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Sheet music in the nineteenth century was often provided with illustrated covers; designed to attract the buyer and encourage impulsive purchases. Whilst it cannot be claimed that they are great art, they nevertheless reflect the era in which they were produced in the restless striving for novelty in the typography and their colourful images made possible by the recent improvements in lithographic techniques. They are now highly sought after collectable items in their own right.
The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas
Nearly all the illustrated covers associated with the Gilbert and Sullivan operas were designed for the many arrangements of melodies from the operas as dance music, the one exception being "The Judge's Song" from Trial by Jury.
| Trial by Jury | The Sorcerer | H.M.S. Pinafore | ||||
| The Pirates of Penzance | Patience | Iolanthe | ||||
| Princess Ida | The Mikado | Ruddigore | ||||
| The Yeomen of the Guard | The Gondoliers | Utopia, Limited | ||||
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Sullivan's Works
With the exception of The Chorister and The Absent-Minded Beggar March, the covers reproduced here were created for dances arranged from Sullivan's operas and songs.
| Cox and Box | Haddon Hall | The Chieftain |
| The Rose of Persia | The Emerald Isle | Victoria and Merrie England |
| The Chorister | Waltzes based on Sullivan's songs |
The Absent-Minded Beggar March |
Gilbert's Works
| Ages Ago | A Sensation Novel | The Happy Land |
| Princess Toto | The Mountebanks | Thady O'Flynn |
Other Works produced at the Savoy Theatre
| The Nautch Girl | The Vicar of Bray | Mirette |
| The Grand Duchess | The Lucky Star | Mr. Jericho |
| A Princess of Kensington |
Works played on tour by D'Oyly Carte's Companies
| Billee Taylor | Claude Duval | Manteaux Noirs |
| Rip Van Winkle |
European and American Covers
| H.M.S. Pinafore | Patience | Iolanthe |
| The Mikado (American) | The Mikado (European) | The Yeomen of the Guard |
| The Distant Shore |
Page modified 1 March 2012