{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1738507"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1738507/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NL1846/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NL1846/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2023NL1846","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NL1851","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NL1852","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NL1853","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NL1854","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NJ5034","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NJ5036","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NJ5035","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NJ5037","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1738507/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1738507","accessionNumber":"S.101:1, 2-2023","objectType":"Box","titles":[{"title":"Charley's Aunt souvenir trinket box","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"On 21 December 1895 a number of these trinket boxes were presented to ladies in the audience at a 'souvenir night' of the farce <i>Charley's Aunt</i>. Ticket prices were raised on nights like this to facilitate the manufacture of commemorative souvenirs. The boxes were commissioned to mark the farce's third anniversary on the London stage. Men were presented with similarly-decorated vesta cases. \n\nSouvenir nights were only promoted for particularly successful productions, and <i>Charley’s Aunt</i> was one of the most successful of the 19th century, ensuring fame and financial security for its author, Brandon Thomas (1848-1914), and its leading actor, W.S. Penley (1851-1912). Penley staged the original production, which opened on 29 February 1892 at the Theatre Royal, Bury St. Edmunds, and originated the role of Lord Fancourt Babberley. Babberley is persuaded by his friend, Charley Wykeham, to impersonate Donna Lucia d'Alvadorez, Charley's rich aunt from Brazil. The show’s London run began at the Royalty Theatre on 21 December 1892. It transferred to the Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud) on 30 January 1893 and ran there for 1,466 performances, a record at the time, closing on 19 December 1896. It has been continually revived around the world, adapted for film and TV, and has inspired musical versions. \n\nPenley, whose image as Charley's aunt is die-stamped on the box's lid, was a trained singer and comedian whose early career saw him play the Foreman in the first revival of Gilbert and Sullivan's <i>Trial By Jury</i> at the Royalty Theatre in 1877, and Sir Joseph Porter in Richard D’Oyly Carte’s touring production of <i>HMS Pinafore</i> in 1878. In 1884 Penley made a hit on the London stage as the innocent young clergyman, Reverend Robert Spalding, in Charles Hawtrey's play, <i>The Private Secretary </i>at the Globe Theatre, a role originally created by the hugely successful actor-manager, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. Spalding was the part with which Penley’s name was associated for years until eclipsed by his success in <i>Charley's Aunt</i>.\n\r\nWalker &amp; Hall, who made the trinket box and its companion vesta case, were important 19th-century manufacturing and retailing silversmiths who supplied national and international markets with inexpensive electroplated goods, including cutlery, tea ware, candlesticks and trophies. George Walker originally established his company in Sheffield in 1845 as Walker &amp; Co., after securing the royalty for electroplating. Henry Hall joined the business in 1853, creating Walker &amp; Hall, with a factory in Howard Street, Sheffield, and showrooms in London at 45 Holborn Viaduct. Branches were later opened in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Cardiff, Belfast, Hull, Bristol, Melbourne, Adelaide, Cape Town, Wellington and Auckland. \r\n\n\n ","physicalDescription":"Silver heart-shaped trinket box with removable lid and silver-gilt interior. \n\n<b>S.101:1-2023</b>\nHeart-shaped silver box, the exterior of which is etched: 'From Charley's Aunt December 21st 1895' and the interior is silver-gilt\n\n<b>S.101:2-2023\n</b>Heart-shaped silver lid with a beaded rim, decorated with a die-stamped repoussé head and shoulders portrait of the actor W.S. Penley in character as Charley's aunt. Silver-gilt on the reverse.\n","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Walker & Hall Ltd.","id":"A3004"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"x40240"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silver","id":"AAT11029"},{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"}],"techniques":[{"text":"die stamping","id":"AAT53224"},{"text":"repoussé","id":"AAT54023"},{"text":"engraving","id":"AAT53829"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Silver and silver-gilt with die-stamped repoussé work and etched lettering","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Theatre","id":"THES250537"},{"text":"Souvenirs","id":"THES287379"},{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"},{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2023NL1846","2023NL1851","2023NL1852","2023NL1853","2023NL1854","2023NJ5034","2023NJ5036","2023NJ5035","2023NJ5037"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"CAGE","id":"THES49689"},"free":"","case":"MB007/BY001","shelf":"003","box":""},{"current":{"text":"CAGE","id":"THES49689"},"free":"","case":"MB007/BY001","shelf":"003","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"trinket boxes","id":"THES398612"}],[{"text":"pillboxes (containers)","id":"AAT198894"}],[{"text":"boxes","id":"x44081"}],[{"text":"containers","id":"AAT197197"}],[{"text":"trinket boxes","id":"THES398612"}],[{"text":"pillboxes (containers)","id":"AAT198894"}],[{"text":"boxes","id":"x44081"}],[{"text":"containers","id":"AAT197197"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Sheffield","id":"x29138"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1895","earliest":"1895-01-01","latest":"1895-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.38-1976","id":"O1244408"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"S.880-1981","id":"O1114077"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"S.1430-1986","id":"O1824638"},"association":"Duplicate"}],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"2.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum height of lidded box","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"2.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum height of box without lid","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"5.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum depth of lidded box front to back","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"5.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum width of lidded box","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'From Charley's Aunt December 21st 1895'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Heart-shaped souvenir trinket box, produced to commemorate the third anniversary of Brandon Thomas's farce <i>Charley's Aunt</i> on the London stage. Silver with silver-gilt interior. Walker & Hall, Sheffield, 1895","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Penley, William Sydney","id":"N4709"},{"text":"Thomas, Brandon","id":"N2867"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.101:1-2023","S.101:2-2023"],"accessionNumberNum":"101","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2023,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-08-04","recordCreationDate":"2022-12-15","availableToBook":false}}