Home Front Propaganda and Nationalism Wilbur D. Nesbit Song Let’s Keep the Glow in Old Glory 1918

Home Front Propaganda and Nationalism

Pamphlet

Nesbit, Wilbur D., and Robert Speroy. Let’s Keep the Glow in Old Glory (And the Free in Freedom Too) (1918) documents American patriotic culture during the final year of World War I, when popular music functioned as a vehicle for national unity and wartime morale. Issued for domestic performance, the piece supports research into American propaganda, music history, and visual culture, demonstrating how commercial sheet music reinforced loyalty to the nation and framed military service as a collective moral obligation. The work situates the American flag as a central symbolic object, linking civilian identity to wartime sacrifice and national purpose.

Nesbit, Wilbur D. Lyrics. Speroy, Robert. Music. Let’s Keep the Glow in Old Glory (And the Free in Freedom Too). Chicago and New York: McKinley Music Company / Frank K. Root & Co., 1918. Folio. Illustrated sheet music. The cover features an allegorical composition of a woman draped in the American flag holding a child, positioned above advancing soldiers with fixed bayonets, visually combining maternal imagery with military action. Interior pages present musical notation marked Tempo di Marcia, aligning the composition with the rhythm of a military march. Lyrics call for national unity and vigilance, with lines invoking “Columbia” and urging preservation of the “Red, White and Blue,” emphasizing honor, sacrifice, and global perception of the United States. The structure and presentation reflect the integration of visual symbolism and musical form to convey patriotic messaging to a broad audience in homes and community settings.
Folio format. Illustrated throughout. Moderate edge wear and corner softening, light toning across sheets with scattered small stains and minor surface abrasions, more visible at margins; interior pages clean and legible with strong notation and text clarity; overall good condition. Produced at a moment when music publishers actively contributed to wartime messaging, the sheet provides material evidence of how popular song participated in shaping public sentiment, offering value for the study of nationalism, propaganda, and cultural production in early twentieth-century America.

Item #22927

Price: $225.00