka* is a sheet music cover that turns a wartime money policy into popular entertainment. Its title refers to the Legal Tender Act of 1862, which made the paper greenbacks issued by the federal government acceptable for most debts, even though they were not redeemable in gold. The color lithograph bears the names F. Chase and A. McLean, and it shows how publishers used current events to sell songs during the Civil War, when the value of paper money was a daily concern for many Americans.
| Created / published | St. Louis, Mo. : Balmer & Weber, c1863. |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print : lithograph, color. |
| Genre | Sheet music covers 1860-1870.Lithographs Color 1860-1870. |
| Notes | Copyright by Balmer & Weber. Title from item. |
| Subjects | Money--American--1860-1870. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 3,963 × 5,000 px · prints to 13 × 17 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-224038 |
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