Characters, from Jack and the Giant Killer, Plate 7 for a Toy Theater 1870 - 1890

This cast of characters from Jack and the Giant Killer was printed by Benjamin Pollock, most likely in the late 19th century, using a simple method: lithography, with hand-applied color. It’s a classic example of a toy theater, a popular form of home entertainment at the time. These sheets would have been sold inexpensively, then carefully cut out and mounted by their owners – a form of early DIY. The flat, graphic style is perfectly suited to mass production, but there is also something charmingly personal in the way that each sheet was individually colored. Consider the social context: this was a time of burgeoning consumer culture, and objects like this brought the magic of the theater into ordinary homes. Pollock wasn't just selling paper; he was selling access to a world of imagination. And in doing so, he blurred the lines between art, craft, and commerce.