Forty thieves

“Miss Pauline Markham, the beauty of the Lydia Thompson Troupe, ahs recovered from the illness whereby she was lately afflicted, and will, this evening, reappear at Niblo’s Garden in the spectacle of ‘The Forty Thieves.’ The statement that Miss Markham’s vision had been impaired is now authoritatively contradicted.”

Brief; no mention of music.

“[Markham] is of the very highest school of English beauty, the face being soft and winning, and the fair forehead surmounted by a golden harvest of hair, rising in sheafs of broken sunlight. Her limbs might have been fashioned by Phidius himself. She possesses the advantage, too, of having a rich and powerful voice, and being trained in the very best method. Her return will impart a fresh spring to the run of the ‘Forty Thieves’ at Niblo’s.”

“It is whispered on the east side of town that ‘Tony,’ the popular Pastor of the opera house in the Bowery, has succeeded in capturing a bevy of six genuine blondes, each one of whom boasts of an abundant head of beautiful auburn hair. It is expected when they appear—which will be shortly—that the whole town will be fairly captivated and dazzled. We shall see.

Blondes hold possession of the boards at Niblo’s, Wood’s, Theatre Comique and the Waverley. Bryants and the San Francisco Minstrels have also introduced the light-haired beauties to their patrons, but with black faces. How cruel of Bryant, Birch, Bernard and Backus thus to burlesque the beautiful, blushing, British burlesquers.”