Broadside entitled 'Dandy Bewitched'

Commentary

This sheet begins: 'A copy of a Love Letter from a Dandy Clerk, in this city, to a well-known Mauntamaker, wherein he depones by his beben tuckers, (which he declares to be of the finest cambric) that he loves her above all the Rules of Arithmetic.' The letter is signed 'John Slink' and the sheet carries a woodcut illustration of an idyllic landscape.

The main point of this text seems to be John Slink's complete lack of finances despite his determination to have the world think he is of the nobility and well-moneyed. This he does principally through credit. Other insights into society are given, however, with the Botanical Gardens being mentioned: the dandy walks in them on a Sunday, and his lady was seen walking out with her friend there. Valentines and pieces of clothing are also alluded to.

Broadsides, cheap and accessible, were often used as moral forums with 'lessons of life' included in the narrative. Broadside authors tended to see themselves as moral guardians and teachers in society. As such, publishers often disseminated 'educational' texts outlining the social and personal consequences of undisciplined or immoral behaviour.

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