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Broadside entitled 'The Husband's Commandments' |
CommentaryThis satirical broadside begins: '1. I am thy husband; thou shalt have no other husband but me, whom thou didst vow to love, honour and obey; for I saved thee from old-maidenism, and rescued thee from the terror of single blessedness.' A note at the foot of the sheet states that it was published, or supplied, by 'L. Macartney, The Poet's Box, 184 Overgate, Dundee'. Parodying the Ten Commandments, the writer of this light-hearted broadside informs his audience that husbands, rather than God, are the all-powerful deities that women should really be worshipping. Employing bible-like language, the writer proceeds to give ten amusing reasons why wives should unquestioningly obey their husbands. Although the writing is completely male chauvinist pig in tone, it should be noted that this broadside is part of a pair. 'The Wife's Commandments' is written from the perspective of a female chauvinist sow, and answers the husband's orders with her own decrees. The National Library of Scotland's collection contains both of these humorous broadsides. It is not clear what the connection between the different Poet?s Boxes were. They almost certainly sold each other?s sheets. It is known that John Sanderson in Edinburgh often wrote to the Leitches in Glasgow for songs and that later his brother Charles obtained copies of songs from the Dundee Poet?s Box. There was also a Poet?s Box in Belfast from 1846 to 1856 at the address of the printer James Moore, and one at Paisley in the early 1850s, owned by William Anderson. 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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Probable date of publication:
1906- shelfmark: RB.m.143(064)
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