Harris Broadsides

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.
This collection is part of Brown University Library, hosted by Brown University.

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Items in this collection

Munson's Hill!

Munson's Hill!

Brown University

Tune: "Call me pet names" Within border of type ornaments; woodcut of hunter with dog at head of title.

Municipal concerts given by the City of Providence: Fairman's Band, Roswell H. Fairman, conductor and Providence Comm...

Broadsheet printed in one column on recto and two columns divided by single line on verso. On recto program for afternoon and evening concerts, with different selections, at Roger Williams Park on July 29, 1917. On verso, headed: The Community Chorus belongs to the people, words of six popular and patriotic songs, beginning with America.

Munchausen's wonderful shot

Broadsheet advertising card printed in colors on heavy white paper; text in black. On recto colored illustration of man in 18th-century clothing firing rifle, watched by boy fairy standing beside box of tobacco. Heading on recto: Smoke Gail & Ax's Little Joker tobacco. Title from title of poem on verso. Suggested range of publication dates from internal evidence.

Munchausen is fired into the enemy's camp

Broadsheet advertising card printed in colors on heavy white paper; text in black. On recto colored illustration of man in 18th-century clothing being fired from cannon by boy fairy standing beside box of tobacco. Heading on recto: Smoke Gail & Ax's Little Joker tobacco. Title from title of poem on verso. Suggested range of publication dates from internal evidence.

Munchausen and the surprising cheese island

Broadsheet advertising card printed in colors on heavy white paper; text in black. On recto colored illustration of man in 18th-century clothing and boy fairy with box of tobacco standing by huge broken egg from which baby bird emerges. Heading on recto: Smoke Gail & Ax's Little Joker tobacco. Title from title of poem on verso. Suggested range of publication dates from internal evidence.

Munchausen and the great snow thaw

Broadsheet advertising card printed in colors on heavy white paper; text in black. On recto colored illustration of man in 18th-century clothing lying in snow, watched by boy fairy with box of tobacco. Heading on recto: Smoke Gail & Ax's Little Joker tobacco. Title from title of poem on verso. Suggested range of publication dates from internal evidence.

Munchausen and the big black fox

Broadsheet advertising card printed in colors on heavy white paper; text in black. On recto colored illustration of man in 18th-century clothing whipping black fox, watched by boy fairy leaning on box labelled, "Little Joker long cut smoking & cigarette tobacco." Heading on recto: Smoke Gail & Ax's Little Joker tobacco. Title from title of poem on verso. Suggested range of publication dates from internal evidence.

Mt. Holyoke twenty-fifth, 1862

Pages [2,4] blank. Poetry. Within ornamental border on page [1], double line border on page [3] Between title and title of poem: Animo et fide. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which became Mount Holyoke College, opened in 1837.

Mt. Holyoke Lodge: Funeral dirge

Printed on card stock within border of type ornaments. Between title and subtitle cut of Masonic symbols on open book. To be sung to the tune: Pleyel's hymn. Text of dirge in three four-lne stanzas. Suggested range of publication dates from internal evidence.

Mrs. John Drew's Arch St. Theatre index. Jos. D. Murphy, business agent & treasurer: Saturday eve'g, Dec. 27, 1873. M...

Printed in three columns of unequal size divided by single line with wider center column framed by single-line border; all within triple-line border. Title from first lines; subtitle from first lines of center column. Center column playbill for A. Daly's Flash of lightning. First column headed: Violetta Colville praises Colville's singing in Linda di Chamonix at the Municipal Theatre.

Mrs. John Drew's Arch St. Theatre index. Jos. D. Murphy, business agent & treasurer: Saturday eve'g, Dec. 27, 1873. M...

Printed in three columns of unequal size divided by single line with wider center column framed by single-line border; all within triple-line border. Title from first lines; subtitle from first lines of center column. Center column playbill for A. Daly's Flash of lightning. First column headed: Violetta Colville praises Colville's singing in Linda di Chamonix at the Municipal Theatre.

Mrs. Babbitt's Christmas present: To Florence Lewis Smalley Babbitt

Poem in 52 lines headed: The relic humter. Type-signed at end: Helen E.C. Balmer. Lansing, Mich., Dec. 25, 1906. In lower margin, bracketed: Mrs. Balmer is Past Worthy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, and the author of the popular and appropriate songs in use by the O.E.S. and L.O.T.M.

Mr. M. B. Curtis as Sam'l of Posen

Printed on heavy paper; pages [1] and [4] within different ornamental borders; pages [2] and [3] within single-line borders. On page [1] cut of man wearing long overcoat and derby hat and carrying two cases, captioned: The commercial drummer; at sides of figure: Der drummer is the most innocent man on the road. Cover title. On pages [2]-[3] humorous prose pieces about drummers, or traveling salesmen. Dialect poem on page [4] has eight four-line stanzas; last line of each stanza is: Der Drummer. Suggested range of publication dates from internal evidence.

Mr. Joe Louis: a befitting honor to the pride of our race, Mr. Joe Louis

Printed on pink paper. Issued in lettered illustrated green paper wrapper. On front cover, page [1] and page [4] reproductions of photographs of Louis with his wife and manager; on page [2] collage of African American athletes and white children. Caption title. Above illustration on page [1]: Joe Louis, gentleman of merit and pugilist. Poem in six four-line stanzas. On back cover advertising for other poetry books by Noble Wiley. Suggested publication date from mention of Louis's birth "just about twenty one years ago."

Mr. Dempster's ballad soirees: New York Society Library

Page [1] within border of type ornaments. At head of text: Mr. Dempster has the honor to announce that his second ballad soiree, will be given at the N.Y. Society Library, on Friday evening, June 14th. Date suggested because appearance of item indicates the 1840s and June 14 fell on a Friday in 1844.

Mr. Arnold said

Mr. Arnold said

Brown University

Poem satirizes Rhode Island politics; speaker denies that, because he is paid by a railroad, he corruptly favors the railroad's interests. Poem satirizes Rhode Island politics; speaker denies that, because he is paid by a railroad, he corruptly favors the railroad's interests. Poem in four eight-line stanzas. Date from ms. notation (by author?) on Brown University Harris copy. Author's name from ms. notation on Brown University copies.