Program for "Pardon My French": Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A program for a Folies Bergere revue titled "Pardon My French," performed at the London Prince of Wales Theatre. The program consists of three (3) full pages of paper folded in half and bound with two (2) staples to form a booklet. The program has red and black ink on white paper. The cover features an illustration of a woman covering her body with a large feathered fan. She has long, wavy hair and wears gloves and high heels. A 1 9/16 inch stripe forms the left border of the page, behind the woman, and ends in a pool below her feet. Black and red text on the cover reads: [PRINCE of WALES / PICCADILLY / A new / Folies Bergere / revue / PARDON / MY / FRENCH / PROGRAMME PRICE SIXPENCE]. The words "Pardon" and "French" are done in illustrated letters. The first letter of each word is red with white stars, while the rest of the letters are black with white dots. Three (3) red stars are at the bottom right. Additional illustrations of women decorate the pages of the program. A black and white headshot of pianist Winifred Atwell is featured on one page.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1953
• Created by: Prince of Wales Theatre, British, founded 1848
• Subject of: Winifred Atwell, Trinidadian, 1914 - 1983
• Type: programs
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 8 3/8 × 6 3/8 in. (21.3 × 16.2 cm)
• Place used: London, England, United Kingdom, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Musical Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.29.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.