"Felon of New York!" Sadler's Wells Theatre April 25, 1836. Playbill.
London: 1836. London theater broadside for the 5th, 6th & 7th nights of performance of a melodrama featuring a New York City villain. The melodrama reflects the reality of life in New York and other major American cities of the day: a huge upsurge in mob violence and crime, and inadequate protection for residents.
The 1830s in New York City saw a rapid increase in population, ethnic tensions due to increased foreign immigration, and the gathering importance of the abolition movement, all of which fueled increases in crime, countered by an untrained police force. A professional police force In New York wasn't established until the 1840s.
Printed in a variety of bold type fonts on pale blue paper. 9 x 17". Few short closed tears at edges, otherwise very good condition. Not found in WorldCat. Item #24758
Price: $175.00