Bill, programme

This bill lists an evening's entertainment at Vauxhall Gardens during the summer season of 1848.
One of the main attractions listed in this programme was a performance of his 'much admired plantation dance' by the African American dancer Master Juba. In 1848 Juba embarked on a highly successful 18 month tour of Britain with a white minstrel group, Pell's Serenaders. Juba's origins are uncertain but it is likely he came from New York's Five Points District where his highly distinctive dance style was influenced by his African culture and the jig of his Irish neighbours. His stage name derives from the juba dance, with its origins in the African word giouba and was often adopted as a stage name by African-American dancers. Juba was probably only about 18 years when he performed at Vauxhall. The bill notes he will be performing as 'Lucy Long.' Contemporary accounts refer to Juba as wearing a bonnet and veil, pink dress and red leather boots and carrying a parasol as he performed to the popular minstrel song Lucy Long played by the Pell's Serenaders.
Also listed on the bill was the American 'Lion King' Isaac Van Amburgh. He regularly performed in London with his lion act from the 1830s. His daring show was hugely popular with London audiences including Queen Victoria who visited Drury Lane theatre 6 times in 1839 to watch him perform.
Van Amburgh performed his shows in cages that were transportable so that he could move to various venues easily. The act included him riding on a lion's back and sticking his head inside a lion's mouth.
Master Juba performed at Vauxhall from 21st August 1848 and Van Amburgh from 28th August. It is likely, therefore, this programme dates from around 28th August 1848.
The bill relates to the final years in the long history of Vauxhall Gardens that closed in 1859.