Silk playbills were regularly produced in the 18th and 19th centuries as souvenirs of special occasions at the theatre. This delicate silk playbill marked the last night of the season at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in January 1840, and a benefit night for its lessee. With its unusual gold print on dark blue silk, this is an example of the care which the theatre's lessee, Benjamin Webster (1798-1882), took with every aspect of his theatre, the standards of the drama he presented and the comfort of his patrons. Queen Victoria became friendly with Webster, and as a result of her frequent visits to the theatre a Royal Receiving Room and Royal Box were created.
The actor playwright Ben Webster took over the lease of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1837 as entirely his own venture without outside backers. He cast some of the leading actors of the day at his theatre, persuading the eminent tragedian William Macready to appear in his company from the first season. As beneficiary he would have taken a share of the evening's profits on 15 January and would therefore have wanted the finest actors possible to attract a full house. This he achieved since the great tragedian Macready played the Captain in Bulwer-Lytton's <i>The Sea Captain</i>, with Samuel Phelps as a Priest, the great interpreter of chilling characters Richard Smith (known as O. Smith) as a Pirate, and Priscilla Horton as Violet. Miss Horton had been a member of Macready's company at Covent Garden, and was to make a great success at the Haymarket in March 1840 as Ophelia to Macready's Hamlet. Samuel Phelps had also performed with Macready's company but had been demoted by him to lesser parts when Phelps' fame threatened to eclipse his own.