Treatment—Harlequinade

In Percy Muir-s English Children's Books, he describes the fashioning of Harlequinades by hand as a popular pastime in the seventeenth century and possibly earlier. The lifting up of the flaps to disclose another picture below, which may turn Adam into Eve, or Eve into a mermaid, probably accounts for the other names for these creations, "metamorphoses" or "turn-ups". The name "harlequinade" derives from the fact that several were put out between 1766 and 1772, by a publisher named Sayer, who capitalized on the popular pantomimes and harlequinades of the leading London theatres, and "Harlequin" was always used in his titles.

A harlequinade presents a completely different problem from a panorama, because it does not "read" unless it is folded and then opened section by section. Our harlequinade is a single sheet of paper 12½ x 16 inches, divided into four vertically using three folds, and three horizontally using two folds. The top and bottom quarters of the vertical folds are cut, so that each top and bottom section can be lifted independently of the others, there by increasing from six to nine, the permutations of changing images visible to the viewer.

Because of aging and wear—it was made for children and has had much "loving"—the harlequinade is vulnerable to handling. But it is made from a good laid paper, and if carefully handled and laid on a flat surface before being unfolded, should survive for many years to come. It was possible to use a very lightweight tissue to mend the harlequinade because there is no weight on the folds. The tissue was used in wisps so as not to cover the image, and in slightly larger pieces where more strength was needed. The finer tissue reduces the stiffening effect of the mends and facilitates folding. A photocopy facsimile will be used to keep handling to a minimum, and to show both sides when it is exhibited. It will be housed in an acid-free paper folder inside a book box.