Here is another example of postcard art celebrating a popular song of the early 20th century.
In 1904, B. Feldman and Company of London published “Just for the sake of Society” – a sentimental song by Alfred Bryan and Kerry Mills.
The song, “Just for the Sake of Society”, describes a lonely child who is ignored by parents who are engaged in a whirl of social activities.
The song was copyrighted by the publisher – song writers, like many other “creatives” today, did not always receive the full benefits of their work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Feldman
Sometime near 1904, the English form of Bamforth & Company published a postcard illustration of the chorus of the song.
As we have seen in other postcard stories, Bamforth & Co. specialized in comic postcards and illustrations of popular “hits”.
The face of the postcard bears an illustration of a dejected child -alone, and crumpled into an armchair by the fireplace.
In the distance, one sees a convivial group of adults enjoying drinks around a table, perhaps a card table.
Beneath the drawing are printed the words of the Chorus:
“Just for the sake of Society, baby is sad and alone…”
I don’t know if this imputation of child abandonment was a real social problem of the early 20th century, or if the popular song is a bit of class rabble-rousing.
One feels sympathetic for the poor child, and hopes that baby’s need for “society” is also acknowledged.
