A Comedy of Sighs
Poster
1894 (printed)
1894 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A poster advertising two plays - A Comedy of Sighs by John Todhunter and The Land of Heart's Desire by W. B. Yeats - at the Avenue Theatre, London, for 29 March 1894. Florence Farr, the actress and manager of the Avenue Theatre in 1894, prided herself on her avant-garde taste in theatre design. She commissioned the young illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) to design this poster, which doubled as a programme cover illustration. The humourous magazine Punch lampooned its unusual style with a pun on the word 'Avenue' in the name of the theatre: 'Ave a new poster'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | A Comedy of Sighs (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour lithograph |
| Brief description | 'A Comedy of Sighs' and 'The Land of Heart's Desire'. Colour lithograph poster advertising productions which opened at the Avenue Theatre, London, 29 March 1894. Design by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, Great Britain, 1894. |
| Physical description | 'A Comedy of Sighs' by John Todhunter and 'The Land of Heart's Desire' by W.B. Yeats. Colour lithograph poster advertising productions which opened at the Avenue Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London, 29 March 1894. Main colours of navy blue, green and white; showing a full-length portrait of a young woman, in three panels, the outer two having bright green spots, the centre being clear. Green text at the top of 'Avenue Theatre' above the cast lists and prices of each performance. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Gwen John |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | A poster advertising two plays - A Comedy of Sighs by John Todhunter and The Land of Heart's Desire by W. B. Yeats - at the Avenue Theatre, London, for 29 March 1894. Florence Farr, the actress and manager of the Avenue Theatre in 1894, prided herself on her avant-garde taste in theatre design. She commissioned the young illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) to design this poster, which doubled as a programme cover illustration. The humourous magazine Punch lampooned its unusual style with a pun on the word 'Avenue' in the name of the theatre: 'Ave a new poster'. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | 3/E10 - V&A microfiche |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.289-1925 |
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| Record created | February 18, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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