Statement Of Responsibility: composed for the piano and dedicated to the Albany Burgesses Corps by George William Warren ; engraved & printed in colours by Harry E. Pease.
Acquisition: Gift; Lillian Moore.
Biographical/Historical: The polka enjoyed enormous popularity both as a dance and a musical form. Although opinions about its origins differ, it is believed to have roots in Poland or Bohemia. It was brought to Prague in 1837 and made its way to Vienna, St. Petersburg, Paris, and London. Capitalizing on its growing popularity as a ballroom dance, Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to the ballet stage in 1844. In the mid 1800s, it rivalled the waltz as a dance craze. It has survived into the twenty-first century, and until 2009 was included as a category in the Grammy Awards.
Biographical/Historical: Harry E. Pease and Richard H. Pease were printmakers and proprietors of the Pease Great Variety Store in Albany, New York. They are credited with printing the first Christmas card in the United States in 1851.

Physical Description

Chromolithographs
Extent: 1 print : 35 x 28 cm. + music score (5 p.)

Abstract

Sheet music cover illustration depicting a ball in a grand ballroom hung with red, white, and blue bunting. The women wear ballgowns and jewels; some of the men wear military uniforms, while others are dressed in evening attire. At center, a uniformed man and a woman join hands, apparently to commence the dance.

Languages

English

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: 825075851
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b19758250
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 6f8729f0-89be-0134-6314-00505686a51c

Rights

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.

Type Of Resource

Still Image
Notated Music

Date Issued

1858

Cite this item

MLA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Red coat polka" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1858. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6f8729f0-89be-0134-6314-00505686a51c

APA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1858). Red coat polka Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6f8729f0-89be-0134-6314-00505686a51c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Red coat polka" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6f8729f0-89be-0134-6314-00505686a51c

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6f8729f0-89be-0134-6314-00505686a51c | title= (still image; notated music) Red coat polka (1858) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=January 13, 2026 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>