Walter Melville presents "The Worst Woman in London" and "A Girls Cross Roads"
Drawing
circa 1900 (hand painted)
circa 1900 (hand painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Painted illustration created for publication in a newspaper/illustrated magazine. It shows an image of the Theatre Manager Walter Melville (1875-1937) and is captioned 'Walter Melville presents "The Worst Woman in London" and "A Girls Cross Roads". The illustration has not been signed but is likely to date from circa 1899. Given by Sir William Ingram in 1914.
The theatre manager Walter Melville was born in 1875. For many years he worked with his brother Frederick (1877-1938) and together they built up an increasingly profitable and successful business. 'The Melville Brothers', as they were known, leased several theatres in London, taking over the Lyceum Theatre in 1909 and building the Princes Theatre (Shaftesbury Theatre) in 1911. The majority of their productions were melodramas (many written by the brothers themselves), but the pantomimes they staged at the Lyceum Theatre proved equally popular.
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 theatre manager Walter Melville was born in 1875. For many years he worked with his brother Frederick (1877-1938) and together they built up an increasingly profitable and successful business. 'The Melville Brothers', as they were known, leased several theatres in London, taking over the Lyceum Theatre in 1909 and building the Princes Theatre (Shaftesbury Theatre) in 1911. The majority of their productions were melodramas (many written by the brothers themselves), but the pantomimes they staged at the Lyceum Theatre proved equally popular.
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 | |
| Title | Walter Melville presents "The Worst Woman in London" and "A Girls Cross Roads" (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | painted illustration on drawing board |
| Brief description | Painted illustration created for publication in a newspaper or illustrated magazine. The image is painted in tones of white, black and grey on a pale yellow background and is captioned 'Walter Melville presents "The Worst Woman in London" and "A Girls Cross Roads"'. The illustration has not been signed but is likely to date from circa 1900. Given by Sir William Ingram in 1914. |
| Physical description | Painted illustration created for publication in a newspaper or illustrated magazine. The image is painted in tones of white, black and grey on a pale yellow background and is captioned 'Walter Melville presents "The Worst Woman in London" and "A Girls Cross Roads"'. The illustration shows a man in a suit standing next to an open bag marked with the initials 'W.M'. His two hands are upraised, and on each hand stands the figure of a woman. The woman on his right hand is dressed in rags, whilst the woman on his right hand wears a sparkling evening gown. The illustration has not been signed but is likely to date from circa 1900. A printer's label, from the 'Press Etching Co, 12, Wine Office Court' has been pasted to the rear of the illustration. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| 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. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Painted illustration created for publication in a newspaper/illustrated magazine. It shows an image of the Theatre Manager Walter Melville (1875-1937) and is captioned 'Walter Melville presents "The Worst Woman in London" and "A Girls Cross Roads". The illustration has not been signed but is likely to date from circa 1899. Given by Sir William Ingram in 1914. The theatre manager Walter Melville was born in 1875. For many years he worked with his brother Frederick (1877-1938) and together they built up an increasingly profitable and successful business. 'The Melville Brothers', as they were known, leased several theatres in London, taking over the Lyceum Theatre in 1909 and building the Princes Theatre (Shaftesbury Theatre) in 1911. The majority of their productions were melodramas (many written by the brothers themselves), but the pantomimes they staged at the Lyceum Theatre proved equally popular. 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.392-2011 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 23, 2012 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
