Madame Auriol as Columbine

Theatrical souvenir plate printed with an engraving of a the actress Madame Auriol in the role of Columbine. Such portraits would have been sold plain as theatrical souvenirs for colouring and tinselling at home.

Columbine was one of the main roles in the harlequinade, which is a short comic play performed after a longer, more serious drama. The characters were all stylised and the audience would have known the characters immediately. The harlequniade and pantomime were both parts of the same performance, although only the pantomime is still staged.