Post-Revolutionary War to Civil War
Ribald "New Catherine Ogee" of Monmouth, New Jersey
c. 1835, Early Broadside style Printed Poetic Ribald Ditty "New Catherine Ogee," Monmouth, New Jersey, Attributed to John Howe of Greenwich and Enfield, Choice Extremely Fine.
This original Broadside measures 7.25" x 7.5" and is matted and framed within maple wood to an overall size of 12.75" x 12.75" being ready for display. It is a Bawdy poem in 12 numbered stanzas of which nine end in the italicized phrase: Late evening dew. Not in Checklist Amer. imprints. Design and illustration of broadside identical to one with different poem bearing imprint: Printed by S. Howe, Enfield. Solomon Howe, printer, son of Baptist minister and author Solomon Howe (1750-1835), printed with his brother John in Greenwich and Enfield, Mass. and published some broadsides with his own imprint in the 1830's. The town of Enfield was separated from Greenwich, Mass. and incorporated in 1816.. First line: At Monmouth, New Jersey, a place of renown. A randy, 12 stanza poem about a young man's seduction of a fair damsel in the "Late Evening Dew" (a phrase repeated often in this ditty). So prudish were the times that even the word "thighs" was censored, appearing as "t****s! A soft stain runs horizontally through the lower half, but the rest of the paper is bright and fresh, and the printing is crisp and clear. We've never seen or read anything quite like this, but it just goes to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same! John Howe's ribald humor came at the expense of women and his imprints were considered quite notorious in their day. They are typically portrayed as highly sexual beings who enjoy intercourse and lust after it. This boldly printed example is quite fresh and fairly bright with bold black printed text. Printed in two columns. Cut of arrangement of musical instruments and score centered beneath title. An important original example that collectors of women's liberation should take note of, that is rarely ever offered.