What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
Newport Mercury (November 1, 1773).
“Performing before the EMPEROR of GERMANY, The EMPRESS of RUSSIA and KING of GREAT-BRITAIN.”
“and the D—l.”
Following his visits to New York and Boston and his exhibitions of “HORSEMANSHIP” in those cities in the summer and fall of 1773, Mr. Bates next performed in Newport, Rhode Island. An advertisement in the November 1 edition of the Newport Mercury repeated much of the copy from newspaper notices and a handbill that Bates distributed while in Boston. Presumably he provided one of those advertisements to Solomon Southwick’s printing office, perhaps with some manuscript additions concerning the date, location, and other particulars for his performances in Newport. The November 1 iteration concluded with instructions for “those who had tickets for last Saturday, and did not attend” to see Ichabod Potter to exchange them for new tickets to the next performance. No advertisement previously appeared in the Newport Mercury, suggesting that Bates used broadsides, handbills, and word of mouth to promote his first performance.
The copy of the Newport Mercury digitized for Readex’s database of America’s Historical Newspapers includes manuscript additions that reveal how at least one resident of Newport felt about Bates and the “MANLY ART” of horsemanship that he presented to audiences in the towns that he visited. The advertisement listed several monarchs who had viewed Bates’s exhibition, including the “KING of GREAT-BRITAIN, The FRENCH KING, the KINGS of PRUSSIA, PORTUGAL, SWEEDEN, DENMARK, and POLAND, and the Prince of ORANGE.” Someone, obviously not a fan, wrote “and the D—l” at the end of the list, asserting that Bates also performed for Satan. The itinerant performer claimed that he “received the greatest APPLAUSE, as can be made manifest by the CERTIFICATES from the several Courts, now in his possession.” The unknown critic added that Bates had a certificate “also from the High Court of Pandemonium.” It was not the first time that Bates encountered resistance to the spectacle that he presented. Just a few weeks earlier, advertisements announced the publication of a pamphlet “entitled, Mr. Bates and his Horses, WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE. IN which is shewn, with great Brevity, that his Exhibitions in Boston, are impoverishing, disgraceful to human Nature, and downright Breaches of the Sixth Commandment.” Someone did not appreciate the entertainment that Bates provided or the disruptions his performances caused. In both Boston and Newport, some colonizers greeted Bates with disdain even as many others flocked to his performances.
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy (October 11, 1773).
“Positively the last Time here. MR. BATES Will perform To-Morrow.”
On the eve of his final performance in Boston, Mr. Bates once again published newspaper advertisements in hopes of drawing crowds for his feats of horsemanship. His performances spanned about five weeks in September and October, only a limited time for audiences to witness his exhibitions of what he described as a “MANLY ART” in newspaper notices and as “Manly Exercises never seen here” on a handbill. The performance on October 12 would be their last chance to see the spectacle or see it again, “Positively the last Time here.” Like other itinerant performers, Bates attempted to harness the power of the press for his advantage, advertising widely in several newspapers during his time in Boston. Both the Boston-Gazette and the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy carried his notice on the day before his last performance.
Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy (October 11, 1773).
Perhaps to Bates’s chagrin … or perhaps to his delight, if he considered any sort of publicity good publicity likely to turn out the curious … the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy also featured an advertisement for a pamphlet, “Mr. Bates and his Horses, WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE.” The notice promised that the pamphlet would demonstrate “that his Exhibitions in Boston, are impoverishing, disgraceful to human Nature, and downright Breaches of the Sixth Commandment.” Unlike an earlier advertisement that stated that the pamphlet would be printed “In a few Days,” this one declared that it was “THIS DAY PUBLISHED, And to be SOLD at the New Printing-Office” on Hanover Street. Whatever the sales and circulation of the pamphlet may have been in October 1773, it proved more ephemeral than the handbill that the daredevil distributed to promote his show. No known copy survives in a research library, historical society, or private collection.
The performer did not acknowledge any sort of controversy in his advertisements. Instead, he offered his appreciation to his audiences, proclaiming that he “is extremely obliged to the Gentlemen of Boston, who have countenanced him in his Performances.” He had gained enough celebrity (or perhaps notoriety) that he merely advised “TICKETS to be had at the usual Places,” without listing his local agents for readers. Short of the authorities shutting down his show, Bates may have welcomed any sort of attention that raised the visibility of his show among prospective audiences.
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this week?
Rivington’ New-York Gazetteer (October 7, 1773).
“The usual genteel accommodation for set CLUBS, and other private companies large or small.”
Samuel Fraunces (or Samuel Francis) was one of the most prominent American tavernkeepers and restaurateurs in the late eighteenth century. He remains famous today, in part because Fraunces Tavern at 54 Pearl Street in New York City continues to welcome visitors in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A tavern and restaurant occupy the first floor and the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York operate a museum on the second and third floors.
Fraunces frequently advertised during the era of the American Revolution. In the fall of 1773, for instance, he inserted a notice in Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer to promote the “QUEEN’s HEAD TAVERN, Near the Exchange in Broad-street.” The industrious entrepreneur presented a visit to the tavern as an experience that incorporated food, drink, entertainment, service, and atmosphere. He invited “the respectable inhabitants of this city” to dine and socialize in the “large commodious room” that he outfitted for “the reception and entertainment” of his guests. He encouraged them “to regale themselves with fine ALE of this country produce, equal to any imported,” though he also had on hand “draft, or bottled porter from London, of the first quality” as well as an assortment of wines, punch, and spirits. Fraunces wanted his patrons to eat as well as drink, serving “beef stakes, mutton or pork chops, veal stakes or cutlets, fry’d oysters,” and other fare throughout the day and evening.
New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury (June 13, 1772).
The tavernkeeper placed a premium on service. In addition to his staff preparing and serving the food “in the neatest manner,” Fraunces undertook “every other necessary requisite to give general satisfaction” to his customers, “particularly, the best attendance, the most respectful behaviour, and a hearty acknowledgment of those favours” from his patrons. Fraunces depicted the Queen’s Head Tavern as an exceptional venue, not only for “one or more persons” who wished to drink and dine together but also for “CLUBS, and other private companies large or small” who wished to hold their gatherings within the “genteel accommodation” he worked so hard to cultivate. As an additional inducement to visit the tavern, Fraunces moved the “elegant WAX-FIGURES” (that he described in newspaper advertisements than ran a year earlier) from Vaux-Hall Garden to the tavern. His staff included “proper attendants to shew” the wax figures at “any hour of the day or evening.” The Queen’s Head Tavern was not just any watering hole. Fraunces exerted great effort in marketing it as a destination.
New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury (August 17, 1772).
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter (October 7, 1773).
“Positively the last Time here.”
Mr. Bates’s brief time in Boston would soon come to an end. In advance of his last exhibition of his feats of horsemanship, the itinerant performer placed an advertisement in the October 7, 1773, edition of the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter. Three days later, on the eve of what Bates billed as “Positively the last Time here,” he placed the same advertisement in the Boston-Gazette and the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy. By this time, he did not need to describe his act. He assumed that prospective audiences in Boston had already seen, heard about, or read about his daring exhibitions.
The performer certainly made his presence known while he was in the city. He arrived in Boston after spending a couple of months in New York. He ran his first newspaper notices in the Boston Evening-Post and the Massachusetts Gazette and Post-Boy on September 6, deploying much of the same copy he used in his advertisements in New York. Some sort of disruption apparently occurred at his first performance in Boston on September 8, prompting him to apologize “that the Ladies and Gentlemen were so much disturbed by a Number of unruly People” in an advertisement in Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter the next day. That did not prevent him from simultaneously marketing his next show and announcing that he reduced the prices for tickets. Bates also distributed at least one handbill for his show on September 28, though he may have commissioned broadsides and other handbills that have not survived. He continued placing advertisements in various local newspapers, including in the Boston Evening-Post, the Boston-Gazette, and the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy on September 20. He advertised in all three of those newspapers again a week later, though this time two of those publications carried an advertisement that denigrated the performer. Bates did not encounter universal accolades. Instead, a forthcoming pamphlet would demonstrate “that his Exhibitions in Boston are impoverishing, disgraceful to human Nature, and down-right Breaches of the Sixth Commandment.”
Did such critiques prompt Bates to finish up his performances in Boston? Or did he already have plans to move along to another town? Either way, he did not shy away from promoting his performances in the public prints, proclaiming “Positively the last Time here.” That may have been welcome news to his detractors, yet that was not Bates’s intention. Instead, he aimed to incite demand among prospective audiences by making clear that they had one last opportunity to witness the spectacle responsible for so much chatter around town. He previously used a similar “limited time only” strategy in New York in his efforts to turn out audiences for his final performances there. Whatever his shortcomings, the itinerant performer was a savvy marketer. Bates repeatedly proclaimed himself an unexcelled master of horsemanship, harnessing the power of the press with both newspaper notices and handbills to reach the public.
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter (September 9, 1773).
“Mr. BATES Is extremely sorry that the Ladies and Gentlemen were so much disturbed by a Number of unruly People.”
Mr. Bates’s first performance in Boston did not go as well as he hoped. Some sort of fracas interrupted his exhibition of feats of horsemanship, something significant enough to merit an advertisement in the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter the day after that inaugural performance. Bates declared that he was “extremely sorry that the Ladies and Gentlemen were so much disturbed by a Number of unruly People on Wednesday last when he performed.” He also expressed dismay at “so much Mischief done to the Fence,” threatening “to prosecute to the full Extent of the Law, any Person that shall attempt any thing of the Kind” during subsequent performances.
Whatever disorder occurred at that performance may have worked to Bates’s advantage. Residents of Boston likely gossiped about the disruption, spreading word about Bates’s show when they did so. Some colonizers may have become more curious to attend the next performance, both to see Bates riding “One, Two, and Three HORSES,” as he promised in his previous advertisement, and to observe whether the crowd behaved or repeated the commotion from the first performance. Watching the audience had the potential to provide as much entertainment as the show, a situation perhaps not lost on Bates. After all, he collected revenue no matter what motivated Bostonians to purchase tickets.
To further encourage sales and attendance, Bates announced that he “lower’d the Price to Three Shillings each,” part of his commitment “to do every thing in his Power to oblige the Ladies and Gentlemen” of the town. Just in case some readers had not yet heard of him and his reputation, either via newspaper advertisements or word of mouth, Bates concluded his advertisement with a summary of the introduction that he inserted in other newspapers earlier in the week. He trumpeted, “Mr. BATES is allowed by the greatest Judges in the Manly Art he professes, to excel any HORSEMAN that ever attempted any Thing of the Kind.” Like other itinerant performers, Bates resorted to superlatives to market his show, promising a spectacle that exceeded anything audiences could view in Boston or anywhere else.
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
Boston Evening-Post (September 6, 1773).
“HORSEMANSHIP, By Mr. BATES.”
Not long after Mr. Bates concluded his performances in New York, he arrived in Boston and began advertising exhibitions of his feats of horsemanship in the newspapers there. He commenced with notices in the Boston Evening-Post and the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy on Monday, September 6, 1773, informing ladies and gentlemen of the city about his performance on Wednesday or, if the weather did not permit, on Friday.
As he had done in his advertisements in New York, he deployed “HORSEMANSHIP” as a headline for his notice and then introduced himself as “The ORIGINAL PERFORMER; Who has had the honor or performing” for a longlist of royalty in Europe. He declared that he earned “the greatest APPLAUSE” from those regal audiences, but did not expect colonizers in New York to take his word for it. Instead, he had “Certificates from the several Courts” that they could examine. In addition, he asserted that the “greatest Judges in the MANLY ART” of horsemanship considered his skills “to excel any Horseman that ever attempted any Thing of the Kind.” Bates hoped that the promises of such a spectacle would entice audiences in Boston to attend his show.
He had reason to feel confident in the effectiveness of this marketing strategy. After all, he gave the same pitch in New York. He may have delivered newspapers, clippings, or perhaps even handbills from that city to the printing offices in Boston or he may have copied out the advertisement from one of those sources. Whatever method he deployed, he remained consistent in how he introduced himself and described his skills to prospective audiences, likely sticking with what worked. He also repeated another technique that he used in New York, encouraging anyone interested in the performance to acquire tickets quickly because “No Money will be taken at the Doors, nor Admittance without Tickets.” Rather than wait until the time and day of the show, Bates aimed to generate ticket sales in advance. Through experience, he devised a system that he believed worked best for inciting interest and securing his livelihood.
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer (August 5, 1773).
“It was intirely the Printer’s mistake in advertising last week that Mr. BATES would perform only once more.”
On Thursday, July 22, 1773, Mr. Bates ran an advertisement in the New-York Journal to promote his next performance showcasing feats of horsemanship, informing the public that it would take place on Tuesday, July 27. In the same notice, he announced that he “proposes, but twice more, before he leaves this City, to exhibit his Performances in Horsemanship.” He did not indicate the date of his final performance, but the same day he inserted a much shorter advertisement in Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer. “MR. BATES,” that notice proclaimed, “PROPOSES to perform on Tuesday next, and on Friday the 30th instant, and no more, before he leaves this City.” The performer placed a longer advertisement, with nearly identical copy to the one in the New-York Journal, in the New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury on July 26, the day before one of those final performances. In it, he stated that “Mr. Bates’s stay in town will be very short, as he intends performing only twice.” In each advertisement, Bates made it clear that he would remain in New York for a limited time only. Audiences interested in attending his show needed to purchase tickets before it was too late.
The next advertisement that appeared in Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer was consistent with Bates’s marketing over the prior week. On Thursday, July 29, that notice encouraged readers to attend his final performance in the city: “MR. BATES PROPOSES to perform tomorrow at the usual place, for the last time.” The New-York Journal did not happen to carry an advertisement from Bates on the day before that final performance. On Monday, August 2, the New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury once again ran the advertisement from July 26, with one update. It now stated, “TO-MORROW, being TUESDAY the 3d August, he will perform on One, Two, Three and Four HORSES, at the Bull’s-Head, in Bowery-Lane.” Only the date changed, from “27th of July” to “3d August.” A note at the end still asserted that “Mr. Bates’s stay on town will be very short, as he intends performing only twice.” On August 5, he once again advertised in the New-York Journal. The opening paragraph remained the same as what appeared in the previous two issues, but he updated information about his final performance and departure from New York. “On TUESDAY next, the 10th of August, if the weather permits, if not on the Friday following, which positively will be the last time, as Mr. Bates intends to set out on a tour for Boston the next day,” the advertisement explained, “He will perform on one, two, three and four Horses, at the Bull’s-Head, in the Bowery Lane.”
That same day, August 5, Bates placed a new advertisement in Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer, the publication that announced a week earlier that he would give his final performance on Friday, July 30. In this notice, Bates stated that he would perform the following Tuesday and allowed for the next Friday as the rain date. He once again underscored that this was the last chance to attend his who, that audiences had a limited time to witness the spectacle for themselves before he left town. He underscored that “the public may be assured this will be his last exhibition, and that he will leave this town on his way to Boston, the day after his finishing performance.” He added that it “was intirely the Printer’s mistake in advertising last week that Mr. BATES would perform only once more.” Was it? The advertisement in the July 29 edition of Rivington’s New-York Gazette accurately reflected the dates from the advertisement that appeared in the previous issue as well as the appeals that Bates made in notices in other newspapers. A savvy marketer like Bates may have intended all along to announce his imminent departure, creating demand for the final shows, and then “extend” his time in New York by a week in order to give two more performances. Alternately, his plans might have changed and that allowed him to sell tickets for two more shows.
The discrepancy in the advertisements and the supposed “Printer’s mistake” in Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer raises questions about how closely Bates coordinated his marketing efforts with each of the printing offices. Given the revisions to the advertisements in the New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury and the New-York Journal, he apparently submitted new instructions. Did he also send updated information to the other printing office only to have it inadvertently overlooked? Or did Bates plan for that newspaper to carry the “Printer’s mistake” as a means of creating confusion to amplify the sense of urgency for purchasing tickets that he wanted audiences to experience? The relief they felt after learning that they had another chance following the “Printer’s mistake” might have convinced some readers to buy tickets for what would actually be Bates’s final performance in New York … but that was not a ploy that the performer could use in more than one newspaper. Bates carefully managed his marketing efforts while in New York. He certainly sought to manipulate audiences into attending his shows after announcing they he would soon leave the city. Was the “Printer’s mistake” an actual mistake or another manipulation intended to incite interest?
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this week?
Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer (July 22, 1773).
“HORSEMANSHIP.”
“MR. BATES PROPOSES to perform on Tuesday next, and on Friday the 30th instant, and no more, before he leaves this City.” That brief advertisement in the July 22 edition of Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer put readers on notice that only limited opportunities remained to see Bates’s show. From both his frequent advertisements in New York’s newspapers and the reputation that he cultivated in the city, most readers probably knew that Bates performed feats of horsemanship for the entertainment of his audiences.
New-York Journal (July 22, 1773).
A much longer advertisement in the New-York Journal on the same day deployed the usual headline, “HORSEMANSHIP,” and described him as “The ORIGINAL PERFORMER.” Bates offered a spectacle of the “MANLY ARTS” that he previously performed for dignitaries that included “the Emperor of Germany, the Empress of Russia, the King of Great-Britain, the French King, the Kings of Prussia, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, and Poland, and the Prince of Orange.” Bates confided that he “received the greatest applause” for those performances, “as can be made manifest by the CERTIFICATES from the several courts now in his possession.” Readers did not have to take his word for it that he presented his feats of horsemanship to monarchs and aristocrats. For a mere four shillings, colonizers in New York could gain access to the same exhibition enjoyed by royals and nobles, but they had to purchase tickets in advance because “No money will be taken at the Doors, nor Admittance without Tickets.” Bates welcomed “Ladies and Gentlemen” and provided “proper” seating for their comfort, but requested that “Gentlemen will not suffer any dogs to come with them” for fear of scaring or distracting the horses.
A manicule drew attention to the same appeal that appeared in the other newspaper, though stated differently. “Mr. Bates proposes, but twice more, before he leaves this City, to exhibit his Performances in Horsemanship,” the equestrian daredevil stated. That being the case, he intended to sell “the Boards, Scantling, &c. at his riding Inclosure, together with the Benches, Rails, &c.” Dismantling the venue underscored that audiences had only a limited time to witness Bates performing “on one, two, three and four Horses, at the Bulls-Head, in Bowery-Lane.” They risked missing a performance that would “excel any Horseman that ever attempted any thing of the kind” if they hesitated and did not buy their tickets as soon as possible.
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
South-Carolina Gazette (December 31, 1772).
“Mr. SAUNDERS has been honoured with the greatest Applause,, by all the Nobility that have seen his Great Performances.”
Newspaper advertisements allow for tracing the travels of itinerant performers who entertained colonizers as they moved from town to town in the eighteenth century. Those same advertisements also provide a glimpse of some of the popular culture options available audiences in early America. Just in time for the new year, the “New Advertisements” in the December 31, 1772, edition of the South-Carolina Gazette included a notice that “THE CELEBRATED Mr. SAUNDERS Will exhibit his DEXTERITY and GRAND DECEPTION.”
Hyman Saunders, an illusionist, already established a reputation for his “Variety of new, astonishing, and entertaining Performances, by Dexterity of Hand, surpassing every Thing of the Kind that has hitherto been seen, or attempted, on this Side [of] the Atlantic” in New York and Pennsylvania. Since arriving in the colonies from Europe just over two years earlier, he had moved back and forth between New York and Philadelphia, placing advertisements in the New-York Journal, the New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury, the Pennsylvania Chronicle, and the Pennsylvania Journal.
To incite interest in his performances, Saunders suggested that colonizers would gain access and enjoy the same entertainments as the better sorts on both sides of the Atlantic. He trumpeted that he “has been honoured with the greatest Applause, by all the Nobility that have seen his Great Performances in Europe, America, and the West-Indies.” The illusionist made sure to list prominent colonial officials who had seen his performances, including the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Audiences who came to his show in “STOTHERD’s Long Room” in Charleston or hired him for “private Performances at their own Houses” would join the ranks of “the Nobility and Gentry in Great-Britain, Ireland, and America, and in particular in the capital Cities.” Residents of Charleston, one of the largest urban ports in the colonies, wanted their town to rank among those “capital Cities.” Saunders offered them an opportunity to partake in the same entertainments previously enjoyed by their counterparts in other “capital Cities” in the colonies and throughout the British Empire.
Like other itinerant performers, Saunders resorted to newspaper advertisements to announce his arrival in hopes of inciting interest in his performances. He gave a preview of the wonders that audiences would witness, noting that he earned “the greatest Applause” from audiences that included “the Nobility and Gentry … in capital Cities.” Upon purchasing tickets “at ONE DOLLAR each,” colonizers from various backgrounds could experience the same entertainments, but the better sort concerned about the prospects of rubbing elbows with the masses could also schedule private performances that enhanced their own status and Saunders’s acclaim as well.
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
Pennsylvania Journal (October 21, 1772).
“MR. SAUNDERS will exhibit his DEXTERITY and GRAND DECEPTION.”
Newspaper advertisements help in revealing some of the entertainments enjoyed by colonizers in the eighteenth century. For instance, two advertisements in the October 21, 1772, edition of the Pennsylvania Journal promoted upcoming performances and encouraged residents of Philadelphia to purchase tickets. The first offered feats of “HORSEMANSHIP, BY Mr. BATES,” promising that he did tricks “On ONE, TWO, AND THREE HORSES.” Bates and his act would have been familiar to regular readers at the time this advertisement appeared, so to entice anyone who had already seen the show to come again he proclaimed that he added “several NEW PERFORMANCES.” Patrons needed to purchase tickets in advance since “No Money [would] be taken at the DOORS, nor Admittance without a TICKET,” yet they also received a discount for purchasing more than one. The first ticket cost five shillings and the second only two shillings and six pence. In other words, Bates advertised a “buy one, get one half off” promotion.
The other advertisement announced that “MR. SAUNDERS will exhibit his DEXTERITY and GRAND DECEPTION … at the Bunch of Grapes.” Most likely, Hyman Saunders, the illusionist and itinerant performer who previously advertised in newspapers in both New York and Philadelphia, placed this notice. He boasted that he “had the honour of performing before his Excellency the Earl of Dunmore, now Governor of Virginia … and most of the nobility and gentry in Great-Britain and America, and in particular in the capital cities.” Saunders described his act as “dexterity by hand, surpassing everything of the kind that has hitherto been seen, or attempted, on this side of the Atlantic,” intending that such hyperbole would motivate readers to come to the show. As a bonus, they would also see “Mr. ABRAHAM BENJAMIN … exhibit several curious BALANCES,” feats of “DEXTERITY, in a different manner from Mr. Saunders.” Benjamin previously “had the honour of performing before the King of Denmark, and all the nobility of that kingdom.” The pedigrees of both performers likely resonated with residents of Philadelphia who aspired to be as cosmopolitan as their counterparts in European cities. Patrons could purchase tickets in advance at the Bunch of Grapes or “at Mr. Abraham Franks’s, Tobacconist.” Saunders advised that performances would “continue [on] Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.” Colonizers could also hire him for private performances in their own homes, entertaining themselves and guests fortunate enough to receive invitations.
Performers used newspaper advertisements to drum up interest in their performances in early America. They likely resorted to handbills and broadsides as well, though those kinds of advertisements were more ephemeral. Itinerant performers depended on publicity to draw audiences to their shows. Even those who spent some time in town had to resort to promoting their acts to keep audiences coming or coming back for more.
