Playbill — Playbill advertising The Relapse and Harlequin Fortunatus, 1753
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1753
Playbill in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.678-1997), dated 1753. The museum's brief description reads: Playbill advertising The Relapse, or Virtue in Danger by John Vanbrugh and Fortunatus by Henry Woodward, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1 January 1754.
Museum description: Letterpress playbill advertising The Relapse; or, Virtue in Danger and Fortunatus at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on Tuesday, 1 January, with the year, 1754, added in ink. With cast lists and prices. The museum records it as Letterpress, measuring Height 25.4 cm; Width 17.7 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
This letterpress playbill advertising the comedy The Relapse, or Virtue in Danger by John Vanburgh, and the pantomime Fortuatus would probably have been printed in-house at Drury Lane Theatre, where productions on offer changed every evening, making speed of typesetting and printing essential. The names of the actors are given, but as often in 18th century playbills, not the names of the playrights. The Relapse, written in 1696, was the successful first play by the playwright and architect John Vanbrugh (1664-1726). The cast of this production included some of the stars of Drury Lane at this period, whose names are printed in larger typeface, including Henry Woodward as Lord Foppington, Kitty Clive as Miss Hoyden, and Hannah Pritchard as Berinthia. The established Drury Lane Harlequin Henry Woodward (1714-1777) was the author of Fortunatus and played the character Harlequin Fortunatus.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- printing ink
- Dimensions
- Height 25.4 cm; Width 17.7 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Letterpress
Identification
- Museum object name
- Playbill
- Museum object number
- S.678-1997
- Museum system number
- O1139151
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.