Playbill, Shrewsbury, 1838
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1838
Playbill in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.3104-2013), made in Shrewsbury, dated 1838, attributed to Leake, J.H.. The museum's brief description reads: Playbill advertising Mrs. Centilevre's comedy The Busy Body, Foote's comedy The Liar, and the romantic spectacle Valentine and Orson! at the Theatre, Shrewsbury, 28 November 1838. Prefaced with a statement by the manager and proprietor of the theatre Henry Bennett protesting about some content in…. Museum description: Typographic playbill headed Theatre Shewsbury, printed in black ink on originally white or cream paper in a variety of typefaces, listing the productions taking place on Wednesday 28th November 1838. Mounted on card. The museum records it as Printed ink on paper, measuring Length 36.3 cm; Width 23.4 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
The appearance of several of the actors in all of the plays performed at the Shrewsbury Theatre on the evening of 28th November 1838 shows the necessary versatility of members of a provincial theatre company in the early 19th century. Mr. Gay was in all three plays, and the fact that tickets issued by him that evening (that would probably have been hand-written orders) would be admitted indicates that this was a Benefit evening for him, from which he would have received a percentage of the profits. The paragraph of polemic against The Shrewsbury News,its proprietor Mr. Pidduck and its editor Mr. Neil, shows that the theatre's proprietor Henry Bennett had taken exception to some unflattering article or comment printed about the theatre. He lambasts the paper for its opinion and declares defiantly: 'that it will not in the least abate the zeal and perseverance of the Manager or his Performers in the attentive and faithful discharge of their arduous duty, always appreciated and rewarded by a generous and enlightened public, whose approbation and support is the only object of their ambition.'
Physical characteristics
- Material
- ink, paper
- Dimensions
- Length 36.3 cm; Width 23.4 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Printed ink on paper
- Maker recorded
- Leake, J.H.
- Place recorded
- Shrewsbury
Identification
- Museum object name
- Playbill
- Museum object number
- S.3104-2013
- Museum system number
- O1278601
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.