Page 38 - 2020 March JOA

Inheriting a Collection of Musical Note:
An Interview with Jane Porter

hen her mother passed Civil War. And it wasn’t just a
away in 2011, Jane specific type of music. Her
WPorter thought she was collection embraces all types of
prepared to take on her beloved social, economic, cultural, and
collection of rare books and political topics.
American sheet music. Her mother She aspired to collect the
had been grooming her since the items in the Lester Levy
late 1980s so that when the time Collection (an avid 20th century
came, Jane would understand collector of American popular
and appreciate what she had music, who donated his
collected and the origins of her collection of over 29,000 items
Jane Porter with her mother, 2011 passion. Still, Jane would be the dating from 1780 to 1960 to
first to say that even with all that advance preparation she was not John Hopkins University to
prepared for the enormity of the task and the great sense of responsibility preserve its history). Levy
she feels to do right by her mother’s legacy. But the more time she spends published several books about
going through her sheet music collection and doing the research, the more his collection. She devoured
it turns into a passion project, in much the same way as building the everything he wrote and started
collection was a passion project for her mother who, interestingly, could collecting sheet music according
not even read music. to what he had collected.
Jane, an independent stockbroker with a background in English The Bonnie Blue Flag! Many of her pieces mirror
Literature and music and two nursing degrees, is a collector herself of by Harry MaCarthy, published in 1861 his collection.
by Blackmar in New Orleans.
Pre-Raphaelite books. Having the time, interest, and collector gene, she They were a big Confederate Publisher. When my dad retired in
was the natural member of her family to take the lead on preparing the You can see my mother’s reference 1987, they spent every weekend
collection for estate liquidation in honor of her mother’s wishes. notes on the cover. traveling around the country,
Jane and I first spoke about six months ago when she was referred to especially in the south, to look
me by a mutual friend. She had just started a deep dive through the for material.

collection, now that it was out of storage, and was looking for some
suggestions on who to call and where to go with it. We revisited by phone How did your mother prepare you for taking on her collection?
at the end of November to catch up. It was clear that Jane had moved She first told me about the sheet music in the late 1980s, early 1990s
from the “overwhelmed” stage to the “fascination” stage, and was excited but I really didn’t pay too much attention until 2007. After my dad
to share what she had found and what she was learning. The passed away she wanted to tell me
cutlines for the images are from Jane.
everything about it. She would bring
out pieces and explain to me what
Talk to me about your parents as collectors. they were. She would have me come
My mother was a Biochemist. Growing up I didn’t really over when other collectors came to the
know what she did in her job but I could see that she was house so I could learn. Over the next
tenacious, kind of like me. She wouldn’t stop until she got the four years, until she passed away in
answer. And she was meticulous in recording information. 2011, I learned everything I know:
You can see those
characteristics in how
she went about building The title is My Barque Has Left The Shore, but
and documenting her the story comes from the subtext: “The Words
collection. from the Baltimore Sun, Composed and
In 1970 my parents Respectfully Dedicated to Miss Henrietta A.
started collecting rare Hidden of New York by J.M. Deems.” This is a
story of the composer and his unrequited love.
books. Around 1984 my While Deems was a musician in Baltimore,
mom started her own he composed this for Henrietta Hidden, a flame.
collection of American She was the daughter of Enoch Hidden, the
sheet music. She person appointed to the Sultan to run the coin
thought it was a sleeper. mint in Turkey starting in 1832. Henrietta
What she loved about married William Webb in 1843. I found the
sheet music was the book that his son wrote in 1912 about his
story it told of America’s experience, making the words and music hold that
history. Her focus was much more meaning. I don’t know how many he
on American music printed. It is done on cheap paper, not the type
you find in 1838. That is why it is so worn.
from 1780 through the

36 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles