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Luke Honey | Decorative Antiques, Chess, Backgammon & Games

theatrical-tinsel-portrait-by-park-1851

February 04, 2019

Tinsel prints were created from etched portraits of theatrical stars in popular roles they played on the London stage. They were hand-painted in watercolour and decorated with scraps of material and tinsel additions. They were popular during the first half of the 19th century and were considered an adult, rather than a child's hobby. By the 1830s it was possible to buy the tinsel, leather and feather ornaments to go with each image.

Archibald Alexander Park, 47 Leonard Street, Shoreditch: a family concern in business between 1835-1863. See: George Speaight's 'Juvenile Drama', Macdonald & Co, 1946, page 222.

The 'Red Rover of Cuba or The Mutiny of the Dolphin' was first performed at the Adelphi Theatre in 1829.