Fan — Fan printed with a plan of the boxes and names of the subscribers for the 1787 and 1788 seasons at the King's Theatre, London, 1787
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1787
Fan in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.396-1985), made in London, dated 1787, attributed to Laurance, H. The museum's brief description reads: Fan printed with a plan of the boxes and names of the subscribers for the 1787 and 1788 seasons at the King's Theatre.
Paper leaf with ivory sticks, published in London 1st June 1778 by H. Laurance, Pall Mall. Museum description: Paper and ivory folding fan, printed on one side with a seating plan of the King's Theatre, London, and a plan of the subscribers' boxes on the other. The museum records it as Printed paper with ivory sticks and guards, measuring Height 32 cm; Width 53 cm; Depth 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 King's Theatre, Haymarket, originally called the Queen's Theatre after the reigning monarch Queen Anne (1665-1714), was built by the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh, opening in 1705. Between 1711 and 1739 more than twenty-five of Handel's operas premiered there. Renting a box at the opera for a season was a mark of social standing. These fans would have been a practical accessory in a hot theatre and useful for knowing who else might be there. Here we can see that the subscribers who rented boxes for the 1778 and 1788 seasons included Mrs Fitzherbert, mistress of the Prince of Wales, and other members of society including the Duke of Gloucester. To prove their right to seats in the box, subscribers were issued with bone or ivory tokens from a bank in Pall Mall. Things changed however after a fire of 1789 when the theatre was rebuilt and a less fashionable season was introduced.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- paper, ivory
- Dimensions
- Height 32 cm; Width 53 cm; Depth 4 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Printed paper with ivory sticks and guards
- Maker recorded
- Laurance, H
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Museum object name
- Fan
- Museum object number
- S.396-1985
- Museum system number
- O145124
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.