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The Tree of Love

Mid- 1850s
Artist/maker unknown, French Published by Gangel, Metz, France
The marginal text flanking this work's central image of elegant females in pursuit of eligible bachelors became a characteristic feature of popular prints in the 1800s. Typically, these borders supplied the name of the tunes to which typeset verses were intended to be sung aloud, be they nursery rhymes, spiritual hymns, or, as in this case, romantic ballads. In an appeal to the ears of buyers of such prints, street peddlers--known in France as colporteurs--commonly chanted the printed words in unison, filling the air with melodies familiar even today, such as Frère Jacques.

Object Details

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