The Dandy O

Broadside ballad or songsheet entitled 'The Dandy O'. Comprising six verses printed in two columns on the bottom half of the sheet the ballad or song recounts the tale of the unpopular officer soldier 'Dandy O' who perished on the battlefield. Printed above the verses is a shield shaped woodcut engraving depicting in the foreground two officers and, in the background, a line of soldiers and tents. The broadside was one in a series published by John Marshall in the 1790s. It is possible the words relate to a popular song from a comic opera being performed in London at the time.

Broadside ballads and songs depicting the lives of sailors and soldiers were particularly popular during the Napoleonic wars as many British men left the UK to fight overseas. Often published by small back street printers in areas such as Seven Dials in Covent Garden they were sold by street sellers and travelling pedlars. The ballad writers would receive little reward from the printers for their efforts, reportedly sometimes only a few pints of ale. Illustrated broadsides such as this were often purchased for decorating the walls of homes and taverns.