Physical description

Illustration in pen and black ink of a scene from Mrs Dane's Defence at Wyndham's Theatre, October 1900. The image was created for reproduction in a newspaper/magazine. It shows a group of four actors, two male, two female. In the foreground Miss Lena Ashwell (seated) is being addressed by Mr Charles Wyndham, behind her stands Mr Alfred Kendrick. In the background Miss Mary Moore is seated at a table, reading a letter. The image is titled 'Mrs Dane's Defence' and a quote in the top right corner reads "The rumour hasn't died a natural death".

An additional strip of paper has been attached at the right of the image. A handwritten annotation on this paper suggests it featured in the Penny Illustrated Paper.

Place of Origin

London (drawn)

Date

1900 (drawn)

Artist/maker

Unknown

Materials and Techniques

Pen and ink on drawing board

Marks and inscriptions

'Penny Illustrated Paper/Mark on back. P.I.P. 4 1/2 wide/Tuesday Oct 9/[illegible] 4ve/[illegible]'
Handwritten annotation in ink on paper, attached to the right hand, front side of the sketch

'Wyndham's/Oct 9th 1900'
Handwritten annotation in pencil on the right hand side (back) of the image.

'71493/P.I.P./Today 4 %/4 1/2 wide'
Handwritten annotation in pencil on the rear of the design

Dimensions

Height: 12.9 cm, Width: 23.3 cm

Object history note

Sir William Ingram (27 October 1847 – 18 December 1924) was a Liberal politician who was elected to, and sat in, the House of Commons on three occasions between 1878 and 1895. He was also the Managing Director of The Illustrated London News from the late 1870s until 1900 and became the proprietor of a number of additional publications including The Sketch and The English Illustrated Magazine.

The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by Sir William Ingram’s father, Herbert Ingram, in 1842 the first edition was sold on 14th May 1842 at a cost of sixpence per copy. Building from an original circulation of 26,000 to in excess of 300,000 at its peak, The Illustrated London News remained in print until 2003 and commissioned illustrations from many of the leading artists of the late 19th century. Photographs were used alongside illustrations from the late 19th century onwards but illustrations were a major feature of paper until after the end of First World War.

Descriptive line

Pen and ink illustration by an unidentified artist of a scene from Mrs Dane's Defence, Wyndham's Theatre, 1900. Given by Sir William Ingram.

Materials

Ink; Drawing board

Techniques

Drawn

Categories

Entertainment & Leisure; Drawings

Collection

Theatre and Performance Collection