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A blue enamel and gilt metal Playgoers Club button badge for the “President” contained in orig. plush-lined blue morocco gilt case by D. & J. Wellby Ltd., Garrick Street, London. A blue enamel and gilt metal Playgoers” Club button badge for the President, contained in orig. plush-lined blue morocco gilt case by D. & J. Wellby Ltd., Garrick Street, London. Believed worn by Club President Sir Edward Marshall Hall, KC, (1858 –1927). English, circa 1912
Founded by Heneage Mandell in 1884, the London Playgoers Club met regularly “to afford members facilities for Critical Theatrical Discussions… in the form of… debate[s].” Playgoers in Victorian England did not generally enjoy a favorable reputation, stereotyped as abrasive at best and dangerous at worst. Mandell and his colleagues sought to promote a more genteel image of playgoers while nurturing a relationship between the players and audience.
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