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 Carleton, 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.

Although this poster advertises forthcoming productions at the Bower Theatre at Christmas 1872, the title of the pantomime is not given. This probably indicates the speed at which the pantomime at the Bower was put together, and that its title could not be announced before the license from the Lord Chamberlain to perform it was received.