A cartoon print titled "A Pair of Spectacles - or - The London Stage in 1824-5". It depicts scenes from Drury Lane (Tragedy) and Covent Garden (Comedy), with a distressed man in the center.
personstagespectaclescrownmaskmirrorhanddressfanmoney bagmanwomanfacehairclothingtextovalbackgroundillustrationcartoondrawingprintpapertheatrelondonstagetragedycomedydrury lanecovent garden18241825cartoonillustrationsatireactorsperformancesspectacles

This is a colorful cartoon print titled "A Pair of Spectacles - or - The London Stage in 1824-5". It's structured as a pair of spectacles, with two oval frames connected in the middle. Each frame represents a different theatre and its style of performance. **Top Left (Tragedy - Drury Lane):** A man in a flamboyant red and gold costume, wearing a crown and holding a mask and a hand mirror. He's dramatically posed, suggesting a tragic actor. Text above him reads "Take of your Mask, Marvell! cry'd the Crowd!!". Below him, a woman in a white dress is shown, with text saying "O! Life is a piece, and plays!" **Top Right (Comedy - Covent Garden):** A woman in a light pink dress is shown, holding a fan and a money bag. She's in a playful pose, representing a comedic actress. Above her, the text reads "Edmunds, I'm all! I'm here as you see!!". Below her, a man in a red coat and black pants is shown, with text saying "O! What a lovely creature and what a charming play met too!" **Bottom Center:** A man in a white shirt and black coat is shown with his hands on his face, looking distressed. He's surrounded by swirling lines, suggesting chaos. The text around him reads "Horrible! Horrible! most Horrible!!" The entire image is drawn in a cartoonish style with bright colors and exaggerated features. The background is a pale cream color. The print is labeled at the bottom with the title and date. The overall impression is a satirical commentary on the London stage in 1824-5, contrasting the styles of tragedy and comedy and highlighting the dramatic and sometimes chaotic nature of theatrical performances.


License: CC0
Loading...