Drawing
late nineteenth century (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting shows a performer of The Coxcomb by Francis Beaumont (1584-1616) and John Fletcher (1579-1625) by the Elizabethan Stage Society at the Inner Temple Hall in 1898. It was drawn and signed by the artist Ralph Geaver and was probably created for reproduction in The Illustrated London News.
The Coxcomb is a comedy written by Beaumont and Fletcher in the early seventeenth century and published in the first folio of their work in 1647. It was acted at court on several occassions and at least twice by the King's Men in March 1622 and November 1636.
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by 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 nineteenth 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 the First World War.
This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914.
The Coxcomb is a comedy written by Beaumont and Fletcher in the early seventeenth century and published in the first folio of their work in 1647. It was acted at court on several occassions and at least twice by the King's Men in March 1622 and November 1636.
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by 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 nineteenth 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 the First World War.
This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | pencil sketch on paper |
| Brief description | Hand drawn pencil illustration for publication, probably in the "Illustrated London News", of a performance of Beaumont and Fletchers "The Coxcomb" at the Inner Temple Hall by the Elizabethan Stage Society. The image was drawn by the artist Ralph Geaver in circa 1898. Given by Sir William Ingram. |
| Physical description | Handdrawn illustration of a performance of The Coxcomb by Francis Beaumont (1584-1616) and John Fletcher (1579-1625) by the Elizabethan Stage Society at the Inner Temple Hall. It shows five performers in costumes which evoke the fashions of the Elizabethan era. The three principals (two female, one male) are positioned on the stage, the two women to the left, the man to the right. The two other men (dressed as a soldiers) are standing guard on the either side below. The sketch was drawn by the artist Ralph Geaver in circa 1898 and is and has been signed by him in the bottom right hand corner. The image was created for reproduction in a newspaper/magazine, probably The Illustrated London News. |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Sir William Ingram |
| Object history | 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 occassions 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 nineteenth 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 the First World War. |
| Historical context | This sketch was one of a group of prints and pencil and pen and ink sketches donated to the museum in 1914 by Sir William Ingram (1847–1924). Part of this collection was originally donated to the Prints and Drawings Department with the majority later passing to the Theatre and Performance Department. The full collection includes work by a variety of artists amongst whom are: A. J Finberg; Ralph Cleaver; F.V.Poole and Rossi Ashton. Though not all the publications for which they were created are identified the majority of the sketches were commissioned for, and appeared in, The Illustrated London News, The English Illustrated Magazine or The Sketch. Sir William Ingram became the proprietor of The Illustrated London News in the mid to late 1870s and remained in post until circa 1900 when he was succeeded by his he was succeeded by his son, Bruce Stirling Ingram (1877–1963). He also became the proprietor of The Sketch amongst other papers in which capacity he gave commissions to many leading artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. |
| Summary | This painting shows a performer of The Coxcomb by Francis Beaumont (1584-1616) and John Fletcher (1579-1625) by the Elizabethan Stage Society at the Inner Temple Hall in 1898. It was drawn and signed by the artist Ralph Geaver and was probably created for reproduction in The Illustrated London News. The Coxcomb is a comedy written by Beaumont and Fletcher in the early seventeenth century and published in the first folio of their work in 1647. It was acted at court on several occassions and at least twice by the King's Men in March 1622 and November 1636. The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by 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 nineteenth 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 the First World War. This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.357-2011 |
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| Record created | November 30, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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