The Ambitious Step-Mother. A Tragedy - Rowe, Nicholas 1674-1718; Roberts, James 1753-1809 (London Cawthorn; Bell, 1795)
Nicholas Rowe's plays and poems were well-received during his lifetime, with one of his translations described as one of the greatest productions in English poetry. He's the first modern editor of the plays of William Shakespeare (1709)
The Ambitious Stepmother - Rowe's first play, produced in 1700 at Lincoln's Inn Fields by Thomas Betterton and set in Persepolis - was well received.
The publisher, John Bell (1745-1831), was an important printer and typographer whose bookshop, 'British Library', was located in the Strand and who pioneered the regular s (instead of the long s) in English printing
Frontispiece engraving by William Satchwell Leney (1769-1831) after James Roberts Jr (1753-1809) depicting Mr Midleton as Artaxerxes in Act 5 Scene 1 "And see this weapon shall shield me from it"; standing, whole length, gesturing with left hand in a fist, holding a sword in right, facing to the right; dressed in oriental robe; in oval frame.
Roberts jr worked on a set of dramatic portraits, to be engraved for the book series Bell's British Theatre. These were for John Bell, and were executed from 1775 to 1781, as a collection of over 60 watercolours on vellum.
Contains role assignment and casting for Drury Lane
Keywords: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (London, United Kingdom); 18th Century (1701-1800); Play (theater); London (United Kingdom)