Lot 714
Smith, Samuel Francis (1808-1895) Baptist minister, journalist, and author. He is best known for having written the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", which he entitled "America." Autograph poem signed ("S.F. Smith"), being the first stanza, 1 page, 6" x 4", no place, March 13, 1893. Poem headed: "America." In full: "My country 'tis' of thee, / Sweet land of liberty,/ Of thee I sing; / Land where my fathers died, / Land of the pilgrims' pride / From every mountain side / Let freedom ring." After a visit to Germany in 1831, 23-year-old theological student Samuel Francis Smith, impressed that German children started their school day by singing a hymn, wrote a patriotic hymn using a simple German melody. Coincidentally, the melody was the same as that of the British national anthem, "God Save the King." Smith jotted down the complete hymn on a piece of scrap paper within half an hour, and the result, "America," was first sung at a children's celebration in Boston's Park Street Church on July 4, 1832. George Gershwin used Smith's phrase "Of Thee I Sing" as the title of his 1932 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted the entire first stanza as he concluded his "I have a dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Light age toning. Center fold. Fine.
Estimated Value $900 - 1,200.
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| Realized $750 |
