Call Number:

Print Collection 4

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

1.1 linear feet (3 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

American and British ballads, Print Coll. 4, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

circa 18th-19th centuries (inclusive)

Form:

Ballads

Abstract:

Broadside ballads are single sheets of paper printed on one side with song lyrics. These ballads were about love, religion, legends, current events, etc. and were printed and circulated in large quantities. They were popular from the 16th through the 19th centuries in England, Ireland, and North America.

Broadsides are single sheets of paper printed on one side. They were one of the most common forms of printed material between the 16th and 19th centuries and were therefore used not only for ballads, but for handbills, proclamations, newsletters, advertisements, etc. as well. A ballad is technically any song that tells a story, but the term "broadside ballad" refers specifically to ballads that were printed on broadsides both for ease of dispersal (they could be pasted up on tavern walls, doled out for a penny a piece, and folded into chapbooks) and because it was faster, easier, and less expensive to print them that way. Broadside ballads were frequently illustrated with woodcuts, but the illustrations rarely related to the contents of the ballad and were reused and shared amongst printers often enough that they effectively became stock images. Subject matter ranged from love, religion, and legends to journalistic accounts of current events and drinking songs. They were typically new compositions, though sometimes on old themes or retelling old stories. Printers would occasionally reprint ballads, but it seems that ballads were more likely to live on in their tunes. The broadsides very rarely included printed music; it was far more common for the ballads to be printed with lyrics and the suggestion of a well-known tune. Thus, ballad tunes were used and reused repeatedly with new titles replacing the old as they gained more popularity. With the ease of producing them and the wide subject range, broadside ballads were incredibly popular in England, Ireland, and later in North America. Researchers interested in 18th and 19th century popular song and broadside publishing in England and the United States may find this collection to be of interest.

Works referenced:

Introduction: Broadside Ballads & The Oral Tradition. University of Glasgow Special Collections

Resources. UCSB English Broadside Ballad Archive

This collection contains 1.1 linear feet (3 boxes) of broadside ballads published in the United States and in England. Some are dated from the late 18th and the mid-to-late 19th centuries, but the bulk of the items are undated. The subject matter of the ballads in this collection ranges from love songs and legends to religious and journalistic ballads. While broadside ballads are traditionally printed on a single side of one sheet, this collection includes two handwritten ballads (The Flitch of Bacon, BB F6490 and Dumnow Flitch of Bacon, BB F6492) and a few printed chapbooks as well. Many of the items in this collection have decorative borders or woodcut illustrations. The broadsides in this collection were originally arranged by call number. The physical arrangement remains the same, but they are now listed alphabetically by main words with the call number serving as the folder number. Box 2, items 1-26 are held in a single folder. Researchers should also note that titles have been entered as they appear on the page and thus spelling differences and misprints persist (i.e. "luckey" for "lucky," "wanderrer" for "wanderer," "forexer" for "forever," etc.).