A Lecture On Heads

Wooden and pasteboard heads become the props for a comic lecture about human habits, appearances and pretensions. George Alexander Stevens builds his entertainment around a speaker addressing an audience and displaying a succession of heads. This edition records the version delivered by Charles Lee Lewes, with additions by Mr. Pilon, prologues and an essay on satire. Its opening address also recounts disputes over unauthorized editions, giving the performance a history beyond the stage.

Fashion supplies some of the sharpest jokes in the excerpt. A Derbyshire servant stuffs her elaborate hair arrangement with hay, only for a hungry horse to seize it. Criticism of rouge and artificial beauty leads into advice about good temper between husbands and wives. Stage directions keep the changing props visible on the page, while puns connect heads, hearts and social standing. Readers interested in theatrical humor can follow how an object, a gesture and a verbal joke work together to make a satirical portrait.