Music sheet cover for 'Villikins and his Dinah' by John Barnard featuring an image of Frederick Robson (1821-1864) as Jem Bags in 'The Wandering Minstrel'. Lithograph by Augustus Butler, published by Stannard & Dixon.

Music sheet cover featuring the title of the song 'Vilikins and His Dinah' and '16th Edition' in upper case lettering above an engraved image of Frederick Robson as Jem Bags (incorrectly titled 'Jim Bags') dressed in a battered top hat, a double-breasted frock coat over a waistcoat and crevat, and patched and torn striped trousers. Below the image are the details of the song 'Sung by Mr. F. Robson in the Musical Farce of 'The Wandering Minstrel' as performed at the Royal Olympic Theatre the symphonies and accompaniments by John Barnard.' The name of the lithographer Augustus Butler and the publisher Stannard & Dixon are printed at the bottom edges of the image. The price 2/- appears on the bottom right-hand corner, with a signature of a Robson.

Given by Rosanna Eckersley

The words of Villikins and His Dinah have been removed, but the song is a ballad about a daughter who commits suicide rather than marry too young:

'Tis of a rich merchant who in London did dwell,
He had but one daughter, an uncommon nice gel.
Her name it was Dinah, scarce sixteen years old,
With a very large fortune in silver and gold.

cho: Singing tu la lol la rol lal tu rol lal lay.

As Dinah was a' walking her garden one day,
Her papa he came to her, and thus he did say:
"Go dress yourself, Dinah, in gorgeous array,
And get you a husband both gallant and gay! "

"Oh, papa Oh, papa I've not made up my mind,
And to marry just yet, why I don't feel inclined;
To you my large fortune I'll gladly give o'er,
If you'll let me live single a year or two more."

"Go, go, boldest daughter," the parent replicd;
"lf you won't consent to be this here young man's bride,
I'll give your large fortune to the nearest of kin,
And you shan't reap the benefit of one single pin."

As Villikins was walking the garden around,
He spied his dear Dinah lying dead on the ground;
And a cup of cold pizen it lay by her side,
With a billet-doux stating 'twas by pizen she died.

He kissed her cold corpus a thousand times o'er,
He called her his Dinah though she was no more,
Then swallowed the pizen like a lover so brave,
And Villikins and his Dinah lie both in one grave.

Moral:

Now all you young maidens take warning by her,
Never not by no means disobey your gov'nor,
And all you young fellows mind who you clap eyes on,
Think of Villikins and Dinah and the cup of cold pizen.

The music sheet cover features a lithograph by Augustus Butler of Frederick Robson (1821-1864) as Jem Bags singing the comic cockney ballad 'Vilikins and his Dinah' (or 'Villikins and his Dinah') by Thomas Baker in The Wandering Minstrel. The ballad told the sad tale of Dinah, a rich merchant's daughter who poisoned herself rather than marry her Villikins as her father commanded while she was still sixteen. The museum was given this print with a silk programme featuring Robson's appearance as Jem Bags when The Wandering Minstrel was produced as an afterpiece at the Olympic Theatre in London's Wych Street, 26 May 1856.

Frederick Robson was the stage name of Thomas Robson Brownhill, the actor and comedian who first appeared in London at the Grecian Theatre in 1844 and went on to become the mainstay of the Olympic Theatre after 1850. As well as being its star performer, Robson took over the management of the Olympic in 1857 in association with William Emden, and ran it until his death in 1864.

S.156-2007