Nov 21 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2687 -

Sale 2687 - Lot 103

Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
(CIVIL WAR--PENNSYLVANIA.) Pair of playbills for performances by the Geary Thespian Corps. 2 printed items, each illustrated with a portrait of Colonel Geary. Philadelphia: Harbach & Bro., 1861-1862

Additional Details

This troupe was part of the 28th Pennsylvania Infantry commanded by Colonel John W. Geary, the former governor of Kansas and mayor of San Francisco.

The first program is for an 1861 "Christmas Entertainment" given at Camp Goodman in Maryland, featuring an orchestra, an Irish jig, several songs by the Geary Glee Club, several dramatic performances with female roles played by soldiers in drag, and a minstrel section titled "Ethiopian Melange." 3 pages, 10½ x 8 inches, on one folding sheet; folds, mount remnants on final blank. 25 December [1861].

The other is a playbill for the "Third Entertainment," also at Camp Goodman, featuring the orchestra, a comic song, "Ethiopian Eccentricities," and two dramatic performances. One page, 10x 4¾ inches; folds, mount remnants, short tape repairs, moderate wear. 27 January 1862.