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Rare Books 41
ARMY AMATEUR DRAMATICS IN INDIA
49. [INDIA.] Theatre Royal. Secunderabad
1867. The officers of the Amateur Dramatic
Club have the honour to announce that their
next series of performances will take place as
follows … Grand Cantonment Night. On which
occasion will be presented the comic drama in
two acts by Charles Dance Esquire of A
Wonderful Woman …
Secunderabad, Columbian Press R. Hudson proprietor.
[1867.] Playbill printed on pink silk. Folio (25 x 45cm) edges
taselled in pink, British Royal arms at head, old folds, small
tear along one fold not affecting text, in a very good state of
preservation.
Printed on striking pink silk, this playbill advertises
performances by the Officers Amateur Theatrical Club
of Secunderabad in India in September 1867. The
comic drama A wonderful woman by Charles Dance
(1794-1863) was to be followed by the farce Jack’s
Delight by Thomas J. Williams. The playbill lists an
unusually large amount of information about the event.
Not only are the names of all the actors with regiments
listed, but also the name of the “costumier, Mrs Hales”,
the manager “Captain T.H.Way, 108 th Regiment”,
details of the music performed by the “band of the 29 th
Regiment N.I.” together with much pricing and ticketing
information. Situated in Andhra Pradesh,
Secunderabad was founded as a British cantonment in
1798.
We have not been able to trace other copies of this or
any similar nineteenth century playbills printed in
Secunderabad.
£450
INVITATION TO A CALCUTTA NAUTCH
50. [INDIA.] Moha Rajah Rajkishen Bahador presents his respectful compliments to Mr
& Mrs Smyth and requests the honor of their company, to a nautch, in celebration of
the festival of Doorga Poojah, at his house …
[Calcutta, 21 September 1821.] Invitation card (11 x 7.5cm) printed on stiff card with decorative printed border,
printed text with manuscript completions, blank verso with unrelated pencil jottings, very good.
A rare and early Indian printed invitation card
inviting a “Mr & Mrs Smyth” to a nautch hosted
by the Maharaja Raj Krishna Bahadur
(d.1823) at his house in Calcutta in September
1821 during the Hindu festival of Durga Puja.
Nautch was a specific style of popular dance
performed by young women which rose in
popularity in Northern India during Company
Rule. A member of the Sobha Bazar Raj
Family, Maharaja Raj Krishna Bahadur, a
scholar of oriental languages, was the son of
Maharaja Nava Krishna Bahadur, Persian
teacher to Warren Hastings and supporter of
Lord Clive.
£250