An incredible amount of historical material has become freely available in online archives, including digital copies —cover to cover—of innumerable 19th-century songs in their original editions.
The covers invite us to engage visually with the songs. These covers were meant to attract and please the people who bought the music and put it on their upright piano at home. The typography and artwork are an expression of world for which the song was created.
Sometimes the most sublime songs have the simplest covers. The reverse is also true: many deservedly forgotten songs have memorable covers. I can certify that a good many of these songs are not really worth singing, but they are certainly fun to look at. Enjoy.