Not on display

H Beard Print Collection

Print
28th September 1809 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Print entitled The House that Jack Built. Published in London by S.W. Fores in September 1809.

After the destruction of the Covent Garden Theatre by fire in December 1808 and its rebuilding in 1809, John Philip Kemble, the manager of the theatre, raised the price of tickets to compensate for the cost of the theatre's reconstruction. This and the creation of privately hired theatre boxes caused riots, known as the Old Price Riots, that lasted three months and ultimately forced Kemble to reduce the number of private boxes and restore the 'old prices'. This print, parodying the nursery rhyme This is the House that Jack Built, is a satire on the riots. The Cat is Italian soprano Angelica Catalani who had been engaged for a substantal fee, leading to complaints that prices had been increased in order to pay for her.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleH Beard Print Collection (named collection)
Materials and techniques
hand coloured etching, ink and wash on paper
Brief description
Print entitled 'The House that Jack Built'. Published in London by S. W. Fores on 28th September 1809, Harry Beard Collection.
Physical description
Etched and hand coloured print entitled 'The House that Jack Built'.
Dimensions
  • Print size height: 28.2cm
  • Print size width: 37.2cm
Credit line
Harry R. Beard Collection, given by Isobel Beard
Subjects depicted
Summary
Print entitled The House that Jack Built. Published in London by S.W. Fores in September 1809.

After the destruction of the Covent Garden Theatre by fire in December 1808 and its rebuilding in 1809, John Philip Kemble, the manager of the theatre, raised the price of tickets to compensate for the cost of the theatre's reconstruction. This and the creation of privately hired theatre boxes caused riots, known as the Old Price Riots, that lasted three months and ultimately forced Kemble to reduce the number of private boxes and restore the 'old prices'. This print, parodying the nursery rhyme This is the House that Jack Built, is a satire on the riots. The Cat is Italian soprano Angelica Catalani who had been engaged for a substantal fee, leading to complaints that prices had been increased in order to pay for her.
Associated objects
Other number
F.118-52 - H Beard collection numbering
Collection
Accession number
S.4778-2009

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdSeptember 29, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest