John Liston as Paul Pry
Figurine
ca.1840 (made)
ca.1840 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is John Liston (1776-1846), one of the leading comic actors of his day, as the busybody Paul Pry with his trademark umbrella. Several different figurines of Liston as Pry were produced, based on contemporary engravings, after his huge success in John Poole's play Paul Pry which opened at London's Haymarket Theatre on 13 September 1825. The play was enormously popular throughout the 19th century. Paul Pry's catch-phrases 'I hope I don't intrude', 'Just dropped in' and 'It's nothing to me' were quoted everywhere, and the name Paul Pry became a well-known term for a busybody. The character regularly carried an umbrella, seen here under his left arm.
Liston achieved his greatest successes in farce, particularly as Paul Pry, but was well known for several other roles which were also seen in drawings, painting, engravings and figurines. An expert dancer, he became the highest-paid comedian on the stage, earning between sixty and a hundred pounds a week at the Olympic Theatre, a huge salary for his day. He retired in 1837 after a career that spanned over thirty years.
Liston achieved his greatest successes in farce, particularly as Paul Pry, but was well known for several other roles which were also seen in drawings, painting, engravings and figurines. An expert dancer, he became the highest-paid comedian on the stage, earning between sixty and a hundred pounds a week at the Olympic Theatre, a huge salary for his day. He retired in 1837 after a career that spanned over thirty years.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | John Liston as Paul Pry (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed ceramic |
| Brief description | Figurine of John Liston (1776-1846) in the title role of John Poole's comedy Paul Pry, Haymarket Theatre, 1825. Staffordshire, ca.1840 |
| Physical description | Polychromed glazed ceramic figurine of John Liston as Paul Pry standing on a rectangular base painted a mustard yellow colour, with a small square section column behind him which is painted to resemble marble. He wears black boots, brown and cream striped breeches, a tight-fitting brown jacket, a cream cravat, a cream top hat with an olive brim, and yellow gloves. He has light brown hair, has both arms held close to the front of his body, bent at the elbows, and carries a green umbrella in his left hand. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Summary | This is John Liston (1776-1846), one of the leading comic actors of his day, as the busybody Paul Pry with his trademark umbrella. Several different figurines of Liston as Pry were produced, based on contemporary engravings, after his huge success in John Poole's play Paul Pry which opened at London's Haymarket Theatre on 13 September 1825. The play was enormously popular throughout the 19th century. Paul Pry's catch-phrases 'I hope I don't intrude', 'Just dropped in' and 'It's nothing to me' were quoted everywhere, and the name Paul Pry became a well-known term for a busybody. The character regularly carried an umbrella, seen here under his left arm. Liston achieved his greatest successes in farce, particularly as Paul Pry, but was well known for several other roles which were also seen in drawings, painting, engravings and figurines. An expert dancer, he became the highest-paid comedian on the stage, earning between sixty and a hundred pounds a week at the Olympic Theatre, a huge salary for his day. He retired in 1837 after a career that spanned over thirty years. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.947-1996 |
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| Record created | September 28, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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