Throughout JK Green’s career in the toy theatre
publishing industry, he sold almost all his wares through agents. In his early
days it is doubtful whether he could afford adequate premises to sell his
publications from, so agency naturally suggested itself. On his return in 1832
he moved south of the Thames to Walworth New Town, an area of London that would
attract few customers. Perhaps he chose the location because of its comparatively
low rents compared to those areas of London occupied by his major competitors
and because he may have had some success using agents before and felt he could
do so again.
The very earliest of IK Green’s prints were sold through
William West’s haberdashery shop in Exeter Street. This showed that the two
most notable protagonists involved in the invention of the toy theatre actually
worked together for a short time. But by the time Green started to print toy
theatre productions the partnership had broken down and Green had to find an
alternative.
If we go back to Green’s first known toy theatre
publications, under the name of IK Green, we see H Burtenshaw of 130 St Martins
Lane named as selling agent. The oldest surviving proscenium is by IK Green and
dated 1st January 1812 and was “sold by Burtenshaw at his Theatrical
Military Historical and Comic Print Shop, No. 130 St Martins Lane, London”.
Twice more Burtenshaw appears as sole selling agent for
IK Green, on his productions of “The Secret Mine” 1st May 1812 and
“Valentine & Orson” also May 1812.
During 1812 Burtenshaw released his own plays, which are
believed to be copies from William West’s publications. These were:-
1812 Voorn the Tiger
1812 The Virgin of the Sun
1812 Baghvan Ho
181? The Golden Fish
IK Green’s third production “The Seven Wonders of the
World or Harlequin Colossus” in July 1812 was labelled as being “sold by
Perkins and Burtenshaw”. Perkins published two plays of his own: Aladdin in
1813 and Julius Caesar (no date).
In 1814 Green released his fourth play “Tiger Horde” and
was published in partnership with G Slee of 5 Artillery Lane, Bishopsgate.
After just one publication together, they parted company. IK Green disappeared
and G Slee went into partnership with Anderson from 1815 to 1825. From 1826 to
1835 G Slee struck out on his own, publishing halfpenny plays. In 1836 Skelt
acquired all Slee’s plates. No known G Slee imprinted sheet or plate has
survived.
On Green’s return in 1832 he started immediately to
produce plays and other works related to the toy theatre. His “New Stage
Orchestra” was imprinted on 3rd August 1834 and the copies I have
seen and the original plate, which still exists, all have John Redington named
as selling agent. However it is known that Redington didn’t become Green’s
agent until 1851 at the earliest. Therefore Redington’s name was added to the
plate retrospectively, most likely when a re-print was required. The same
happened when G Harriss became Green’s selling agent sometime late in the
1850’s, as Harriss’s name appears on Side Wings which were printed considerably
earlier. It is therefore also possible that other names that appear on the
surviving plates and sheets printed after the first runs, were added after the
original publication date. Items marked in italic
red are presumed to have been added after the original publication
date.
John Fairburn was an old-established publisher and known
employer of the Cruickshank family.
He was first to publish commercial valentines and Twelfth
Night characters in 1790’s.
He didn’t produce any toy theatre plays himself, but he
did do a very stylish series of portraits in the 1830s. The plates of which
passed to WS Johnson and eventually to the Webb family, who used them for
tinselling.
Agent on the following publications:-
1836 Playbook – The Miller & His Men
1836 Playbook – Robert Macaire
1836 Playbook – Red Rover
1836 Playbook – Harlequin Guy Fawkes
1836 Playbook – The Brigand
1836 Playbook – The Forty Thieves
Green’s agent from the time of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (28th
March 1853).
Green engraved Hyams name retrospectively on the title
plates of many of his previous plays. He did the same on his portraits, a
privilege not enjoyed even by Redington.
Agent on the following publications:-
01-Nov-1834 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Douglas
22-Jun-1835 Portrait – No.8 St George the Champion of
England
15-Feb-1836 Character Sheet – Title Sheet – Robert
Macaire
04-Apr-1836 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Red Rover
26-Dec-1836 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin Guy
Fawkes
25-Dec-1841 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Castle of
Otranto
26-Dec-1843 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin
Robin Hood
26-Dec-1845 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Therese
05-Apr-1847 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Flying
Dutchman
24-Dec-1847 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin St
George
01-Sep-1851 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Richard III
28-Mar-1853 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
1854 Playbook
– The Life of a Soldier
1854 Playbook – Tom Thumb
1854 Playbook – Harlequin & the Giant Helmet (reprint)
Largest manufacturer of Valentines
Father of Jonathan King, whose Toy Theatre collection exists in the Museum of London.
Agent for Green (3 Generations family business)
Agent on the following publications:-
1844 Playbook – Lord Darnley
1845 Playbook – Wapping Old Stairs (reprint)
26-Dec-1845 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Therese
1846 Playbook – Harlequin & Riddle-me-ree
05-Apr-1847 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Flying Dutchman
24-Dec-1847 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin St George
1849 Playbook – Timour the Tartar
15-Apr-1851 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Belphegor the Conjuror
01-Sep-1851 Character
Sheet - Title Sheet – Richard III
18-Nov-1851 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Blackbeard the Pirate
1851 Playbook – Blackbeard the Pirate
1851 Playbook – Belphegor the Conjurer
1853 Playbook – Harlequin Robin Hood
Agent on the following publications:-
26-Dec-1852 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin Oliver Cromwell
28-Mar-1853 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
1853 Playbook – Therese
1853 Playbook – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
11-Aug-1854 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Corsican Brothers
1854 Playbook – The Life of a Soldier
1854 Playbook – Tom Thumb
1854 Playbook – Wreck Ashore
1854 Playbook – Harlequin & the Giant Helmet (reprint)
1855 Playbook – Cinderella (reprint)
10-Apr-1855 Character
Sheet - Title Sheet – Battle of Balaclava
1855 Playbook – Battle of Balaclava
1856 Playbook – The Flying Dutchman (reprint)
1856 Playbook – Sixteen String Jack
1856 Playbook – Dred
Presumably not R Lloyd who published toy theatre plays in
the late 1820’s and early 1830’s especially as Green “pirated” R Lloyds play
“The Miller and His Men” claiming to have the original drawings in his
possession.
Presumably not E Lloyd (reputed to be R Lloyd’s brother)
who published Penny Dreadfuls from the 1830’s to 1850’s.
(Milton Street was renamed from Grub Street, celebrated
in the 18th century as the typical abode of hack writers.)
Agent on the following publications:-
01-Dec-1842 Portrait – No.12 Mr Braham as Tom Tug
Redington appeared, as agent on Green’s publications as
early as 1834, but it is believed that he didn’t actually become Green’s agent
until 1851, when his name first appeared on the playbooks. His name appeared on
virtually all sheets at one time or another, but his name was added to the
printing plates after 1851 as re-prints were required. (See the appendix
“Dating Sheets” for more details.)
As an advertising gimmick Redington asked Green to
produce a print of his shop in Hoxton. Green’s view of Redington’s shop at 208
Hoxton Old Town, in Harlequin Oliver Cromwell (1852) was very spare and elegant
compared to Redington’s own view of the shop in “Baron Munchausen” (c 1859).
Green’s first attempt at this plate does not seem to have satisfied Redington,
who apparently insisted on alterations. Images from the plate exist in two
states; the earlier ones lack the enormous lamp outside the Adam & Eve
public house, and also much of the verbiage (play titles etc) written round the
shop windows. Redington evidently though that any space not covered with
advertising matter was wasted space, and probably relied on the lamp as a landmark
to guide customers to his premises.
Agent on the following publications:-
03-Aug-1834 Green’s New Stage Orchestra
01-Nov-1834 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Douglas
15-Feb-1836 Character Sheet – Title Sheet – Robert
Macaire
04-Apr-1836 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Red Rover
26-Dec-1836 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin Guy
Fawkes
01-Feb-1838 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Wapping Old
Stairs
01-Jan-1841 Character Sheet – Title Sheet - Aladdin
01-Jul-1841 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Maid
& the Magpie
05-Sep-1841 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Silver
Palace
25-Dec-1841 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Castle of
Otranto
26-Dec-1843 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin
Robin Hood
26-Dec-1845 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Therese
05-Apr-1847 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Flying
Dutchman
24-Dec-1847 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin St George
15-Apr-1851 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Belphegor the
Conjuror
01-Sep-1851 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Richard III
18-Nov-1851 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Blackbeard the Pirate
1851 Playbook – Blackbeard the Pirate
26-Dec-1852 Character
Sheet - Title Sheet – Harlequin Oliver Cromwell
1852 Playbook – Oliver Cromwell
28-Mar-1853 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
1853 Playbook – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
1853 Playbook – Harlequin Robin Hood
1853 Playbook – Therese
11-Aug-1854 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Corsican Brothers
1854 Playbook – The Life of a Soldier
1854 Playbook – Tom Thumb
1854 Playbook – Wreck Ashore
1854 Playbook – Harlequin & the Giant Helmet (reprint)
10-Apr-1855 Character
Sheet - Title Sheet – Battle of Balaclava
1855 Playbook – Battle of Balaclava
1855 Playbook – Cinderella (reprint)
26-Dec-1856 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Dred
1856 Playbook – The Flying Dutchman (reprint)
1856 Playbook – Sixteen String Jack
1856 Playbook – Dred
01-Jan-1857 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Sixteen String Jack
1850’s Regency
Theatre
Agent also for Webb in the 1840’s and 1850’s.
Agent on the following publications:-
11-Aug-1854 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – The Corsican Brothers
10-Apr-1855 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Battle of Balaclava
1854 Playbook – Tom Thumb
1854 Playbook – Wreck Ashore
1855 Playbook – Battle of Balaclava
1856 Playbook – The Flying Dutchman (reprint)
JT Wood – 287 Srand
JT Wood – 17 Addle St, Aldermanbury
JT Wood created 4 plays of his own. Whether these were
his own works or copies is not known.
The Miller and His Men
The Waterman
The Corsican Brothers
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Possibly Thomas Frost who at this period was writing
Penny Dreadfuls and in later life wrote highly esteemed histories of fairs,
circuses and conjuring.
(Dudley Street was originally named Monmouth Street, but
had recently been renamed. It was destroyed to create the present Shaftesbury
Avenue. While the name Monmouth Street (unused for many years) was eventually
given to one branch of the Seven Dials.
Agent on the following publications:-
1853 Playbook – Therese
1854 Playbook – The Life of a Soldier
1854 Playbook – Tom Thumb
1854 Playbook – Wreck Ashore
1854 Playbook – Harlequin & the Giant Helmet (reprint)
1855 Playbook – Battle of Balaclava
1856 Playbook – The Flying Dutchman (reprint)
Agent on the following publications:-
1-Jan-1853 One off
sheet of Miniature Harlequins (No.27).
Harriss’s name is found rubber-stamped on a few of West’s
very late (1840’s) publications, perhaps indicating that he had been selling
toy theatre sheets for sometime before taking up with Green.
Harriss’s shop was near The Marylebone Theatre. It is
difficult to know whether Green’s visits to this theatre led him to discover
Harriss or whether his relationship with Harriss prompted him to publish a
version of the Marylebone Theatre pantomime “Goody Goose”.
Agent on the following publications:-
01-Nov-1834 Character Sheet - Title Sheet – Douglas
1859 Character
Sheet - Title Sheet – Goody Goose