1900 antique UNCLE TOM’S CABIN theater AGENTS STATEMENT broadside Downie’s Co For Sale

1900 antique UNCLE TOM’S CABIN theater AGENTS STATEMENT broadside Downie’s Co
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Original 19th/early 20th-century Agent’s Statement broadside from Downie’s Big Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company, a famous traveling theater troupe that staged Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin across American towns. This large printed form measures approx. 5.5" x 13.5" and includes blank spaces for town, theater, ticket prices, seating capacity, number of heralds/lithos/cards distributed, names of papers contacted, and other logistics.

Printed on thin paper stock, this ephemeral piece would have been carried by company agents from town to town, filled out to record details of each stop. Surviving examples are rare, as most were discarded after use.

Dating Clues from the Piece:

“Downie’s Big Uncle Tom’s Cabin Co.” – research shows this was one of the largest and most active of the “Tom Shows” (traveling dramatizations of Uncle Tom’s Cabin) that flourished after the Civil War.

The troupe is documented as being on the road by the 1880s, and newspapers carry ads and reviews of “Downie’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company” especially in the 1890s–1900s.

The term Agent’s Statement (with blanks for “Heralds,” “Lithos,” “School Cards,” “Baggagemen,” “Bill Boys”) reflects the very structured touring system common around 1890–1910, when companies used standardized forms to report to the main office. Earlier (1870s–1880s), many companies used looser correspondence.

Typography and layout style also suggest late Victorian into early Edwardian, not mid-century. The pointed serif fonts and the standardized dotted fill-in lines are consistent with ca. 1895–1910 printing ephemera.

Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.


CONDITION: See listing description and photos.











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