Victorian Entertainments: There Will Be Fun journey’s back in time to examine how folks spent their free time and got their kicks during the late 19th century.
The exhibition focuses on the careers of five Victorian performers with a delightful collection of posters, handbills, advertisements, tickets, and other examples of rare ephemera alongside contemporary film and sound recordings of Victorian era performance. The quirky romp through a significant time in British history – one of Mesmerism and sapient pigs – and a free one at that!
On Saturday afternoons, 3pm to 5pm, from 15 October to 17 December, a cast of actors and performers will present archive material from the exhibition through the prism of contemporary performance. An especially “big party” is promised for the evening of Friday 25 November as well.
Well worth a looksee, Victorian Entertainments: There Will Be Fun runs from 14 October to 12 February at the Entrance Hall of the British Library, located at 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB. Find out more at bl.uk.