On display

King Lear

Scrap
ca. 1890 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Decorative scraps first appeared in the early 19th century. Initially they were black and white engravings, but later were coloured by hand. By the 1820s they had become more elaborate and sometimes embossed, and within a decade both the printing and embossing processes were automated. They were colour printed by chromolithography, then coated with a gelatine and gum layer to give a gloss finish. After being embossed they were die-cut and put through a stamping press to cut away the unwanted areas of paper, leaving the individual images connected by small strips, often bearing the name or initials of the maker.

Scraps became extremely popular in Victorian England to be cut out by adults or children and stuck into albums, on to screens, or used for decorating greetings cards. This scrap is one of a set of twelve produced by Sigmund Hildesheimer & Company depicting Shakespearean characters played by popular actors. They were sold in packs costing one shilling, titled Characters from Shakespeare. A Series of Twelve Relief Scraps.David Garrick first played King Lear in London at Goodmans Fields Theatre in a production which opened on 28 May 1742, but not with Miss Younge as Cordelia.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleKing Lear (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Printed paper
Brief description
Printed paper scrap depicting David Garrick as King Lear and Miss Younge (Mrs Elizabeth Pope, 1744?-1797) as Cordelia in King Lear, Act IV scene 7. Chromolithograph printed by Siegmund Hildesheimer & Co., ca.1890. One of a series showing scenes from Shakespeare
Physical description
Multicoloured paper scrap with printed lines of text, depicting David Garrick as King Lear and Miss Younge as Cordelia in King Lear, Act IV scene 7. Lear, in an ermine-trimmed robe. lies on a bed. Cordelia, standing, leans over him. Chromolithograph printed by Siegmund Hildesheimer & Co., ca.1890, with the monogram of Siegmund Hildesheimer & Co.
Dimensions
  • Irregular height: 16.8cm
  • Irregular width: 10.9cm
Gallery label
11, 12 TINSEL PRINTS AND SCRAPS One of the earliest forms of souvenirs was the tinsel print. These were not ready made, but had to be painstakingly assembled by gluing punched metal shapes and bits of cloth on to an engraving of a celebrity or character. Another popular pastime was compiling scrapbooks. Sheets could be bought featuring a series of characters to be collected and pasted in as keepsakes. Tinsel print showing Mr Wallack as the Monarch of the Deep Deep Sea About 1830 Paper and metal M.W. Stone Collection Given by M.W. Stone Museum no. S.33-1981 Scrap for a Shakespeare character card: King Lear About 1890 Printed card Given by British Theatre Museum Association Museum no. S.149-2008 (March 2014)
Credit line
Given by the British Theatre Museum Association
Subjects depicted
Associations
Literary reference<i>King Lear</i>
Summary
Decorative scraps first appeared in the early 19th century. Initially they were black and white engravings, but later were coloured by hand. By the 1820s they had become more elaborate and sometimes embossed, and within a decade both the printing and embossing processes were automated. They were colour printed by chromolithography, then coated with a gelatine and gum layer to give a gloss finish. After being embossed they were die-cut and put through a stamping press to cut away the unwanted areas of paper, leaving the individual images connected by small strips, often bearing the name or initials of the maker.

Scraps became extremely popular in Victorian England to be cut out by adults or children and stuck into albums, on to screens, or used for decorating greetings cards. This scrap is one of a set of twelve produced by Sigmund Hildesheimer & Company depicting Shakespearean characters played by popular actors. They were sold in packs costing one shilling, titled Characters from Shakespeare. A Series of Twelve Relief Scraps.David Garrick first played King Lear in London at Goodmans Fields Theatre in a production which opened on 28 May 1742, but not with Miss Younge as Cordelia.
Associated object
S.2:4-2008 (Duplicate)
Other number
1973/A/119 - BTMA accession number
Collection
Accession number
S.149-2008

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Record createdJuly 30, 2009
Record URL
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