Lawyer Pettifog and his Follower
Costume Design
1859 (designed)
1859 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a design by Richard Wynn Keene or Dykwynkyn (1809-1887), for characters in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, or, Harlequin Leap-Year and the Merry Pranks of the Good Little People which opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 26 December 1859, with set designs supervised by the well-known scene designer William Beverley, and costumes and pantomime 'big heads' designed by the artist, sculptor, mask and property maker and costume designer Richard Keene. Pettifogger (as his name appears in the playbill) is described as 'a Limb of the Law' and appears in the scene featuring Jack's Cottage and a Wintry Landscape in Devonshire.
In an article of 1867 the playwright T.W. Robertson described Dykwynkyn as: 'the presiding genius of all theatrical Christmas revels.' The playbill credits: 'The Masks, Allegorical Devices and Designs by DYK-WYN-KYN the Celebrated Artist in Pantomime Physiognomy'.
For his pantomime work Keene used the name Dykwynkyn which he characteristically signed on an artist's palette on the ground. He was also responsible for designs for a number of other lavish productions of the day, and for these he was billed as Mr. R.W. Keene.
In an article of 1867 the playwright T.W. Robertson described Dykwynkyn as: 'the presiding genius of all theatrical Christmas revels.' The playbill credits: 'The Masks, Allegorical Devices and Designs by DYK-WYN-KYN the Celebrated Artist in Pantomime Physiognomy'.
For his pantomime work Keene used the name Dykwynkyn which he characteristically signed on an artist's palette on the ground. He was also responsible for designs for a number of other lavish productions of the day, and for these he was billed as Mr. R.W. Keene.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Lawyer Pettifog and his Follower (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil and watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Costume design for Lawyer Pettifog and his Follower, characters in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, or, Harlequin Leap-Year and the Merry Pranks of the Good Little People, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 26 December 1859. Pencil and watercolour by Dykwynkyn - Richard Wynn Keene (1809-1887) . |
| Physical description | Pencil and watercolour costume design on cream paper for Lawyer Pettifog and his Follower, captioned below in watercolour lettered with a brush: 'LAWYER PETTIFOG and his FOLLOWER', depicting a thin, cunning-looking lawyer on the left with demented eyes and a manic grin, presenting a writ in his right hand, and holding other legal documents under his left arm. On the right is a boorish, portly man, standing in profile, holding a cudgel menacingly over his left shoulder. By his left foot is an artist's palette signed in ink: 'Dykwynkyn'. |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a design by Richard Wynn Keene or Dykwynkyn (1809-1887), for characters in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, or, Harlequin Leap-Year and the Merry Pranks of the Good Little People which opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 26 December 1859, with set designs supervised by the well-known scene designer William Beverley, and costumes and pantomime 'big heads' designed by the artist, sculptor, mask and property maker and costume designer Richard Keene. Pettifogger (as his name appears in the playbill) is described as 'a Limb of the Law' and appears in the scene featuring Jack's Cottage and a Wintry Landscape in Devonshire. In an article of 1867 the playwright T.W. Robertson described Dykwynkyn as: 'the presiding genius of all theatrical Christmas revels.' The playbill credits: 'The Masks, Allegorical Devices and Designs by DYK-WYN-KYN the Celebrated Artist in Pantomime Physiognomy'. For his pantomime work Keene used the name Dykwynkyn which he characteristically signed on an artist's palette on the ground. He was also responsible for designs for a number of other lavish productions of the day, and for these he was billed as Mr. R.W. Keene. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.244-2011 |
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| Record created | May 16, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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