Theatrical Characters

During the late eighteenth century and into the Regency period, working creatively with paper – cutting and pin-pricking – was a favourite pastime and accomplishment for young ladies of leisure. Inspiration was often sought from book plates, so the theme of many of the pictures was figural as shown in this charming pair of theatrical characters on stage: the lady dressed as a shepherdess with a basket of pretty flowers; and, the gentleman with a long bound pigtail smoking a pipe.

Set against black watercolour backgrounds, the figures are cut out with the addition of texture and shadow achieved by varying the density of the pricks using different sizes of steel needles and by pricking from both sides of the paper.

The pictures are presented in light oak frames with dark wood slips with an inner gilt border and old glass. Both frames have some old worm holes to the inner slip with a small area of restoration to the top of one slip.