Bess, You Is My Woman

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Sheet music for “Bess, You Is My Woman." The front cover is a black and white illustration with an off-white margin. Across the top margin is the title "BESS YOU IS MY WOMAN." The illustration, done in the style of woodcuts, depicts several vignettes. The foremost vignette is a profile of a man and woman, face to face. Beyond them is a palm tree, under which is the silhouette of a goat-drawn cart. In the cart is a reclining figure of a man with a crutch. Along the right hand side are two wooden cabins with a boat and ocean beyond them. In the top right corner is the outline of a city skyline. There is a large arm, stemming from the profile of the front man, with a large hand pointing toward the city skyline.

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