"He was not of an age, but for all time." This was written by Ben Jonson in his dedicatory verses to the memory of William Shakespeare in 1623. His contemporaries recognized during his life time the dimension of his work, and if anything, we continue to affirm his genius today with an even greater appreciation. No writer in any language, from any time period, can begin to rival the universal appeal that Shakespeare has enjoyed. No one else in any artistic endeavor has projected a cultural influence so broad and so deep to compare to his. After almost four-hundred years of exposure, he continues to have a daily effect on virtually every aspect of popular culture throughout the world.

The first documented performance of Shakespeare in America was in 1750 and except for the interruption of the Revolutionary War, performances grew in number all along the East Coast and in the 1800's really expanded into the growing network of westward expansion. His popularity can be gauged by what Charles Shattuck called "the westward flow of Shakespearean actors" from England to America in the 1830's and 1840's.

In Huckleberry Finn (1884), Mark Twain introduced much of America to Romeo and Juliet and Richard III. As Huck and Jim drift down the Mississippi on their raft, they are joined by the two rogues who pass themselves off as Shakespearean actors. Much hilarity ensues as they stage excerpts from Shakespeare's plays. Well before Twain, burlesque and parody were frequently the presentation styles from which America learned about Shakespeare during the mid-1800's. Hamlet and Richard III were the most lampooned of all the bards works.

By the late 1800's, large multi-color advertising posters were seen everywhere. The format was perfect for the many traveling theater programs such as this one presenting a Shakespeare festival. As costs came down, advertising posters were found everywhere. As the technology continued to improve, larger and more colorful signs emerged and became the billboards that continue to play a large role in the overall advertising strategies of the twenty-first century.

The U. S. Printing Co. was one of the premier poster printers and designers for several decades, one of several headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Created/Published : U.S. Printing Co., Cincinnati, c1898

Part of the Theatrical Poster Collection housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

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Product #: var1019