Poster
1869 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This poster, advertising the French tightrope walker Blondin, was remarkably bold for its time, featuring a large, woodcut image of the famous performer. By 1869 Blondin was a regular feature at the Crystal Palace. When the proposal to hire him had first been made in 1862, one of the directors was concerned about the bad publicity that an accident might provoke. ‘Suppose he was to fall?’ ‘Blondin, fall from a rope!’ replied Harry Coleman, his manager, ‘He can’t’. Blondin was offered a fee of £1,200, four times as much as the next highest paid performer.
The picture shows his specially adapted bicycle, which he called a Velociped, and was one of the props he invented to keep the act from becoming stale. In the 1960s, a hundred years after its invention, Blondin’s grandson found his grandfather’s velociped for sale in a London junk shop.
The picture shows his specially adapted bicycle, which he called a Velociped, and was one of the props he invented to keep the act from becoming stale. In the 1960s, a hundred years after its invention, Blondin’s grandson found his grandfather’s velociped for sale in a London junk shop.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Woodcut and letterpress print on paper |
| Brief description | Poster advertising Blondin at the Crystal Palace, 17 August 1862. |
| Physical description | Pictorial and typographic poster, advertising the acrobat Blondin, depicting him on a bicycle-like contraption holding a balancing pole and riding along a tightrope. Black and white print on paper. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | Poster advertising Blondin (Jean Francois Gravelet 1824-1897) on the High Rope, Crystal Palace, London, 1869.
Woodcut and letterpress
Museum no. S.71-1981 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This poster, advertising the French tightrope walker Blondin, was remarkably bold for its time, featuring a large, woodcut image of the famous performer. By 1869 Blondin was a regular feature at the Crystal Palace. When the proposal to hire him had first been made in 1862, one of the directors was concerned about the bad publicity that an accident might provoke. ‘Suppose he was to fall?’ ‘Blondin, fall from a rope!’ replied Harry Coleman, his manager, ‘He can’t’. Blondin was offered a fee of £1,200, four times as much as the next highest paid performer. The picture shows his specially adapted bicycle, which he called a Velociped, and was one of the props he invented to keep the act from becoming stale. In the 1960s, a hundred years after its invention, Blondin’s grandson found his grandfather’s velociped for sale in a London junk shop. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.71-1981 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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