Broadside for Blind Tom
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1887
name: label: Printed by
content: Jacob Dux & Co., American, founded 1875
label: Subject of
content: Thomas Greene Wiggins, American, 1849 - 1908
notes: label: Description
content: A broadside for the formerly enslaved musician Thomas Wiggins, known as "Blind Tom." The broadside is printed in black and red ink on cream-colored paper. Along the top edge of the broadside is large red text that reads [THE EIGHTH WONDER / of the world.]. An engraved image of Tom is in the top half of the broadside. He is shown from the chest up wearing a dark suit coat over a white collared shirt with a black cravat. His head is slightly turned towards his right shoulder and his eyes are closed. The image is set into a black rectangular border frame with vertical text on the left side reading [The great / MUSICAL PRODIGY / of the age] and text on the right reading [The most / MARVELLOUS [sic] GENIUS / living.]. Under this rectangle is large black text that reads [EMANCIPATION COMPLETE / The Last Slave Set Free by order of the Supreme Court of the United States. / Come and hear him play for himself and for your entertainment. / The Genuine, Original and Only]. In large red text at the center of the broadside are the words [BLIND TOM]. Below this are several paragraphs of text containing Tom's biography and promoting his musical talents.
place: label: Place printed
content: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Advertising
label: Topic
content: Composers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Emancipation
label: Topic
content: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Music
label: Topic
content: Musicians
label: Topic
content: Slavery
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Memorabilia and Ephemera - Advertisements
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.89
objectType: label: Type
content: broadsides
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper (fiber product)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 29 15/16 × 13 3/16 in. (76 × 33.5 cm)