Fan printed with the names of the subscribers to the boxes for the 1788 season at the Kings Theatre, London; with original box
Fan
1788 (made)
1788 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The King's Theatre, Haymarket, originally called the Queen's Theatre after the reigning monarch Queen Anne (1665-1714), was built by the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh, opening in 1705. Between 1711 and 1739 more than twenty-five of Handel's operas premiered there.
Renting a box at the opera for a season was a mark of social standing. These fans would have been a practical accessory in a hot theatre and useful for knowing who else might be there. Here we can see that the subscribers who rented boxes for the 1778 and 1788 seasons included Mrs Fitzherbert, mistress of the Prince of Wales, and other members of society including the Duke of Gloucester. To prove their right to seats in the box, subscribers were issued with bone or ivory tokens from a bank in Pall Mall. Things changed however after a fire of 1789 when the theatre was rebuilt and a less fashionable season was introduced.
Renting a box at the opera for a season was a mark of social standing. These fans would have been a practical accessory in a hot theatre and useful for knowing who else might be there. Here we can see that the subscribers who rented boxes for the 1778 and 1788 seasons included Mrs Fitzherbert, mistress of the Prince of Wales, and other members of society including the Duke of Gloucester. To prove their right to seats in the box, subscribers were issued with bone or ivory tokens from a bank in Pall Mall. Things changed however after a fire of 1789 when the theatre was rebuilt and a less fashionable season was introduced.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Title | Fan printed with the names of the subscribers to the boxes for the 1788 season at the Kings Theatre, London; with original box (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Paper printed with ink, painted with watercolour, and decorated with gold foil, ivory guards and sticks |
| Brief description | Fan printed with the names of the subscribers to the boxes for the 1788 season at the Kings Theatre, London. Paper leaf with ivory sticks in its original box, made in London, 1787 |
| Physical description | Fan in original box, the fan printed with names of the subscribers to the boxes at the King's Theatre, London, 1788 |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Acquired with the support of the Friends of the V&A |
| Summary | The King's Theatre, Haymarket, originally called the Queen's Theatre after the reigning monarch Queen Anne (1665-1714), was built by the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh, opening in 1705. Between 1711 and 1739 more than twenty-five of Handel's operas premiered there. Renting a box at the opera for a season was a mark of social standing. These fans would have been a practical accessory in a hot theatre and useful for knowing who else might be there. Here we can see that the subscribers who rented boxes for the 1778 and 1788 seasons included Mrs Fitzherbert, mistress of the Prince of Wales, and other members of society including the Duke of Gloucester. To prove their right to seats in the box, subscribers were issued with bone or ivory tokens from a bank in Pall Mall. Things changed however after a fire of 1789 when the theatre was rebuilt and a less fashionable season was introduced. |
| Associated object | S.396-1985 (Object) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1623:1 to 3-2014 |
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| Record created | July 22, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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