Not currently on display at the V&A

Belphegor

Playbill
1854 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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: the name of the theatre, its productions and its stars.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleBelphegor (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Letterpress printing
Brief description
Playbill for Belphegor, Theatre Royal Portsmouth, 1854
Physical description
Letterpress printed playbill with black typography, for the production of Belphegor: The Mountebank; or, Woman's Constancy on 3rd May 1854, Theatre Royal Portsmouth. The part of Belphegor the Montebank, also known as Guillaume, was played by Mr. Charles Dillon. The play was followed by the drama The Sailor's Wife or, Forty Years Ago!!.
Dimensions
  • Height: 504mm
  • Width: 251mm
Credit line
Bequeathed by John Pearce
Summary
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: the name of the theatre, its productions and its stars.
Collection
Accession number
S.650-2016

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Record createdOctober 18, 2016
Record URL
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