Dark and brooding AMQS on an off-white 7.5 x 4.75 album page. Berlin pens a one-bar quote from his early song “My Wife’s Gone to the Country,” signed and inscribed “To Marcia, May you never die till I kill you, Irving Berlin.” Page also bears an AMQS by George Botsford. Mild toning working in from edges, and slight show-through from signatures on reverse, otherwise fine condition.
It may sound harmless today but in fact at that time it wasn't. According to Berlin “ministers preached about” the song (Kimball/Emmett, p. 7) and they were surely not fond of its message. A critic from around that time complained about songs laughing “openly at the institution of marriage,” “blamed the entire shameful state of American popular songs on the ‘disciples of Irving Berlin & Co.’” (Jablonski, p. 47, see Hamm, p. 56) and even called for censorship upon this kind of dangerous music. This is the first Berlin AMQS we have offered, made all the more desirable with his cryptic inscription. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$50.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
We use cookies on this site to improve your experience. By using this site, you accept our use of cookies. To learn more, please see our Privacy Policy.
