Image of a central image of American actor Gus Williams dressed in character as a police officer swinging a night stick with surrounding vignettes of crime scenes including a woman being held at gunpoint on a porch next to the East River in New York City where a man prepares to dive into the water to save a drowning man, with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background, captioned "The East River Tragedy," at upper right; Officer Mishler in his pajamas pointing a gun at a man in a hall outside of bedrooms, captioned "'Why do you interfere between man and wife?' 'On the personal responsibility of a man'- John Mishler," at bottom center; two women looking at two men on a sidewalk, captioned "The Masher," at center left; and a man holding a baby before a woman captioned "'Are you sure this is the little girl?,'" at upper left; the poster advertises the play "One of the Finest" written by Joseph Bradford. Date based on general show history; Williams first performed in "One of the Finest" in 1882 and Rickaby and Williams ended their partnership in 1883 ("John Rickaby and Gus Williams dissolve partnership on the first of May." ("Stage Gossip," Galveston Daily News, 2 April 1883). "NY 139"--text, top left margin. "Strobridge Lith Co Cin'ti & N.Y."--text, bottom left margin.
Type
image
Extent
1 lithograph : color printed ; overall 101.92 x 75.88 cm (40 1/8 x 29 7/8 in.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.) Williams, Gus, 1847-1915--Portraits Crime--Pictorial works Drowning--Pictorial works Gunfights--Pictorial works Police--Pictorial works Melodramas Theatrical productions Lithographs--Color--1875-1900. (gmgpc) Theatrical posters--American. (gmgpc)
Place
New York (N.Y.)
Source
Jay T. Last Collection Entertainment Large Size Music and Theater The Jay T. Last Collection of Graphic Arts and Social History, Huntington Digital Library
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