Harlequin and the Old Witch of Teddington, or the Glorious Days of Good Queen Bess
Poster
1845 (made)
1845 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Poster advertising the pantomime <i>Harlequin and the Old Witch of Teddington, or the Glorious Days of Good Queen Bess</i>, Surrey Theatre, London, 26 December 1845.
With its large colourful image depicting a scene from the pantomime and its beautiful fairy chorus, this was a surprisingly modern poster, bound to attract the many admirers of pantomime. Pantomimes traditionally opened on Boxing Day and at this period the star was Harlequin. In this production he was played by the young John Cormack (1827-1890) who went on to joined Drury Lane in 1870. The giant cat seen with the witch in the foreground was played by a Mr. Stilt, who doubled as the Sprite. Paul Herring played the Clown, with Miss Smithyes as the ever-graceful Columbine. A contemporary review decided that of all the pantomimes on offer 'it was one of the best in London this Christmastide'.
With its large colourful image depicting a scene from the pantomime and its beautiful fairy chorus, this was a surprisingly modern poster, bound to attract the many admirers of pantomime. Pantomimes traditionally opened on Boxing Day and at this period the star was Harlequin. In this production he was played by the young John Cormack (1827-1890) who went on to joined Drury Lane in 1870. The giant cat seen with the witch in the foreground was played by a Mr. Stilt, who doubled as the Sprite. Paul Herring played the Clown, with Miss Smithyes as the ever-graceful Columbine. A contemporary review decided that of all the pantomimes on offer 'it was one of the best in London this Christmastide'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Harlequin and the Old Witch of Teddington, or the Glorious Days of Good Queen Bess (published title) |
| Materials and techniques | Hand-coloured lithograph |
| Brief description | Poster advertising the pantomime Harlequin and the Old Witch of Teddington, or the Glorious Days of Good Queen Bess, Surrey Theatre, 26 December 1845 |
| Physical description | Pictorial and typographic. Framed. A chorus of fairies on tiptoe wave their wands in the foreground, whilst in the background another fairy, wand in hand, hovers over a couple who reach towards a baby in a rush cradle. A witch sits brooding in the lower right hand corner with her large black cat. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | The development of lithography enabled theatres to advertise their productions with cheaply produced posters covered in pictures. The image of a beautiful fairy chorus, plus a witch with a giant cat, was bound to attract audiences to London’s Surrey Theatre for the Christmas entertainment, a ‘Grand Comic Pantomime’, opening as usual on Boxing Day. The cat was played by an actor in costume.(16/08/2016) |
| Object history | Exhibited at the Theatre Museum in the 1990s. |
| Production | Farringdon Street, London |
| Summary | Poster advertising the pantomime <i>Harlequin and the Old Witch of Teddington, or the Glorious Days of Good Queen Bess</i>, Surrey Theatre, London, 26 December 1845. With its large colourful image depicting a scene from the pantomime and its beautiful fairy chorus, this was a surprisingly modern poster, bound to attract the many admirers of pantomime. Pantomimes traditionally opened on Boxing Day and at this period the star was Harlequin. In this production he was played by the young John Cormack (1827-1890) who went on to joined Drury Lane in 1870. The giant cat seen with the witch in the foreground was played by a Mr. Stilt, who doubled as the Sprite. Paul Herring played the Clown, with Miss Smithyes as the ever-graceful Columbine. A contemporary review decided that of all the pantomimes on offer 'it was one of the best in London this Christmastide'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.235-1998 |
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| Record created | August 3, 2010 |
| Record URL |
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