(MUSIC--SONG SHEETS.) Yella Busha Bella * Heenan and the Black. Two very unusual song sheets, 10-1/4 x 7 inches (margins approximate) with woodcut vignettes; printed on very fine paper which has become quite toned and brittle; small repair to the reverse of the first title. England, circa 1840's to 1860's
Yella Busha Bella, recounts in verse the story of black man's unsuccessful attempts to woo a light-skinned, or "Yella" gal. Also on the same sheet is "A Life by the Gally (sic) Fire, with a woodcut of an exaggerated black face and a sailing ship. The second piece, "Heenan and the Black" refers to the great American pugilist John C. Heenan. However, we could find no match in which Heenan fought a "known" black fighter. The second sheet bears a large printed number "763" at the base of the page.
