Historical Objects

A collection of 559 broadsides, most measuring 28 x 11 1/2 cm. Broadsides were printed and sold in streets and at fairs and markets from the early days of printing, often by ballad singers. These broadsides were mostly printed in Dublin, probably between 1860 and 1876, by the printer P. Brereton.

The Dupee Collection offers nearly 200 broadsides published after the Mexican republic secured its independence in 1821. Chronicled within the broadsides are Mexican partisan politics, religious and anti-clerical debates, popular literature and drama, domestic revolutions and armed conflict with the ...

The Roud Folk Song Index seeks to provide details of English-language traditional songs that have been recorded in any medium - books, journals, newspapers, manuscript collections in public and private hands, published or unpublished sound recordings, videos, websites, and so on. -- The bulk of the entries in the Broadside Index are references to songs published on printed street literature trade (late 16th to late 19th centuries) in the form of broadsides, chapbooks, and cheap songsters. Coverage has been extended to include a much wider range of popular and vernacular songs including, in particular, 18th century songbooks and 19th century music hall publications. Originally envisaged as covering Britain and Ireland, material from across the English-speaking world is now included. The cut-off date is about 1920.

Offers 30,000 searchable images of printed items never intended to last. The remarkably diverse subjects of these broadsides range from contemporary accounts of the Civil War, unusual occurrences and natural disasters to official government proclamations, tax bills and town meeting reports.

Digitized historic photographs, advertisements, texts & more from Duke's unique library collections.

Broadsides are single-sheet publications, often issued as ephemera or announcements. The Harris Broadsides Collection is a comprehensive collection of American poetry published in broadside format from colonial times to the present. The collection offers materials covering a broad spectrum of American life, and includes poetry of every description: 18th and 19th century ballads, verse describing newsworthy events, poetic effusions of sentimentality and patriotism, comic verse, and much more. When completed, this digital project will include over 20,000 titles.

American Antiquarian Society's project to provide digital facsimiles of 18th and 19th century broadsides with ballads. Essays discussing material and content available.