Sketch of theatre audience with focus on seated lady and man behind, attributed to Luke Fildes (1844-1927), Great Britain, ca. 1860-1927.

Body colour, Chinese white and ink sketch of the audience in a theatre, with focus on a seated elegant lady and the man behind her.

Given by Mrs Pamela Myers through Art Fund

Gift of Mrs Pamela Myers through The Art Fund; by descent from the artist

This drawing is one of 265 works acquired by the museum through descent from the artist (museum numbers E.451-715-2003). The V&A is the principal repository of Fildes's drawings, having received major gifts in 1971, 1977 and 1987. The bequest of 1971 (E.580-981-1971) was from the son of the artist, Sir Paul Fildes, O.B.E., F.R.S. Sir Paul had compiled a Catalogue raisonné of the published reproductions of Luke Fildes's drawings, revised in 1965, but which remained unpublished; a typescript of this is in the National Art Library (formerly E.981-1971, now L.5859-1975, pressmark 86.W.71. This provided much information about the works which made up the gift. The bequest of 1977 was from Mrs Kitty Whittaker-Ellis, daughter of the artist (E.1704-1804-1977), and that of 1987 came via another daughter, Mrs Cedric Ripley, (E.65-142-1987). The 2003 gift similarly descended from the family and ranges from slight sketches, to worked up designs, probably for Fildes's published illustrative works.

This drawing depicts the audience at Charles Dickens's final reading at London's St James's Hall on 15 March 1870, before his death in June. He read passages from A Christmas Carol and Pickwick Papers and spoke of 'the very considerable pain' of having to stop the public readings of his works that he had done for the last 15 years (Supplement to The Illustrated London News, 19 March 1870). The large books from which the audience are reading may have been special editions produced to mark the occasion. It is likely that the drawing was produced for one of the illustrated magazines to which Fildes contributed.

E.638-2003