Uncommonly early 7 x 8.72-inch black and white portrait-- trimmed down from 8x10 inches for framing purposes-- shown at the piano, which he could only play in the key of F, boldly signed and inscribed in blue fountain pen in 1942. In fine condition for its age, with the tip of the "T" in the word "To" slightly grazed by the trimming; two small areas of paper loss at the bottom corner tips; and a few light surface cracks and creases. With a life that spanned more than 100 years and a catalogue of over 1,000 songs, legendary composer and lyricist Irving Berlin was perhaps best summed up by Jerome Kern, who wrote, "Irving Berlin has no place in American music-- He is American music." After publishing the smash hit "Alexander's Ragtime Band" in 1911, Berlin poured out an endless stream of impossibly catchy ballads, dance numbers, novelty tunes, and love songs-- often with deceptively complex subtleties and tremendous emotional depth-- which would, one by one, become part of the Great American Songbook.  Among his countless hits, penned for Broadway musicals and major motion pictures, were "How Deep Is the Ocean", "Blue Skies", White Christmas", "Always", "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better", "There's No Business Like Show Business", "Cheek to Cheek", "Puttin' on the Ritz", "What'll I Do", A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody", "Heat Wave", "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning", "Easter Parade", "Let's Face the Music and Dance", "God Bless America", "This Year's Kisses", "I Say It's Spinach", "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee", "Better Luck Next Time", "Mandy", "Be Careful, It's My Heart", "Change Partners", "Marie", "I'm Puttin' All My Eggs in One Basket", "I Love a Piano", "Now It Can Be Told", "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", "Play a Simple Melody", "I Used to Be Color Blind", "Let Yourself Go", "Say It Isn't So", "Slumming on Park Avenue", and "You'd Be Surprised".  In 1943, the repeat Oscar nominee took home the trophy for the score for Holiday Inn (1942).

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