The Saturday Evening Post has always celebrated music — both the magnificent and the mundane — on its covers. Here are some of our favorites.
Couple Kissing at Piano
Frank X. Leyendecker
July 27, 1907
Singing Praise
Richard Sargent
March 7, 1959
Poolside Piano Practice
George Hughes
June 11, 1960
Clown Band
Stevan Dohanos
June 26, 1948
Stevan Dohanos painted the big parade down Main Street, once a standard feature of that great summer day, The Day the Circus Came to Town. “Circuses don’t parade much anymore,” said the artist in 1948, “but I think it’s a grand old custom and I wish I could help restore it.” The clowns were members of the famous Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey team, with the sad-faced Emmett Kelly pretending to play the clarinet. The clowns posed for Dohanos in the back lot behind Madison Square Garden, between performances in New York.
Jamming with Dad
John Falter
December 1, 1956
Violin Practice
Richard Sargent
February 5, 1955
Perhaps nosy blonde lady above can learn something from the kid down the street. Billy is not yet enamored by the sounds of the violin, but was told he has to practice an hour a day. According to the timer on the chair, he has so far gotten in about five minutes. The ear muffs should help.
Jam Session
John Falter
October 23, 1954
Piano Tuner
Norman Rockwell
January 11, 1947
Parents’ Reveille
Amos Sewell
February 20, 1954
March Band at Football Game
Stevan Dohanos
October 19, 1946
Orchestra Rehearsal
George Hughes
January 13, 1951
Trumpeter
Norman Rockwell
November 18, 1950
Independence Parade
John Falter
July 7, 1945
Beggar Violinist
J.C. Leyendecker
December 23, 1916
Marching Band Drummer
J.C. Leyendecker
September 24, 1921
Making Music
Alfred E. Orr
June 25, 1921