Broadside for Blind Tom

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

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.].

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