Rare Song Sheet Written In Negro Dialect

(African-American Broadside) I'M OFF FOR CHARLESTON.  T.M. Scroggy, Publisher No. 443 Vine Street below 13th where all the new songs can be had, wholesale and retail. The lyrics are in African-American vernacular English. Undated, c. 1850's, the broadside was written by William B. Dondaldson and dedicated to Charles White Esq., the owner of a minstrel company. Dondaldson (1822-1876) was a left-handed banjo player who hailed from Poughkeepsie, New York, whose career alternated between clowning for the circuses (where he was the first to perform in black-face) and performing as a theater minstrel.The song was popularized by the Christy Minstrels, a blackfacer minstrel troupe. According to The Library Company of Philadelphia this is the "f" variant as it has the owrd "and" in the first line and measures 15.5 x 21.3 cm.

I'M OFF TO CHARLESTON was published in a number of editions in the 1850's, apparently the irst was in 1853, printed in Philadelphia by Eckel and Johnson. This issue published by T.M. Scroggy appeared between 1853 and 1858 while a number of editions also appeared in New York. All editions are considered rare.

Broadside is 8 x 6 inches. The title, five stanzas and publication information are witin an ornamental border. Small light corner stain to top right corner and loss to lower left, overall in vg cond.

Souce: The Library Company of Philadelphia