These music sheet covers from the late nineteenth century were originally collected by the typographer Charles Hasler because he was interested in the covers’ design. The original music was arranged for different forms of ballroom dance, especially polka and waltz.
If we think of the music covers as Hasler did, for their visual appearance, the images are telling representations ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ identities. Browse through them and consider the tropes that are associated with men and women.
As you read, here are some questions to think about
- What situations are women represented in?
- How are men and women represented together?
- What adjectives would you associate to the women are depicted in these covers?
- How might some of the women be exoticised?
For more inspiration, check out here how Middlesex students have used this material to make new (and irreverent!) images.
