A hundred and fifty years ago, around the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign, the cardboard theatre was perhaps the most played with toy in Britain. Between 1811 and 1870 more than fifty well established firms are known to have been involved in their production and distribution. The real theatre was at the height of its popularity with more than three hundred play-houses in London alone. Cardboard theatres were developed almost as souvenirs or 'promotions' depicting actual current productions, so they were accurate and detailed representations, portraying the actors, costumes and scenery in great detail. Later they became less specific, concentrating more on classics and proven favourites rather than contemporary productions. Toy theatres were originally simple, but they became more and more elaborate as their designers and printers became more competitive and more ingenious; some models were even lit with oil lamps and boasted working rigs. They could be bought either hand-coloured or uncoloured; they were the origin of the slogan; ‘penny plain, tuppence coloured.'
Typical of the "Juvenile Theatres" that were so popular during Queen Victoria's reign, this easy-to-assemble cardboard model comes in the form of a large 40.5 x 28 cm book with perforated pages. The pieces are die-cut, so they can simply be pushed out and slotted together with no need for cutting or glue, to make a model some 38cm high, complete with characters, scenery and script.
A typical Victorian pantomime version of Cinderella suitable for all ages with its infinitely adaptable script and story line.
