Abstract
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Gambling Related Sheet Music (1890-1987) consists of primarily early 20th century American gambling-related sheet music. This collection is most noteworthy for the covers' bright and colorful imagery, including white gentlemen playing cards, imagery from card and related games, and some with offensive stereotypes and caricatures of African Americans. The material was created by a wide range of designers, composers, and publishers from various places, including New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This collection contains illustrations which depict Black and Asian individuals in racist caricatures, photographs of white individuals wearing blackface, and some song titles include derogatory language or racial slurs.
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Scope and Contents Note
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Gaming Related Sheet Music (1890-1987) consists of primarily early 20th century American gambling-related sheet music. This collection is most noteworthy for the covers' bright and colorful imagery, including white gentlemen playing cards, imagery from card and related games, and some with offensive stereotypes and caricatures of African Americans. The material was created by a wide range of designers, composers, and publishers from various places, including New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This collection contains ilustrations which depict Black and Asian individuals in racist caricatures, photographs of white individuals wearing blackface, and some song titles include derogatory language or racial slurs.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are alphabetical by song title.
General Note
This collection contains illustrations which depict Black and Asian individuals in racist caricatures, photographs of white individuals wearing blackface, and some song titles include derogatory language or racial slurs. Blackface was and is culturally insensitive and racist. This and similar materials in this collection do not mirror the views of UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives, but serves as a portrayal of the social mindsets and occurrences of the time that it was produced.
Preferred Citation
UNLV Libraries Collection of Gambling Related Sheet Music, 1890-1987. MS-01100. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f19b6m
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Acquisition Note
Materials were purchased by Peter Michel in 2022; accession number 2022-045.
Processing Note
In 2022, Celene Chavez and Sarah Jones created an item-level inventory. Song titles were trancribed directly from the items and placed in quotation marks. The general cover descriptions were created by processors. Sarah Jones imported the inventiry into ArchivesSpace and created the front matter description.