{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1138629"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1138629/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EK1753/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EK1753/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2010EK1753","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1138629/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1138629","accessionNumber":"S.188-1997","objectType":"Playbill","titles":[{"title":"Playbill advertising William Henry West Betty, 'The Young Roscius', 1804","type":""}],"summaryDescription":"This playbill advertises the first appearance in Edinburgh of the fourteen year old superstar William Henry West Betty (1791-1874), later known as Master Betty, in the title role of John Home's <i>Douglas</i>, but only identifies him as The Young Roscius. It notes that he is: 'the young gentleman who has for some time performed in the theatres of Dublin, Cork and Belfast with such a series of success and drew crowded and overflowing houses as to acquire the appellation of The Young Roscius, and, who has been received with an equal degree of estimation in Glasgow...' \n\nMaster Betty went on to make his first appearance in London at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, on Saturday, 1 December 1804, by which time his appearances in the rest of the country had produced such frenetic expectation that people hid in the theatre the night before in an attempt to see him and others fainted in the crush for admittance. Constables were hired to keep watch in the auditorium on the great day that he made his London debut as Achmet in John Brown's tragedy <i>Barbarossa</i>.","physicalDescription":"Letterpress playbill advertising 'The Young Roscius' in <i>Douglas</i> at the Theatre Royal, Thursday, 28 June1804. The evening will conclude with the farce, <i>Raising the Wind</i>. ","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Denovan and Co.","id":"A28564"},"association":{"text":"printers (people)","id":"AAT25732"},"note":"James and Alexander Denovan ran Denovan & Co., in Brodie's Close, Lawnmarket, from 1803 until 1806, succeeding the firm of Campbell Denovan (probably their father) who had a printing office in Lawnmarket from 1777. Lawnmarket was originally part of Edinburgh's High Street."}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"}],"techniques":[{"text":"letterpress","id":"AAT178926"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Letterpress","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Printed pages & sheets","id":"THES48904"},{"text":"Theatre","id":"THES250537"},{"text":"Posters","id":"THES252963"},{"text":"Advertising","id":"THES49001"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2010EK1753"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"004","id":"THES356741"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"posters","id":"AAT27221"}],[{"text":"playbills","id":"AAT27216"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Edinburgh","id":"x28816"},"association":{"text":"Printed","id":"x46159"},"note":"The address of the printers is given on the playbill as Lawn-market"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1804","earliest":"1804-01-01","latest":"1804-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"41.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"17.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Associated production: Douglas. Drama by John Home. Actors - Master Better (Young Roscius), Mr Willoughby, Mrs Ward. Raising the Wind. Farce by J. Kenney. Actors - Mr Hollingsworth, Mr Turpin, Mrs Charteris. Other actors - Mr Evatt, Mr Hunter and Mrs Evatt. 28/6/1804, Theatre Royal, Edinburgh","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Playbill advertising 'The Young Roscius' William Henry West Betty (1791-1874) in <i>Douglas</i>, Theatre Royal Edinburgh, 28 June1804. Letterpress, printed by Denovan & Co.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.188-1997"],"accessionNumberNum":"188","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1997,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-08","recordCreationDate":"2009-10-20","availableToBook":true}}