Ephemera

A theater poster of 1872. Note the
thick serif from French
Clarendon.

The term broadside seems to have been used interchangeably with the word poster, being defined by DesignHistory.org as printed documents printed on one side to issue public decrees and government notifications as well as other usages. They were distributed in town squares intended for short term consumption and referred to as ephemera.

With the production of newspapers taking over the lengthy bodies of explanatory text, the broadsides were intended to "have immediate impact" and were also made available for purchase to the general public. As the largest type available for printing was a mere 12 point, the wooden slug was developed for large type posters for economic and storage reasons. Large slugs were also heavy to handle.

However, wooden and metal type were mixed on the same sheet. Wooden drills and lateral routers were developed to manufacture type; eventually, type cutters developed a method of adhering veneer to holly blocks by 1880.