Poster — Poster for the Victoria Palace, London, featuring Gracie Fields, Great Britain, 1933
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1933
Poster in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.274-2008), made in Great Britain, dated 1933. The museum's brief description reads: Poster for the Victoria Palace, London, advertising the programme for the week commencing on Monday, 13 March 1933, featuring Gracie Fields. Museum description: Typographic and photographic poster for the Victoria Palace, London, printed in red and blue on paper attached to card, with photographic image of Gracie Fields printed in blue ink. Advertising the programme commencing on Monday 13 March, n.y., featuring Gracie Fields; the 3 Rascals; Young & Younger; Auntie on the Bike; Jackson Owen and Co; Balliol & Merton; Mary and Erik; Cardini; Jane Ayr and Eddie Leslie assisted by Art Kildare. Printed with the names of the Theatre Managing Director: R.H. Gillespie; Manager: Albert B. Vasco; Direction: George Black. The museum records it as Printed paper on card, measuring Height 50.8 cm; Width 31.7 cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Poster for the Victoria Palace, London, advertising the programme for the week commencing on Monday, 13 March 1933, featuring Gracie Fields. Typographical posters such as this were typical of the advertisements for variety theatres in Great Britain in the first half of the 20th century. Variety developed out of music hall and, like its predecessor, provided a number of entertainers on one programme. As small music halls gave way to the large variety theatres built by profitable concerns such as Moss Empires, the type of entertainment on offer became more ambitious. Variety shows typically took place twice-nightly, and the star performer, whose spot was the culmination of the show, had their name at the top of the poster, literally 'topping the bill'. Before the days of television and radio, variety was tremendously popular. Every town in Britain would have boasted a variety theatre and its stars could command fabulous salaries. As cinema and television became the mass means of entertainment, a host of variety theatres were converted to cinemas or were closed. Seaside variety shows fared better than most and kept their patrons in the 1950s and 1960s by engaging stars who made their names on the radio, in the burgeoning rock and pop industry, or in television.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- printing ink, paper, card
- Dimensions
- Height 50.8 cm; Width 31.7 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Printed paper on card
- Place recorded
- Great Britain
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- 'Probably 1933'.
Identification
- Museum object name
- Poster
- Museum object number
- S.274-2008
- Museum system number
- O172432
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.