Lot 599
19th Century Theatre Broadsides (Boston). Lot of four posters, all archivally mounted on muslin. Sizes range from 6 x 18" to 8 x 19½". An 1868 performance of Merry Wives of Windsor at Selwyn's, an 1878 Boston Museum production of Rice's Evangeline, Miss Cushman as "Queen Katherine" in The Globe's 1871 Henry VIII and Augustin Daly's Arabian Night (featuring Catherine Lewis as "The Wild Rose of Yucatan") commencing May 24th, 1880 at the Boston Theatre, are all touted in this great lot of desirable broadsides. The Boston Theatre bill is on light green paper, the rest are on white. Some foxing and surface soil throughout, there are a few pencil marks scattered. Good to very good condition.
American theater in the 19th century was as varied and interesting as the land itself; from makeshift shacks in mining towns to Civil War encampments to grand auditoriums in the largest cities, it was one of the most accessible forms of entertainment, offering Shakespeare, broad melodrama and broader comedy to the masses and the elite alike. Uncle Tom's Cabin gained almost as much notoriety from stage performances as it did in book form and an evening at the theater, whether in the pit or a luxurious box, was an event to look forward to.
The photo above features posters from this lot and the following two.
Estimated Value $75 - 100.
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| Realized $46 |
