The Paupers
[Philadelphia]: T.M. Scroggy, Publisher, No. 443 Vine St. below 13th, [n.d., 1853-57]. Small broadside of a song, sung to the tune of Ben Bolt, of economic depression and societal desperation. Professor Ric N. Caric, in quoting The Paupers as an example in its entirety, suggests that pre-Civil War songs lost the character of men “as demonstrating their independence and good heartedness in the face of dangerous forces” rather “The Paupers represents dependence and degradation as the norm and independent men . . . as being dragged down to the lowest level of the social order. Independence, honor, and respectability were still portrayed as the dominant values, but ‘the Paupers’ referred to these values primarily to demonstrate their unattainability.” The Man with the Poker Enters the Room: Delirium Tremens and Popular Culture in Philadelphia, 1828-1850 (2007).
9.5” x 5.8”. Wolf 1859. Dated as Scroggy is listed at the address of publication in Philadelphia directories for 1853-57. Good with some damp staining at the top, diagonal crease, small holes not affecting text, toning, and tears on the left edge where it was apparently disbound. Item #264
Price: $40.00