Jack's Fidelity

Broadside printed with the words of the song 'Jacks Fidelity' written by Charles Dibdin. The five verses are printed below a shield shaped woodcut engraving of the sailor Jack arriving home from his travels. The ballad, written in the first person, recounts the tale of Jack's attempts to remain faithful to his 'Poll', throughout his foreign travels. Printed on August 7th 1794 this was one in a series of ballads published by John Marshall in the 1790s. Charles Dibden was one of London's most popular and prolific singer songwriters in the late 18th century. His comic operas were regularly performed in London theatres including Salder's Wells, Covent Garden, Drury Lane and the Haymarket. From the 1790s Dibdin performed musical evenings at his own place of entertainment named Sans Souci, originally located in the Strand and then in Leicester Place.

Song sheets printed with the words of popular songs being performed in London's theatres could be purchased from street hawkers standing outside the theatres to enable theatre goers to sing along with the performance. They were often then kept as souvenirs of a theatre visit and framed to decorate walls in the home.