Pantomime Children’s Book Collage Sheets
These free collage sheets feature illustrations from a vintage children’s book entitled, The Pantomime, published in 1849. Each page is dedicated to a different whimsical character. They include a fairy, clown, harlequin, columbine, and a queen.
Scroll down, and you’ll find a sheet of 2.5” x 4.25” journal cards and a sheet of 2” x 3” journal cards.
Be sure to visit the children’s book section in my library of free collage sheets for more printables like these. You might also enjoy these Royal Alphabet collage sheets and these collage sheets from a vintage children’s fairy book entitled, Flora’s Gala.
When I saw the title of this book, I thought of clown-like mimes and thought the whole story would be about the Harlequin character. I knew nothing of pantomime theatrical productions. After a little research, I learned that pantomime is a type of musical comedy stage production that is popular in the United Kingdom and some other countries, particularly during the Christmas season.
Pantomime performances are typically based on well-known fairy tales, folk tales, or children's stories, and they often feature exaggerated and comical characters, catchy songs, and audience participation. While pantomime has some similarities to silent mime performances, it also includes dialogue and singing.
Pantomime productions typically involve a "principal boy" character played by a young woman (in this book, maybe the Harlequin?), and a "dame" character played by a man in drag (maybe the Columbine character?). Other popular characters include a hero, a villain, and a fairy godmother. Pantomime performances also feature a lot of physical comedy, slapstick humor, and visual gags.
Audience participation is an important part of pantomime. Children are encouraged to shout out responses to the actors, and there are often moments when the actors interact with the audience, asking them to cheer or boo the characters on stage. Pantomime has become a popular tradition in many communities, and it is a fun way to celebrate the holiday season.
2.5” x 4.25” Journal Cards
In my research, I also learned more about Harlequin. Harlequin is a character from traditional Italian theater who is known for his distinctive costume and physical comedy. Harlequin is typically depicted as a servant or valet, and his costume consists of a tight-fitting outfit covered in multicolored patches or diamond shapes. He also wears a mask that covers his face.
In performances, Harlequin is often portrayed as a mischievous and cunning trickster who is always getting into trouble or causing problems for other characters. He is also known for his acrobatic skills, and his physical comedy often involves impressive feats of agility and dexterity.
Harlequin is one of the most recognizable characters from the traditional Italian theatrical form known as Commedia dell'Arte. Over time, his character has been adapted and reinterpreted in various forms of theater, literature, and popular culture.
2” x 3” Journal Cards
Use these collage sheets for art journaling, junk journaling, bullet journaling, collage, artist trading cards (ATCs), scrapbooking and other mixed media artwork.
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Terms of use:
Free to use for personal or commercial projects. You may print the collage sheets as many times as you wish for your personal crafts or in your projects to sell, including: art journals, scrapbooks, junk journals, collage art, etc. You may not redistribute or sell the collage sheets “as is" in either print or digital form.
If you wish to share the files on your own website, please do not make the files available for download directly from your site. Instead, include an image with a link back to this site.
To the best of my knowledge, these are all royalty free images that are in the Public Domain in the US. However, you should always do your own research if you plan to use them commercially.
