DOI Heft:
February 7, 1857
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16619#0059
February 7, 1857.]
51
THE BATTLE OF THE PANTOMIMES.
HE Pantomimists, in
addition to the tricks
which they exhibit on
the stage, have a trick
of trying to draw audi-
ences_— if the word
" audience " be appli-
cable where the show
is strictly dumb-show
—by announcing that
theirs is the best pan-
tomime in London, and
inferring that it were a
waste of money for any
one to pay for seeing
any other. We learn
from our statistical re-
porter that in seven
play-bills which he has
lately purchased there
occurs in six of them a
claim of having "the
best Pantomime Com-
pany," while in the
seventh there is added
a remark, that if you
doubt the fact, you
have but to " come aud
see if it isn't/' Now
this challenge to our
criticism seems reason-
-=•5— n> <?^-J-Ntu" ^ able enough, until we
kjom^w-**^' ~ reflect that to judge
w,v-, . wv^j-^ with correctness of the
claimed superlativity
we must visit individually each one of the competitors ; for until we have inspected all the
pantomimes in London, how can we with any truthfulness declare which is the best. It would
seem, then, that our previous inference has been deduced incorrectly, and that the assertion
of superiority, which appears at first to warn one from the doors of other theatres, in reality
provokes one to pay a visit ahd a shilling to them: so that the philosopher is tempted to
suspect _ that he would find, if he could only get a peep behind the scenes, that the opposition
companies form, in fact, a coalition, and while pretending in their posters to be playing The
Rivals, are in truth very amicably playing into one another's hands.
But the pantomime harvest is at longest but a short one, and with Christmas it comes but
once a year to us. So although the philosopher may have suffered from the Income-Tax, and
have become morose and a rather strict economist, let us hope that he can still afford to
laugh at any harmless little dodgery that maybe used to keep the Pantaloons a little longer
on their legs, and enable the Harlequins to leap a little farther into the spring than they
might otherwise have been engaged to do. A Columbine's roses are by no means thornless,
and Mr.. Merriman has often cause to show himself a sad dog in private : so we will not
judge too critically of the means which we may find are tried to keep the roses in bloom,
and the Merriman from laughing on the wrong side of his mouth.
LITERATURE EOR LADIES.
We understand that the producers of those interesting serials, the illustrated books of
fashions, are becoming seriously inconvenienced by the growing amplitude of ladies' dresses.
They have already, it appears, enlarged their engraving-plates to more than twice their
former size, but even this extent is weekly proving less and less sufficient to give a faithful
picture of the costumes now in vogue. We learn indeed from one of their most skilful
draughtsmen, that he finds it quite impossible to so reduce the scale, as to draw a lady's
figure in full evening dress within the comparatively contracted space assigned him. Even
on the scale of only one-twentieth of an inch to a yard he finds the largest quarto double page
by far too narrow to contain all the widths of a fashionable ball dress ; and he quite antici-
pates that he will soon be forced to draw half a skirt at a time, and get the publisher to
intimate_that it will be " continued in our next."
Knowing from experience that the votaries of fashion are prepared to'go any lengths —or
widths—in following their leader, it would not at all astonish us to find that their circum-
ference increased to such extent that, to do it proper justice, the fashion-books were
furnished with plates as big as dinner-tables. Unless the mode become more moderate, our
daughters will be coming home with their Belle's Litres about the size of Atlases, with
engravings upon folding leaves, which when spread out would paper half our dressing-room.
Indeed, if those " art-treasures," the millinery magazines, be filed at the Museum with our
other current literature, it will soon, we think, be rendered requisite to build an extra
wing to hold them. _
A Domestic Stampede.
It is melancholy or droll, according to the constitution of the observer's mind, to notice
with what rapidity children, who are playing about then mother's knee, will instantly decamp
on the announcement of their early dinner.
THE TEN TOWNS.,
Or, Mr. Punch''s Complete Handbook to his friend
Mr. Hill's New Postal Plan.
Rowland Hill has just divided
London's waste of brick by ten ;
Every change, of course, is chided,
By our stupid "business-men."
But the plan has pleased their betters,
Hill's new boundary rails are cast,
And those nuisances, our Letters,
Will be brought us twice as fast.
Neither iimide nor temere
Hill proceeds : his schem,e to aid
Rowland begs you '11 fix in memory
These new districts he has made.
Punch, believing that in no land
Works a sounder man than Hill,
Begs to give, in help of Rowland,
Some Mnemonics, framed with skill.
Let us take some leading feature
In each district thus assigned,
And the most oblivious creature
- Soon will bear the name in mind.
Unto its Initials adding,
Endings new but apropos,
Rowland's heart you '11 soon be gladding
By the ready skill you '11 show.
Thus :—N.W.'s region 's lying
All around the Regent's Park,
"What Nice Willas folks are buying
Round those parts," is your remark.
W. holds the whole, or nearly,
Of the Fashionable Squares,
Think of "Wealth," or (more severely)
Of the Wanton Waste it dares.
Lawyers, and good Coram's Eoundlings,
All are found in W.C.
Theatres delight its groundlings,
Wicked Creatures, is your key.
Pimlico is in S.W.,
Brompton fast, and Chelsea mild,
There the Shouting Wretches trouble you
With the Cries that drive you wild.
E's for England, represented
By her fittest symbol, Docks,
There's her Empire, sea-cemented,
Throned upon a thousand stocks.
Lady, your New Evening dresses :
Come from yonder scorned N.E.,
There the weaving Frenchman blesses
Nantes' Edict. Ah ! mais oui!
S. for Suburbs, neat and cheapish,
Brixton, Camberwell, Vauxnall,
And one's friend looks rather Sheepish
Bidding you to come and call;
Yet that part in turn outhectors
Yonder dismal hole S. E.,
Southwark, where tne Snob Electors
Choose Sm Charles and Apsley P.
Under N. the map embraces
Islington and Pentonveal,
Folks who ask you to such places.
Are a Nuisance, don't you feel ?
. While what's ancient, rich, or witty,
Mukes E.C. a glorious bunch,
That's our own Eternal City,
Tower and Bank. St. Paul's and Punch !
Fashion for Statute Fairs.
A Statute Fair will shortly be held at a suit-
able place. The Ticket-of-Leave men of the Me-
tropolis, and those of the nation at large, will be
invited to attend with their Tickets-of-Leave in
their hats, which will doubtless give them a great
advantage over unconvicted labourers, in com-
petition for employment. The site which has
been selected for this hopeful labour-market is
Gotham.
51
THE BATTLE OF THE PANTOMIMES.
HE Pantomimists, in
addition to the tricks
which they exhibit on
the stage, have a trick
of trying to draw audi-
ences_— if the word
" audience " be appli-
cable where the show
is strictly dumb-show
—by announcing that
theirs is the best pan-
tomime in London, and
inferring that it were a
waste of money for any
one to pay for seeing
any other. We learn
from our statistical re-
porter that in seven
play-bills which he has
lately purchased there
occurs in six of them a
claim of having "the
best Pantomime Com-
pany," while in the
seventh there is added
a remark, that if you
doubt the fact, you
have but to " come aud
see if it isn't/' Now
this challenge to our
criticism seems reason-
-=•5— n> <?^-J-Ntu" ^ able enough, until we
kjom^w-**^' ~ reflect that to judge
w,v-, . wv^j-^ with correctness of the
claimed superlativity
we must visit individually each one of the competitors ; for until we have inspected all the
pantomimes in London, how can we with any truthfulness declare which is the best. It would
seem, then, that our previous inference has been deduced incorrectly, and that the assertion
of superiority, which appears at first to warn one from the doors of other theatres, in reality
provokes one to pay a visit ahd a shilling to them: so that the philosopher is tempted to
suspect _ that he would find, if he could only get a peep behind the scenes, that the opposition
companies form, in fact, a coalition, and while pretending in their posters to be playing The
Rivals, are in truth very amicably playing into one another's hands.
But the pantomime harvest is at longest but a short one, and with Christmas it comes but
once a year to us. So although the philosopher may have suffered from the Income-Tax, and
have become morose and a rather strict economist, let us hope that he can still afford to
laugh at any harmless little dodgery that maybe used to keep the Pantaloons a little longer
on their legs, and enable the Harlequins to leap a little farther into the spring than they
might otherwise have been engaged to do. A Columbine's roses are by no means thornless,
and Mr.. Merriman has often cause to show himself a sad dog in private : so we will not
judge too critically of the means which we may find are tried to keep the roses in bloom,
and the Merriman from laughing on the wrong side of his mouth.
LITERATURE EOR LADIES.
We understand that the producers of those interesting serials, the illustrated books of
fashions, are becoming seriously inconvenienced by the growing amplitude of ladies' dresses.
They have already, it appears, enlarged their engraving-plates to more than twice their
former size, but even this extent is weekly proving less and less sufficient to give a faithful
picture of the costumes now in vogue. We learn indeed from one of their most skilful
draughtsmen, that he finds it quite impossible to so reduce the scale, as to draw a lady's
figure in full evening dress within the comparatively contracted space assigned him. Even
on the scale of only one-twentieth of an inch to a yard he finds the largest quarto double page
by far too narrow to contain all the widths of a fashionable ball dress ; and he quite antici-
pates that he will soon be forced to draw half a skirt at a time, and get the publisher to
intimate_that it will be " continued in our next."
Knowing from experience that the votaries of fashion are prepared to'go any lengths —or
widths—in following their leader, it would not at all astonish us to find that their circum-
ference increased to such extent that, to do it proper justice, the fashion-books were
furnished with plates as big as dinner-tables. Unless the mode become more moderate, our
daughters will be coming home with their Belle's Litres about the size of Atlases, with
engravings upon folding leaves, which when spread out would paper half our dressing-room.
Indeed, if those " art-treasures," the millinery magazines, be filed at the Museum with our
other current literature, it will soon, we think, be rendered requisite to build an extra
wing to hold them. _
A Domestic Stampede.
It is melancholy or droll, according to the constitution of the observer's mind, to notice
with what rapidity children, who are playing about then mother's knee, will instantly decamp
on the announcement of their early dinner.
THE TEN TOWNS.,
Or, Mr. Punch''s Complete Handbook to his friend
Mr. Hill's New Postal Plan.
Rowland Hill has just divided
London's waste of brick by ten ;
Every change, of course, is chided,
By our stupid "business-men."
But the plan has pleased their betters,
Hill's new boundary rails are cast,
And those nuisances, our Letters,
Will be brought us twice as fast.
Neither iimide nor temere
Hill proceeds : his schem,e to aid
Rowland begs you '11 fix in memory
These new districts he has made.
Punch, believing that in no land
Works a sounder man than Hill,
Begs to give, in help of Rowland,
Some Mnemonics, framed with skill.
Let us take some leading feature
In each district thus assigned,
And the most oblivious creature
- Soon will bear the name in mind.
Unto its Initials adding,
Endings new but apropos,
Rowland's heart you '11 soon be gladding
By the ready skill you '11 show.
Thus :—N.W.'s region 's lying
All around the Regent's Park,
"What Nice Willas folks are buying
Round those parts," is your remark.
W. holds the whole, or nearly,
Of the Fashionable Squares,
Think of "Wealth," or (more severely)
Of the Wanton Waste it dares.
Lawyers, and good Coram's Eoundlings,
All are found in W.C.
Theatres delight its groundlings,
Wicked Creatures, is your key.
Pimlico is in S.W.,
Brompton fast, and Chelsea mild,
There the Shouting Wretches trouble you
With the Cries that drive you wild.
E's for England, represented
By her fittest symbol, Docks,
There's her Empire, sea-cemented,
Throned upon a thousand stocks.
Lady, your New Evening dresses :
Come from yonder scorned N.E.,
There the weaving Frenchman blesses
Nantes' Edict. Ah ! mais oui!
S. for Suburbs, neat and cheapish,
Brixton, Camberwell, Vauxnall,
And one's friend looks rather Sheepish
Bidding you to come and call;
Yet that part in turn outhectors
Yonder dismal hole S. E.,
Southwark, where tne Snob Electors
Choose Sm Charles and Apsley P.
Under N. the map embraces
Islington and Pentonveal,
Folks who ask you to such places.
Are a Nuisance, don't you feel ?
. While what's ancient, rich, or witty,
Mukes E.C. a glorious bunch,
That's our own Eternal City,
Tower and Bank. St. Paul's and Punch !
Fashion for Statute Fairs.
A Statute Fair will shortly be held at a suit-
able place. The Ticket-of-Leave men of the Me-
tropolis, and those of the nation at large, will be
invited to attend with their Tickets-of-Leave in
their hats, which will doubtless give them a great
advantage over unconvicted labourers, in com-
petition for employment. The site which has
been selected for this hopeful labour-market is
Gotham.