Printed Ephemera — 1796-08-17
O Dear, what can the matter be
Broadside printed with three verses of the popular song 'O dear, what can the matter be' illustrated with a shield shaped woodcut engraving of a countryman returning to his family from the fair.
Broadsides printed with popular, well-known ballads that people could sing along to were extremely popular with Londoners. They were mass printed and sold cheaply by ballad hawkers trading on London's streets. 'Oh dear, what can the matter be' achieved widespread popularity in London from about 1792 when it was performed at the Vocal Concerts organised by Samuel Harrison and Charles Knyvett. This broadside dated 1796 indicates the enduring popularity of the ballad and was in in a series of similar broadsides published by John Marshall in the 1790s. Such illustrated broadsides were often framed and hung on walls to decorate homes and taverns.
- Category:
- Printed Ephemera
- Object ID:
- A19347
- Object name:
- O Dear, what can the matter be
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- Marshall, John
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1796-08-17
- Material:
paper, ink
- Measurements/duration:
- H 247 mm, W 153 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.