"Out of Work" sheet music cover, Bath, 1877

Contributed by Maine Historical Society

Description

Alice Hawthorne’s song "Out of Work" highlighted a dire issue of the day—unemployment, with the lyrics,
Out of work without a penny, pleading help before thy door
Without friends among the many, look with pity on the poor.

In 1877 more than three million people were out of work. Arranged in a “sentimental ballad,” the song’s lyrics detail extreme poverty and food insecurity from a mother’s viewpoint.

Septimus Winner composed this song using the name Alice Hawthorne—a nod to his ancestor, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Winner wrote over two hundred songs such as "Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?" and "Listen to the Mockingbird" using various pseudonyms. From Pennsylvania, Winner worked as a music instructor and owned a publishing company, Winner & Shuster.

Thomas P.I. Magoun, a Maine press located on Front Street in Bath, published this version of the song.

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About This Item

  • Title: "Out of Work" sheet music cover, Bath, 1877
  • Creator: Alice Hawthorne
  • Creation Date: 1877
  • Subject Date: 1877
  • Location: Bath, Sagadahoc County, ME
  • Media: Ink on paper
  • Local Code: Sheet Music 104
  • Collection: Sheet Music
  • Object Type: Text and Image

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For more information about this item, contact:

Maine Historical Society
485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
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