Broadside entitled 'Mr Blair's Claim to Represent the Independent Electors of the City of Edinburgh'

Commentary

This election manifesto begins: 'He will support a true, thorough, safe and substantial REFORM of every abuse in Church and State, at home and abroad. / 2. He will unflinchingly advocate a strict and unsparing RETRENCHMENT of all superfluous expenditure, and the speediest possible abolition of useless places, pensions and sinecures, whether in the Court of Exchequer or anywhere else.' The sheet is not dated and does not carry the name of the publisher or the place of publication

This is an early example of the sort of pre-electoral literature that is still distributed by candidates in their constituencies today. The sheet shown here is far less glossy than its modern equivalents, but it nevertheless works on the same principle, listing a number of promises that the candidate claims he will honour if elected. The candidate behind this sheet, Mr Blair appears to have been standing on an independent ticket rather than as a representative of any party.

Broadsides are single sheets of paper, printed on one side, to be read unfolded. They carried public information such as proclamations as well as ballads and news of the day. Cheaply available, they were sold on the streets by pedlars and chapmen. Broadsides offer a valuable insight into many aspects of the society they were published in, and the National Library of Scotland holds over 250,000 of them.

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