The Bower Theatre in London's Stangate Street, Lambeth, formerly known as the Bower Saloon, was originally attached to the Duke's Tavern and operated as a place of entertainment from 1837 until 1878. During the 1850s when owned by Victor Hazelton, it made its name for the production of melodramas starring dogs. This poster features a woodcut image which was particularly good for attracting the attention of passers-by, especially those who couldn't read. The clientele of the Bower Theatre, which advertised itself in the 1860s as 'the only theatre for the working classes', would have included many of those, attracted by for low ticket prices, action-packed productions including melodrama, farce and nautical drama, and the availability of alcohol, the sale of which was a popular feature of 19th century theatres like the Bower that styled themselves as saloons.

Cartouche was the real-life French highwayman Louis Dominique Garthausen, born in 1693 and executed in 1721, who attempted to tunnel his way out of imprisonment while still wearing chains. These made so much noise that they alerted a dog, who doubtless featured in the production at the Bower Theatre. Since he stole from the rich to give to the poor, his exploits were the subject of many ballads, prints and plays in the 19th century.