Entry by Iury Hepp: William Gillette's Held by the Enemy

This poster depicts a Civil War play "Held by the Enemy" written by William Gillette in 1886. Gillette (1853-1937) was an actor and playwright best known for portraying the character of Sherlock Holmes. This printing from 1898 depicts the realism movement that took place around the 1840s until the late 19th century. Realism was meant to convey truth and it relied on depicting people from all social classes in contemporary settings. Overdramatized emotions and the dramatic usage of colors to convey drama and chaos were strongly avoided. In theater, realism was first seen in staging and costume design. Some of the important characteristics of realism in theater are realistic characters and settings, colloquial languages and realist dialogues, realistic costume design for the specific period in the play, emphasis on character development, plausible plots depicting situations that could happen, and clear depiction of social classes.

Author: Iury Hepp