6/12/2023 0 Comments Broadside far from home rare![]() Merchants and inventors used broadsides to sell their wares, or to attract investors. Urban dwellers could learn of a new production for a play, or find out Barnum’s circus was coming in the Fall. They could be printed to broadcast a political manifesto, a religious sermon, a military declaration, the news of a great battle, or a Presidential proclamation.Ī broadside might advertise a newly-arrived shipment of goods. Their purpose has been served.Īmerican broadsides presented diverse subjects. And then - more often than not - they get thrown into the garbage. These ephemeral artifacts documented the beliefs, activities, and concerns of a very specific time and place in American history. Intense, visually interesting, or designed with clever graphics, broadsides were an important public means of spreading news, and information, within a community.Īmerican broadsides fall under the broader category of ephemera - printed items created and intended only for temporary, fleeting use. Printed from single sheets of paper, of various sizes, “broadsides” are what we call today a “poster”. ![]() American broadsides were prolific in the 18th century and 19th century.
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