Sweet Memories of Dixie: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A piece of sheet music for "Sweet Memories of Dixie" published by Laurence C. Jones, founder of Piney Woods Country Life School in Rankin County, Mississippi. Cover depicts a river scene: in a row boat, a man with banjo sings to a woman. Beyond a tree leaning over the water, a cabin and a steam boat are visible. Inset is a halftone image of Jones wearing a suit and tie. Large type at top reads [SWEET MEMORIES / OF DIXIE], smaller print at bottom reads [LAURENCE C. JONES / PUBLISHER / PINEY WOODS SCHOOL / PINEY WOODS (NEAR BRAXTON), MISS.]. Type at bottom of first page of music reads [Copyright MCMXXIV by Laurence C. Jones]. Back cover features nine halftone images of students at work, students graduating, and school buildings. Type at top reads [Results of Fifteen Years of Struggle / "PINEY WOODS COUNTRY LIFE SCHOOL"].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1924
• Published by: Laurence Jones, 1882 - 1975
• Subject of: Piney Woods Country Life School, founded 1909
• Type: sheet music
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 12 1/4 × 9 1/4 in. (31.1 × 23.5 cm)
• Place depicted: Piney Woods, Rankin County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: U.S. History, 1815-1861
• Object number: 2014.312.237
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Oprah Winfrey
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public Domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.