These warmly affectionate letters, presented here in their entirety, paint a vivid picture of California in the mid-nineteenth century, describing the new state in all its spectacular beauty."--BOOK JACKET.

"This major work on the early history of the American theater chronicles more than a century of the plays presented at the various New York houses and the performers who appeared in them. ... Joseph N. Ireland, a retired businessman, devoted himself to the history of the stage, also producing two biographies of actors."--Bookseller's accompanying material

From luminaries such as J.M.W.Turner to the all but forgotten George Travers - and through the hierarchy of genres from high art to animals, fruit, flowers, sea and landscapes - the 500 pictures covered in this catalogue form about half of the V&A's collection of British oil paintings.

Taking as notional parameters the upheaval of the French Revolution and the events leading up to the Unification of Italy, this volume charts a period of political and social turbulence in Europe and its reflection in theatrical life. Apart from considering external factors like censorship and legal sanctions on theatrical activity, the volume examines the effects of prevailing operational conditions on the internal organization of companies, their repertoire, acting, stage presentation, playhouse architecture and the relationship with audiences. Also covered are technical advances in stage machinery, scenography and lighting, the changing position of the playwright and the continuing importance of various street entertainments, particularly in Italy, where dramatic theatre remained the poor relation of the operatic, and itinerant acting troupes still constituted the norm. The 460 documents, many of them illustrated, have been drawn from sources in Britain, France and Italy and have been annotated, and translated where appropriate.