Playbill — Illustrated playbill advertising the programme at the Royal Bower Saloon, 24 September 1862, London, 1862
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1862
Playbill in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.323-2016), made in London, dated 1862, attributed to Phillips, J. The museum's brief description reads: Illustrated playbill advertising the programme at the Royal Bower Saloon, 24 September 1862.
Woodcut and letterpress printed by J. Phillips. Museum description: Woodcut and letterpress poster printed in black ink on white paper advertising the programme for the Royal Bower Saloon for the evening of 24th September 1862, the Benefit of Mr. S. Sawford, comprising The Tiger of the Hills, or, the Doom of Destiny featuring Mr. W.H. Harmer as Zenocles, Mr. W. Brunton as Hassan, Mr. Bennett as Tulathon, Mr. Harrison as Monetar, Mr.
W.H. Pitt as Ali Pachi, Mr. Crocker as Selim, Mr. Norman as the Envoy of Ismail, and Miss Fortescue as Helena, followed by a variety of singing; the drama Mat Graves the Yorkshire Highwayman!!, or, the Dumb Twins, starring Mr. S. Sawford as Matt Graves, with Mr. Harley, Mr. Wyatt, Mr. W.H. Pitt, Mr. J.W. Harmer, Mr. W. Brunton, Mr. Finlay, Miss Fortescue, Mrs. Brunton and Mrs. Harmer; concluding with The Woodman and his Dogs, or, Summer and Winter and the Driven Home! with members of the company as well as Mr.
J.C. Phillips and his wonderful dogs Hector and Carlo, Mr. F.H. Henry, Mr. Shays and Mrs. Harmer. With a woodcut… The museum records it as Printing ink and paper; letterpress and woodcut, measuring Height 76.2 cm; Width 23.5 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 Bower Saloon in London's Stangate Street, Lambeth, was originally attached to the Duke's Tavern, and operated as a place of entertainment from 1837 until 1878. During the 1850s when owned by Victor Hazelton, it made its name for the production of melodramas starring dogs. This playbill features a woodcut image, which was particularly good for attracting the attention of passers-by, especially those who couldn't read. The clientele of the Bower Saloon, which advertised itself as 'the only theatre for the working classes', would have included many of those, attracted by for low ticket prices, action-packed presentations including melodrama, farce and nautical drama, and the availability of alcohol, the sale of which was a popular feature of 19th century theatres like the Bower that styled themselves as saloons rather than theatres. Stage plays starring dogs had been successful 19th century fare since December 1803, when Frederick Reynolds' play The Caravan, or the Driver and His Dog opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The scene when Carlo the Newfoundland dog leapt into an artificial lake on stage to rescue a child from drowning caused a sensation, and spawned specially written dog dramas, the most famous of which, Le Chien de Montargis, ou la Forêt de Bondy, based on an old French legend, premiered in Paris in 1814. Translated as The Dog of Montargis, or the Forest of Bondy, the play became one of the staple dog dramas presented at the Bower Saloon. The dog drama on…
Physical characteristics
- Material
- paper, printing ink
- Dimensions
- Height 76.2 cm; Width 23.5 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Printing ink and paper; letterpress and woodcut
- Maker recorded
- Phillips, J
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Museum object name
- Playbill
- Museum object number
- S.323-2016
- Museum system number
- O1360616
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.