Evasive Story: The husband/ Cover of Sheet Music c. 19th century

Curator: At first glance, this sheet music cover evokes a sense of naive joy, almost pastoral, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Indeed. This is "Evasive Story: The husband/ Cover of Sheet Music" by Francisque-Martin-François Grenier de Saint-Martin, from the Harvard Art Museums. Note how the central figure, presumably the groom, is elevated by the quaint village backdrop. Curator: He's quite the archetype, isn't he? Top hat, casual pose, symbolizing perhaps a certain bourgeois aspiration within the rural idyll. He's the symbol for the music to come. Editor: Or is it the other way around? Saint-Martin might be satirizing the commercialization of the pastoral, given the context of sheet music production and consumption in that era. Curator: Ah, but even satire uses established symbols to make its point. The hat still signifies upward mobility, whether earnestly or ironically. Editor: A fair point. I find myself wondering about the intended audience and how they might have interpreted this image then. Curator: I will think about it now with a different appreciation.