John Liston as Sam Swipes
Figurine
ca.1840 (made)
ca.1840 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the 19th century the stars of their day were often celebrated in paintings, prints and drawings, in ceramic figures and even Toby jugs. Several factories in Staffordshire specialised in moulded earthenware portrait figurines which were decorated by hand and sold cheaply. This figurine was produced as a souvenir of John Liston (1776-1846).
Despite a rather serious temperament, John Liston became one of the greatest comedians of all time, achieving his greatest successes in farce, particularly at the Haymarket Theatre after 1818 when he became the mainstay of the summer seasons. He is seen here as the cockney pot boy Sam Swipes in Theodore Hook's play Exchange No Robbery which he first played at the Haymarket on 12 August 1820. Liston was the first comic actor to command a salary greater than a tragedian, earning the vast salary of £60-£100 a week in the 1830s with Madame Vestris's company at the Olympic Theatre. He retired in 1837 after a stage career which lasted over thirty years.
Despite a rather serious temperament, John Liston became one of the greatest comedians of all time, achieving his greatest successes in farce, particularly at the Haymarket Theatre after 1818 when he became the mainstay of the summer seasons. He is seen here as the cockney pot boy Sam Swipes in Theodore Hook's play Exchange No Robbery which he first played at the Haymarket on 12 August 1820. Liston was the first comic actor to command a salary greater than a tragedian, earning the vast salary of £60-£100 a week in the 1830s with Madame Vestris's company at the Olympic Theatre. He retired in 1837 after a stage career which lasted over thirty years.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | John Liston as Sam Swipes (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
| Brief description | Figurine of John Liston (1776-1846) as Sam Swipes in Theodore Hook's comedy Exchange No Robbery, Haymarket Theatre, 12 August 1820. Staffordshire, ca.1840 |
| Physical description | Figurine of Liston as a pot boy standing on an integral gold-lined base, wearing an olive-coloured peaked cap, and holding three tankards on a strap over his right shoulder. He wears a light yellow waistcoat with four gold buttons, a cream apron and shirt, a black neckchief, olive-coloured knee breeches, cream stockings and black shoes. With a quotation from the play inscribed on the base in purple cursive lettering. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'I vish as there was a hack O Parlement to make people find their own pots.' (Inscribed on the base in purple cursive lettering.) |
| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | In the 19th century the stars of their day were often celebrated in paintings, prints and drawings, in ceramic figures and even Toby jugs. Several factories in Staffordshire specialised in moulded earthenware portrait figurines which were decorated by hand and sold cheaply. This figurine was produced as a souvenir of John Liston (1776-1846). Despite a rather serious temperament, John Liston became one of the greatest comedians of all time, achieving his greatest successes in farce, particularly at the Haymarket Theatre after 1818 when he became the mainstay of the summer seasons. He is seen here as the cockney pot boy Sam Swipes in Theodore Hook's play Exchange No Robbery which he first played at the Haymarket on 12 August 1820. Liston was the first comic actor to command a salary greater than a tragedian, earning the vast salary of £60-£100 a week in the 1830s with Madame Vestris's company at the Olympic Theatre. He retired in 1837 after a stage career which lasted over thirty years. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1039-1996 |
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| Record created | May 8, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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