'A New Song and Dialogue on Bloomerism The Men Wrong and the Women Right'. c. 1851-54 Bloomerism was named after Amelia Bloomer [1818-1894] an American journalist who owned and edited a newspaper, The Lily, initially an organ of the Temperance Movement, but which evolved into a campaigning paper on other issues relating to women. Around 1850 Bloomer took up the cause of reform of women's dress, and, after a visit from the feminist, Elizabeth Smith Miller, she adopted the style of dress known then as 'Reform Costume' or 'American Dress', based on Turkish pantaloons and adopted by forward-thinking women as a comfortable alternative to the constricting and burdensome fashions of the period. The newspapers affected a tone of outrage, hostility or mockery, seeing in the style, an affront to masculinity. This fear that women might upend the social order is comically reflected in this street ballad New Song and Dialogue on Bloomerism, published by Hodges, of 31, Dudley Street Seven Dials. The publisher, Elizabeth Hodges, had taken over the printing press of John Pitts after he died in 1844. Seven Dials was a poor slum, area of London at this time, and the broadsides were produced as cheap entertainment. To save costs a single sheet would often be cut into two 'slip' songs, but here, the single quarto sheet, was clearly intended to be kept intact, making this a rare, and, for the period, more expensive item. Hodges clearly had an eye for the potential of a comic piece and likely even commissioned the custom woodcut of a woman in bloomer dress in the top left hand corner. The figure is flanked by woodcuts of flowers and roundels meant to fill the extra space. One discreet repair with conservation tape has been made to the top edge, with some paper loss to the top LH area of the margin not remotely affecting the text, else the item is in remarkably good condition for something which was meant to be read, then thrown away. The broadside can be dated accurately to the window 1851-54 as Hodges moved her press in 1854 and Bloomerism did not impinge upon the public consciousness until Amelia Bloomer's fashion campaign in 1851. The National Library of Scotland appears to have a copy, but with a different imprint, H. Disley, Arthur Street with the - surely erroneous - date of 1845 (before Bloomerism was a 'thing'). One or other of the printers looks to have plagiarized the publication.