Poster for Sheridan’s The Rivals, at the English's Opera House

Poster for Sheridan’s The Rivals, at the English's Opera House
Poster for Sheridan’s The Rivals, at the English's Opera House

Poster for Sheridan’s The Rivals, at the English's Opera House

Date1896
Artist (unknown)
Illustration CitationAdvertising poster for revival of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 'The Rivals', at the English's Opera House, May 1896
MediumOffset lithograph
Dimensionssheet: 29 3/8 × 19 1/4 in. (74.6 × 48.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Lucinda and David Pollack, 2017
Object number2017-107
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsPRINT
Label TextThis is an unsigned advertising poster for a performance of Richard Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals, which appeared in 1896 at English's Opera House in Indianapolis as part of a national tour. The poster's decorative pillar and loincloth-clad character holding Sheridan's portrait reflect late eighteenth century tastes.

By the turn of the 20th century, American rail transport allowed theatrical prodcution companies to tour throughout the country. At the same time, electric lighting brought more drama and realism to theater design, ensuring enthusiastic audiences even in rural areas.

The actress Julia Marlowe (then married to her co-star Robert Taber) played The Rivals' Lydia Languish, a flighty young woman infatuated with romantic novels. The illustration at right shows Julia Marlowe on stage in New York appears in the illustration at right.
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