Willie, My Brave. To Mrs. A. L. Robinson

New York: Firth, Pond & Co, 1851. Folio sheet music, illustrated tinted lithographic cover by Sarony & Major. 5 pp. (including cover). Approximately 13 x 10 inches. Light toning and minor edge wear; archival tape to spine, likely removed from a volume at some point, very good overall.. A particularly handsome illustrated edition of Stephen C. Foster’s sentimental ballad “Willie, My Brave,” featuring an elaborate tinted lithographic cover by the New York firm of Sarony & Major. The central image depicts a seated woman gazing out toward the sea while a greyhound rests its head upon her lap, conveying the melancholy theme of absence and waiting suggested by the song. Surrounding vignettes include dramatic maritime scenes, with a ship struggling in rough waters and another vessel sailing toward a distant harbor. The dog is especially well done, while the accompanying ship in a storm drives home the point of the song. Among Foster’s many illustrated title pages, this example is often considered one of the most attractive. According to William H. Fuld’s Pictorial Bibliography of First Editions of Stephen Foster (1957), the present example meets all points for the first edition, initial state. The song itself enjoyed considerable popularity in the early 1850s and appeared in numerous subsequent printings.