1856 (November 16), disinfected theatrical troupe roster, Rovigo to
Forli, folded letter with printed theatrical and
1856 (November 16), disinfected theatrical troupe roster, Rovigo to
Forli, folded letter with printed theatrical and accompanying
manuscript letter, struck with two-line Rovigo despatch datestamp,
reverse with fair strike of “Pontelago / Netta Fuori / e / Dentro”
disinfection handstamp, two disinfection slits on front from
fumigation, enclosing printed contents titled “Elenco della
Drammatica Compagnia diretta e condotta dall’Artista Giuseppe
Bosio,” listing members of the touring troupe including Benedetta
Bosio, Virginia Bosio, Nicola Minola, Achille Pagliari and others,
several names corrected in contemporary manuscript reflecting
changes in company personnel, a fine-very fine letter with
fascinating contents, which provide a contemporary account of the
very epidemic necessitating the letter's disinfection; ex
Vandervelde. The manuscript portion of this letter, written at
Rovigo on 16 November 1856, petitions local theatre authorities for
permission for the writer’s dramatic company to perform,
referencing the recent epidemic that had disrupted engagements and
travel, including the passage “Ora che la Dio mercé il terribile
morbo che ha oppressa l’Italia pare cessato…” (“Now that, thanks be
to God, the terrible disease which afflicted Italy appears to have
ceased…”), an allusion to the epidemic of 1855–1856 that affected
northern Italy; the printed troupe roster was likely enclosed as
part of the formal application identifying the actors and staff of
the travelling company directed by Giuseppe Bosio, required both
for administrative and security reasons, with the political content
of theatrical performances of the time kept under close scrutiny by
the authorities.
