Theatrical penny plain and twopence coloured portraits
Overview
Hand-colored and uncolored "penny plain" and "twopence coloured" theatrical portrait prints.
Dates
- 1812-1848
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.
This collection is not housed at the Houghton Library but is shelved offsite at the Harvard Depository. Retrieval requires advance notice. Readers should check with Houghton Public Services staff to determine what material is offsite and retrieval policies and times.
Extent
.75 linear feet (3 boxes)This collection contains hand-colored and uncolored theatrical portrait prints known as "penny plains" and "twopence coloureds" which were collected and often used in toy theaters. The names of the prints originated from the prices each cost to purchase.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by person depicted.
Physical Location
Harvard Depository
Physical Location
b
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2010MT-11. Gift of Thomas Garrett ; received: 2010 October 9.
Forms part of the Fredric Woodbridge Wilson Collection of Theater, Dance and Music.
General note
This collection is shelved offsite at the Harvard Depository. See access restrictions below for additional information.
Processing Information
Processed by: Ashley M. Nary
- Title
- Theatrical penny plain and twopence coloured portraits, 1812-1848: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou02383
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.
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