Description
A jaunty figure of Dick Whittington, clad in slashed doublet and feathered cap, pauses on a hillside to scratch his rat-catching black cat beneath the chin. Behind them the spires of London glow mauve against a yellow sky, while a spotted bindle and the playful legend “IV MILES TO LONDON” underscore the sense of journey and hope. A wide blank panel at top was left for theatres to over‑print dates and venues.
The medieval tale of the poor boy whose cat brought him riches became a festive staple of British pantomime from the 19th century onward. Touring companies in the 1930s commissioned huge, eye‑catching lithographs such as this to advertise Christmas season engagements up and down the country. Surviving examples are scarce, most having been pasted to hoardings and discarded after the run.
Printed in rich stone‑litho inks, the design’s flat colour planes and loose outlines are typical of early‑mid‑1930s. A Moody Bros. credit appears on comparable copies, helping to confirm the dating. The present example was issued in two sections, one version has been professionally joined and linen‑backed for stability.
