Lot 0226

Slavery Song Sheet, "Darling Nelly Gray", She Was

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Negro Spirituals Grouping: Includes 4 song books " Negro Spirituals", 1937, "Twelve Negro Spirituals" 1937, "Negro Songs", NYC, circa 1930's, "Nelly was a Lady", a civil war era song, single sheet, printed in Phila. circa 1850.

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GROUPING CIVIL WAR MAGNUS SONG SHEETS 1861 TO 1864: (12) Civil War Magnus song sheets. Hand-colored lithographs with song lyrics. All published by Charles Magnus, NYC. Dimensions: H 8" x W 5" Condition: Generally clean, some with some age toning, some

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1776 African American Signed Revolutionary War Doc, For: Slavery "Negro" Signed Revolutionary War Doc, For Receipt of Iron [Slavery] Manuscript signed document on a partial sheet, 8.25" x 3". Dated "Swansey Jan 25th, 1776", and signed by Henry Bowers. Verso

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[Slavery] Historic Views of New Bern, NC (Lot of 6): Group of six carte-de-visite (CDV) photographs taken by O.C. Smith in New Bern, North Carolina during the Civil War. The lot includes: 1. Historically important view of an enslaved African American f

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George Washington Multi-Signed Large Inventory Sheet: George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799). This large 10.75 x 16 inventory sheet dated May 21st 1776, was a building supplies working document signed and initialed several times

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(SLAVERY & ABOLITION.) [Samuel M. Fassett; photographer.] Carte-de-visite portrait of Frederick: (SLAVERY & ABOLITION.) [Samuel M. Fassett; photographer.] Carte-de-visite portrait of Frederick Douglass taken during the Civil War. Albumen copy-print photograph, 3½ x 2 inches, on plain period

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1978 SONG MEILING 宋美齡 FRAMED PEONY PAINTING: Artist: Song Meiling 宋美齡 (1898 - 2003) Title: Peony Ink on paper, Yisebiao mount, wooden framed, set behind glass Painting (Sight): Length: 56 cm, Width: 45 cm Dated: The Third Da

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Commodore Alfred Gillett Gray's personally signed flag,: Commodore Alfred Gillett Gray's personally signed flag, Gray [1818-1876] was a Civil War Confederate promoted to Commodore of the Pacific Steamship Company in 1874. 48"h.x76"w.

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3 Civil War Confederate Items, incl. 1863 Slavery Related Letter, 2 1st Ed. Books, 5 items: 1st item: Civil War era ALS. Four and-one-half page letter written on lined bifolium documents, written by A Daughter of Virginia, Richmond, VA, addressed to Miss Stevens, no location, possibly Baltim

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John Mosby, Civil War Gray Ghost Warrior ALS Re:: Mosby John John Mosby, Civil War Gray Ghost Warrior ALS Re: Defending General Grant Bi-fold autograph letter signed, 5" x 8". Extensively written on three sides with last page left blank. Dated " Nove

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"Emancipation of Slavery" Rare Civil War Amnesty Oath: Civil War "Emancipation of Slavery" Rare Civil War Amnesty Oath Signed by Confederate Acknowledges Free Slaves Partially printed document, 9.75" x 8", Galveston Texas. Dated "July 19, 186

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[Slavery & Civil War] Contraband Group in Camp : Mounted albumen photograph of a group of seven African American ‘contrabands’ at a Union army camp in Bermuda Hundred, Virginia. As was a common wartime practice, the men wear a mix of surplus Uni

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[Slavery & Abolition] “Decks of a Slave Ship” Engraving: Original Decks of a Slave Ship Engraving Decks of a Slave Ship. Folio from W.O. Blake’s The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade, Ancient and Modern. ~6 x 9 1/2 Impactful schematic of the realitie

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[Slavery] 1822 Slave Appraisal & Distribution: Four-page appraisal relating to the estate of William Ormsley, of Lincoln County, Kentucky. The document values eleven named slaves for the purpose of division amongst Ormsley’s heirs. The slave

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U.S. Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill Signed "Storm Gray" Tactical Helmet PSA/DNA: U.S. Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill Signed "Storm Gray" Tactical Helmet PSA/DNA Tactical helmet, measuring 35" in circumference. The helmet is boldly signed by former Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill as "RO" and in

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[Slavery & Abolition] Frederick Douglass Signed Document : 1881 Frederick Douglass Signed Document Partly printed indenture accomplished in manuscript, signed by Frederick Douglass as Recorder. Washington, D.C., 19 October 1881. 1 page on blue paper. Docketin

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Slavery Song Sheet, "Darling Nelly Gray", She Was

Item Details

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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