The Bower Theatre in London's Stangate Street, Lambeth, formerly known as the Bower Saloon, 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 poster features woodcut images which were particularly good for attracting the attention of passers-by, especially those who couldn't read, when they saw them on the streets. The clientele of the Bower Theatre, which advertised itself in the 1860s as 'the only theatre for the working classes', would have included many of those, attracted by low ticket prices, action-packed productions 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.

Victor Hazelton, the recipient of the Benefit of The Gipsy Queen, or, a Life for a Life, owned and managed the theatre from 1855 until 1876. The audiences at the Bower were well known for their rowdy behaviour. Presumably this fee was designed to stop them walking on stage - or make a profit when they did!