Not currently on display at the V&A

The Merchant of Venice

Playbill
1854 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In the first half of the 19th century playbills were predominantly printed with a letterpress. In the first half of the 19th century playbills were predominantly printed with a letterpress. This process involved covering wood or metal letters (cut out in reverse) with ink and then clamping them into a frame holding a paper sheet. The size of the typography determined the most important information for readers - in this case, the names of the performances and the name of the theatre's lessee, Mr. W. Sidney.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Merchant of Venice (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Letterpress printed
Brief description
Playbill for The Merchant of Venice, Theatre Royal Portsmouth, 1854
Physical description
Letterpress printed playbill for the performance of The Merchant of Venice at the Theatre Royal Portsmouth on 6th February 1854. The production starred Mr. T. E. Bell as Shylock, and was followed by the comedy The Honey Moon, or, How to Rule a Wife.
Dimensions
  • Height: 506mm
  • Width: 251mm
Credit line
Bequeathed by John Pearce
Summary
In the first half of the 19th century playbills were predominantly printed with a letterpress. In the first half of the 19th century playbills were predominantly printed with a letterpress. This process involved covering wood or metal letters (cut out in reverse) with ink and then clamping them into a frame holding a paper sheet. The size of the typography determined the most important information for readers - in this case, the names of the performances and the name of the theatre's lessee, Mr. W. Sidney.
Collection
Accession number
S.645-2016

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Record createdOctober 18, 2016
Record URL
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