The Old Showmen and the Old London FairsFrost, Thomas
History
The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs
Frost, Thomas
Fairs -- England -- London; London (England) -- Social life and customs
In 1732, Fielding had Hippisley alone as a partner in his theatrical
enterprise, and presented the historical drama of _The Fall of Essex_,
followed by an adapted translation (his own work) of _Le Médecin malgré
Lui_ of Molière, under the title of _The Forced Physician_. The Prince and
Princess of Wales visited Fielding's theatre on the 30th of August, and
were so much pleased with the performances that they witnessed both plays
a second time.
Lee and Harper presented this year the _Siege of Bethulia_, "containing
the Ancient History of Judith and Holofernes, and the Comical Humours of
Rustego and his man Terrible." Holofernes was represented by Mullart,
Judith by Spiller (so say the advertisements; perhaps the prefix "Mrs."
was inadvertently omitted by the printer), and Rustego by Harper. As this
was the first year in which this curious play was acted by Lee and
Harper's company, the earlier date of 1721, assigned to Setchel's print of
Bartholomew Fair, is an obvious error, as the title of this play is
therein represented on the front of Lee and Harper's show. It is not easy
to understand how such an error can have obtained currency, it being
further proclaimed by the introduction of a peep-show of the siege of
Gibraltar, which occurred in 1728.
Setchel's print was a copy of one which adorned a fan fabricated for sale
in the fair, and had appended to it a description, ascribed to Caulfield,
the author of a collection of 'Remarkable Characters.' The authorship of
the descriptive matter is doubtful, however, as it asserts the portrait of
Fawkes to be the only one in existence; while Caulfield, in his brief
notice of the conjuror, mentions another and more elaborate one. Lee and
Harper's booth is conspicuously shown in the print, with a picture of the
murder of Holofernes at the back of the exterior platform, on which are
Mullart, and (I presume) Mrs. Spiller, dressed for Holofernes and Judith,
and three others of the company, one in the garb of harlequin, another
dancing, and the third blowing a trumpet. Judith is costumed in a
head-dress of red and blue feathers, laced stomacher, white hanging
sleeves, and a flounced crimson skirt; while Holofernes wears a flowing
robe, edged with gold lace, a helmet and cuirass, and brown buskins.
Fawkes's show also occupies a conspicuous place with its pictured cloth,
representing conjuring and tumbling feats, and Fawkes on the platform,
doing a conjuring trick, while a harlequin draws attention to him, and a
trumpeter bawls through his brazen instrument of torture an invitation to
the spectators to "walk up!" Near this show is another with a picture of a
woman dancing on the tight rope. The scene is filled up with the peep-show
before mentioned, a swing of the four-carred kind, a toy-stall, a
sausage-stall, and a gin-stall--one of those incentives to vice and
disorder which were permitted to be present, perhaps "for the good of
trade," when amusements were banished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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