Drawing
circa 1900 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This pen and ink illustration shows Arthur Collins, manager of Drury Lane from 1896 until 1923, and the dancer and choreograhger John D'auban (1842-1922) rehearsing the Drury Lane Pantomime at the Drill Hall, Chenies Street, London. The Drill Hall, 16 Chenies Street, was originally built in 1882 as a drill hall for the Bloomsbury Rifles, it was subsequently used as a rehearsal space by a range of theatres and companies including Diaghilev’s (1872-1929) Ballet Russes who rehearsed there in the early 1900s.
As the handwritten caption below the image explains, amongst the men and women shown dancing to the accompaniment of the piano, is Mr D'Auban: 'showing how it should be done'. Frederick John D'Auban (1842–1922) was an English dancer, choreographer and actor of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Famous during his lifetime as the ballet-master at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he was also the choreographer for many of the operas staged by W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900).
The illustration is not dated but the clothing of the performers resembles that worn in the early 1900s. It was created for publication in an illustrated magazine or newspaper, probably the Penny Illustrated Paper. Pencil annotation on the rear suggests that the image was drawn by the artist A.J. Finberg (1866-1939). Alexander Joseph Finberg (1866-1939) was born in London in 1866. He studied art at the Lambeth School of Art and in Paris and went on to work for the Graphic and Illustrated London News, and as art critic for several papers including the Manchester Guardian and the Saturday Review.
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.
As the handwritten caption below the image explains, amongst the men and women shown dancing to the accompaniment of the piano, is Mr D'Auban: 'showing how it should be done'. Frederick John D'Auban (1842–1922) was an English dancer, choreographer and actor of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Famous during his lifetime as the ballet-master at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he was also the choreographer for many of the operas staged by W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900).
The illustration is not dated but the clothing of the performers resembles that worn in the early 1900s. It was created for publication in an illustrated magazine or newspaper, probably the Penny Illustrated Paper. Pencil annotation on the rear suggests that the image was drawn by the artist A.J. Finberg (1866-1939). Alexander Joseph Finberg (1866-1939) was born in London in 1866. He studied art at the Lambeth School of Art and in Paris and went on to work for the Graphic and Illustrated London News, and as art critic for several papers including the Manchester Guardian and the Saturday Review.
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 | pen and ink on drawing board |
| Brief description | Pen and ink illustration created for publication in a newspaper/illustrated magazine, probably the Penny Illustrated Paper. It shows Arthur Collins and John D'Auban rehearsing the Drury Lane Pantomime at the Drill Hall, Chenies Street, London. It was drawn by the artist A.J. Finberg (1866-1939) and is signed with his initials. Given by Sir William Ingram in 1914. |
| Physical description | Pen and ink illustration showing Mr. Collins and Mr. D'Auban (1842-1922) rehearsing the Drury Lane Pantomime at the Drill Hall, Chenies Street, London. An handwritten caption below the image indicates that amongst the men and women shown dancing to the accompaniment of the piano, is Mr Dauban 'showing how it should be done'. The illustration is not dated but the clothing of the performers resembles that worn in the early 1900s. The sketch was created for publication in an illustrated magazine or newspaper, probably the Penny Illustrated Paper. Pencil annotation on the rear suggests that the image was drawn by the artist A.J. Finberg (1866-1939) . |
| Dimensions |
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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. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This pen and ink illustration shows Arthur Collins, manager of Drury Lane from 1896 until 1923, and the dancer and choreograhger John D'auban (1842-1922) rehearsing the Drury Lane Pantomime at the Drill Hall, Chenies Street, London. The Drill Hall, 16 Chenies Street, was originally built in 1882 as a drill hall for the Bloomsbury Rifles, it was subsequently used as a rehearsal space by a range of theatres and companies including Diaghilev’s (1872-1929) Ballet Russes who rehearsed there in the early 1900s. As the handwritten caption below the image explains, amongst the men and women shown dancing to the accompaniment of the piano, is Mr D'Auban: 'showing how it should be done'. Frederick John D'Auban (1842–1922) was an English dancer, choreographer and actor of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Famous during his lifetime as the ballet-master at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he was also the choreographer for many of the operas staged by W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). The illustration is not dated but the clothing of the performers resembles that worn in the early 1900s. It was created for publication in an illustrated magazine or newspaper, probably the Penny Illustrated Paper. Pencil annotation on the rear suggests that the image was drawn by the artist A.J. Finberg (1866-1939). Alexander Joseph Finberg (1866-1939) was born in London in 1866. He studied art at the Lambeth School of Art and in Paris and went on to work for the Graphic and Illustrated London News, and as art critic for several papers including the Manchester Guardian and the Saturday Review. 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.388-2011 |
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| Record created | January 11, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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