About Digital Collections
Browse
Search only public domain materials
Search Browse About
Search only public domain materials
Items Collections Divisions
Digital Collections Using Images Using Data
Items It's only a portrait of mother

It's only a portrait of mother

More Details Cite This Item

Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Music Division

  • The importance and propriety of a better system of musical education
  • La cambiale di matrimonio
  • In love, if love be love : Vivian's song
  • Juvenile songs, religious, moral, and sentimental
  • The Giants of 1908
  • Octandre
  • Trois caprices pour le violon, op. 20
  • Stage coach
  • Sonata for viola and piano
  • Collection of organ music, chiefly fugues
  • The Horace Greeley campaign songster
  • Pièces de clavecin
  • Hayes & Wheeler song book
  • The Jubilee Songs, chorusses, &c.;
  • Commonplace book of songs
Previous Next

COLLECTION
American popular songs

View as book

SUB-COLLECTION
Sheet music, 1899

View as book

This Item

View this item elsewhere:

Title
It's only a portrait of mother
Additional title: Just at the grey dawn of morning, silently forging ahead [First line of song]
Names
Fagan, Barney (Lyricist)
Fagan, Barney (Composer)
Collection

American popular songs

Sheet music, 1899

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1899
Place: New York; [etc.]
Publisher: M. Witmark & Sons
Library locations
Music Division
Topics
Songs
Mothers and sons
Sailors -- American -- 1890-1899
Battles
Courts-martial and courts of inquiry
Genres
Scores
Notes
Content: Cover illustration features an old naval captain, with a dog by his side, shaking hands with a young sailor.
Content: On cover: excerpt from Chicago Tribune dated Sept. 24th 1899 describing the incident that the song is based upon.
Statement of responsibility: words and music by Barney Fagan.
Date: Copyright date: 1899
Physical Description
Extent: 6 p. ; 35 cm.
Type of Resource
Notated music
Languages
English
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b10826013
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21736880
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21738653
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): e87f3380-c594-012f-e957-58d385a7bc34
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1899: Issued
  • 2016: Digitized
  • 2026: Found by you!
  • 2027

MLA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "It's only a portrait of mother" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1899. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9429b719-80af-e7d5-e040-e00a18063f8a

Chicago/Turabian Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "It's only a portrait of mother" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 8, 2026. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9429b719-80af-e7d5-e040-e00a18063f8a

APA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. (1899). It's only a portrait of mother Retrieved from https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9429b719-80af-e7d5-e040-e00a18063f8a

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9429b719-80af-e7d5-e040-e00a18063f8a | title= (notated music) It's only a portrait of mother, (1899) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=October 8, 2026 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

It's only a portrait of mother