Handbills were typically passed from the hand of a hired worker who distributed the fragile paper for the show’s management to passersby on the street. Different than broadsides, though occupying a similar place in history and serving the same purpose, handbills typically were smaller and often, though not always, printed on both sides.
Most show handbills that have survived until today were found in old books or glued into scrapbooks. Their fragility and ephemeral quality make handbills from the 18th and 19th century rare.
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