Playbill — Playbill for the Theatre Royal, Liverpool, Liverpool, 1778
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1778
Playbill in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.53-2008), made in Liverpool, dated 1778, attributed to unknown. The museum's brief description reads: Playbill for the Theatre Royal, Liverpool, dated 1 July 1778, advertising Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play, The School for Scandal.
Museum description: Typographic playbill giving the cast for the performance of The School for Scandal at the Theatre Royal, Liverpool, on 1 July 1778. With ink annotations. The museum records it as Letterpress on paper, measuring Height 27 cm; Width 21 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
Printed playbills were in use in Shakespeare's day, although there are few surviving examples of playbills dating before 1700. The earliest playbills were handwritten, but by 1700 bills were usually printed. Playbills of the 18th and early 19th centuries were produced for each day and usually give the date, the cast and any necessary information about tickets and might mention forthcoming performances. Often a play's author would not be credited. Sarah Siddons (1755-1831) appeared in Liverpool in 1778 for the actor-manager Joseph Younger. She had made her London debut in 1775 at Drury Lane but her first performances were not well received and she left London for a time to appear in short seasons at major British cities. She went on to become the most admired actress of the day. Mr Kemble who played Joseph Surface was her brother John Philip Kemble (1757-1823). The playbill advertises a farce which has yet to be chosen. The ink annotation names it as The Virgin Unmask'd, a one-act musical entertainment by Henry Fielding.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- paper, ink
- Dimensions
- Height 27 cm; Width 21 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Letterpress on paper
- Maker recorded
- unknown
- Place recorded
- Liverpool
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- 'Virgin Unmask'd / Lucy by Mrs Kniveton'
Identification
- Museum object name
- Playbill
- Museum object number
- S.53-2008
- Museum system number
- O223651
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.