Pen and ink illustration created for publication in an illustrated newspaper, probably the Penny Illustrated Press.
It shows a group of children seated in the front row of the stalls at The Surrey Theatre and watching a performance of Aladdin. The sketch is not dated but was drawn by the artist F.V. Poole and is likely to date from circa 1900.
Annotation below the sketch suggests that the children all came from London Slums, and that their visit to the theatre had been organised by a charitable society known as The Playgoers Clubwho raised funds to cover the costs of the children's tickets.
This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914.
