Tinsel Print
ca.1850 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
E.F.Saville came from a theatrical family, the son of Saville Faucit, a playwright, actor and author of sensational 'penny dreadfuls', and the brother of the actress Helen Faucit. In the mid 1840s he made a hit as the villainous Bill Sykes in the popular drama Oliver Twist, or The Parish Boy's Progress which he played at the City of London Theatre at the Old Vic Theatre, sensationally killing Nancy in the last scene, smearing her with red ochre for blood and dragging her round the stage by the hair.
E.F.Saville could also make a convincing hero, as in the title role of Union Jack; or, The Crew of the Bright Blue Wave, written by William Rogers, 1842. Spectacular nautical dramas had become a mania on the London stage in the 1820s, and the role of Union Jack was created by Saville's contemporary, the great actor of nautical roles T.P. Cooke. Nautical dramas were hugely patriotic and jingoistic, but immensely popular. Most projected an extremely unrealistic image of life at sea for the British sailor - showing the dangers encountered, but emphasising the courage of the British 'tar' and the joys of a triumphant return to England.
E.F.Saville could also make a convincing hero, as in the title role of Union Jack; or, The Crew of the Bright Blue Wave, written by William Rogers, 1842. Spectacular nautical dramas had become a mania on the London stage in the 1820s, and the role of Union Jack was created by Saville's contemporary, the great actor of nautical roles T.P. Cooke. Nautical dramas were hugely patriotic and jingoistic, but immensely popular. Most projected an extremely unrealistic image of life at sea for the British sailor - showing the dangers encountered, but emphasising the courage of the British 'tar' and the joys of a triumphant return to England.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | etching, coloured by hand with fabric and tinsel additions. |
| Brief description | Tinsel print of Mr. E.F. Saville as Union Jack in The Union Jack; or, The Crew of the Bright Blue Wave, by William Rogers, 1842. Etching coloured by hand with tinsel and fabric additions. Printed by John Redington, c.1850. |
| Physical description | Tinsel print of Mr. E.F. Saville as Union Jack, standing in front of a scene of a bay with a castle behind him to his right. Hand-coloured engraving, cut out and attached to a backing, with tinsel, paper and satin additions. Name of the actor, role and publisher trimmed away. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Object history | A very similar image of T.P. Cooke as Union Jack was published c.1842 by J.T. Wood, 278 Strand. T.P. Cooke created the role of Union Jack when it was first performed at the Pavilion Theatre in 1842. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | E.F.Saville came from a theatrical family, the son of Saville Faucit, a playwright, actor and author of sensational 'penny dreadfuls', and the brother of the actress Helen Faucit. In the mid 1840s he made a hit as the villainous Bill Sykes in the popular drama Oliver Twist, or The Parish Boy's Progress which he played at the City of London Theatre at the Old Vic Theatre, sensationally killing Nancy in the last scene, smearing her with red ochre for blood and dragging her round the stage by the hair. E.F.Saville could also make a convincing hero, as in the title role of Union Jack; or, The Crew of the Bright Blue Wave, written by William Rogers, 1842. Spectacular nautical dramas had become a mania on the London stage in the 1820s, and the role of Union Jack was created by Saville's contemporary, the great actor of nautical roles T.P. Cooke. Nautical dramas were hugely patriotic and jingoistic, but immensely popular. Most projected an extremely unrealistic image of life at sea for the British sailor - showing the dangers encountered, but emphasising the courage of the British 'tar' and the joys of a triumphant return to England. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.22-1981 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 7, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
