Decorating with Sheet Music

There are tons of different ways to decorate and I am no style maven by any means.  But I do like to get the biggest bang for my buck when I do anything.  I also love vintage.  For those who also love vintage and live on a tight budget look at vintage sheet music for decorating your walls.  Seriously!

Sheet music throughout the ages has depicted where the minds and hearts of the people were. At the turn of the 20th century various illustrators were very popular and it is fun to collect them as well as hang them.  The Starmer Brothers, Rolf Armstrong, Frederick Manning, Barbelle and Edward Pheiffer to name a few were all quite prolific. All had different styles that after awhile you can easily pick out. The blushing beauty below is done by Rolf Armstrong.  A very popular illustrator to collect.  His colors are lush and rich and the women have a rosy cheek girl next door sensuality to them. "My Sunshine Rose" is just a head shot while there is usually more to a Armstrong portrait.

Another popular illustrator with a romantic bent is Frederick Manning.  Frederick Manning also does a work that has women in various settings.  His work is less colorful but no less striking.  A selection of work by the same illustrator grouped on a wall can be a lovely statement.

Illustrations were not limited to just the romantic.  There are many different styles and themes to choose from.  While a love song is always popular there is also the comic, political and songs associated with specific events such as WWI or movies.  Music was often used to help popularize specific vaudeville acts such as Fanny Brice or movie stars like Norma Talmadge.


For those who like a bit of an art deco or nouveau twist there is plenty of sheet music with those style features.  Several illustrators such as the Starmer Brothers would not only do illustrations but also created borders to go around the photo portraits of various stars like Nora Bayes.  The graphic quality of these pieces are outstanding and make a stylistic addition to a room's decor.

Even sheet music without illustrator names attached are still just as visually exciting as those with prominent artists.  Picking a genre or even a color theme can be just as interesting to look at in a wall grouping.

"She was just a Sailor's Sweetheart" is just one example of the lighthearted approach to the front cover of a piece of music.  The simple graphics is a very different feel then those above.  A selection of this kind of cartoon approach would be great as a visual history. 

Vintage sheet music was usually printed on high-acid paper. To prolong its life and your investment protect from direct light, high humidity, and handling. Pieces when framed should be matted and backed with acid-free material. When the paper starts to darken and become darkened that is a sign of decay.  So whether you collect a specific illustrator, style or era remember that these are pieces of history.