Isaac Taylor, Drury Lane Theatre from the Stage During the Performance, 1804, Engraving

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This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, lettered "Drury Lane Theatre, from the Stage during the performance." The view … Read more This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, lettered "Drury Lane Theatre, from the Stage during the performance." The view looks out from the stage into the auditorium, which is packed from floor to ceiling. The pit is a sea of heads, and above it tier upon tier of boxes and galleries curve around the house, each crowded with spectators. Swagged curtains frame the top of the view, stage boxes rise at the right, and at the far left an actress in a long gown stands at the edge of the stage. The two lines of the title are engraved in script below the image. The artist's credit "Pugh delin." is at lower left and the engraver's credit "Engraved by Isaac Taylor." at lower right. Beneath the title is the imprint "Published Aug. 11-1804, by Richard Phillips, 71, St Paul's Church Yard." The plate comes from Modern London; Being the History and Present State of the British Metropolis, printed for Richard Phillips, No. 71, St. Paul's Church-Yard, by C. Mercier and Co., Northumberland-court, Strand, in 1804, and "illustrated with numerous copper plates." Many of its topographical views were drawn by Edward Pugh, a Welsh painter working in London, and engraved on copper by several London engravers, each of whom signed his own plate. The Drury Lane theater shown here was the large house designed by Henry Holland and opened in 1794; it burned down in 1809. An unusual point of view and a natural choice for anyone who loves the stage. Condition: Light wear to the bottom right and top left corners. Age toning; handling soiling along the edges and foxing with some brown staining in the margins. Printed image clean. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less