Photograph
ca. 1930 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Black and white photograph of Lilian Baylis wearing a cap and gown, signed and dated 1930.
Lilian Baylis (1874-1937) came to England from South Africa to help her aunt, Emma Cons, run London's Old Vic Theatre. They presented popular temperance concerts for the working classes, offering an alternative to the public house. Baylis took over the management of the theatre after her aunt’s death. While she was committed to staging affordable theatre, she saw no reason why the local residents shouldn’t enjoy Shakespeare, opera and ballet. Under her management, every Shakespeare play was produced between 1913 and 1923 and she staged operas and ballets at both the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Her work laid the foundation for the National Theatre and the English National Opera. In 1928 she employed Ninette de Valois, who created the ballet company that would eventually become the Royal Ballet.
In 1924 Lilian Baylis was awarded an honorary Master’s degree from Oxford University, becoming only the second woman to receive one, and in 1929 she was made a Companion of Honour, in recognition of her service to the nation.
Lilian Baylis (1874-1937) came to England from South Africa to help her aunt, Emma Cons, run London's Old Vic Theatre. They presented popular temperance concerts for the working classes, offering an alternative to the public house. Baylis took over the management of the theatre after her aunt’s death. While she was committed to staging affordable theatre, she saw no reason why the local residents shouldn’t enjoy Shakespeare, opera and ballet. Under her management, every Shakespeare play was produced between 1913 and 1923 and she staged operas and ballets at both the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Her work laid the foundation for the National Theatre and the English National Opera. In 1928 she employed Ninette de Valois, who created the ballet company that would eventually become the Royal Ballet.
In 1924 Lilian Baylis was awarded an honorary Master’s degree from Oxford University, becoming only the second woman to receive one, and in 1929 she was made a Companion of Honour, in recognition of her service to the nation.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Black and white photography |
| Brief description | Black and white photograph of Lilian Baylis wearing a cap and gown, signed and dated 1930. Framed |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of Lilian Baylis in a cap and gown. She wears glasses and is seated, facing to her right, and holds papers in one hand. There is wood panelling in the background. The photograph has been mounted and framed. It is signed by Lilian Baylis in the bottom right hand corner and inscribed by her in the border above the image. On the reverse of the frame is a family tree linking Lilian Baylis and Samuel Phelps. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by the British Theatre Museum Association |
| Object history | Part of a collection of magazines, programmes and images given to the British Theatre Museum Association by Margaret Rankin of the Vic-Wells Association in July 1960. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Black and white photograph of Lilian Baylis wearing a cap and gown, signed and dated 1930. Lilian Baylis (1874-1937) came to England from South Africa to help her aunt, Emma Cons, run London's Old Vic Theatre. They presented popular temperance concerts for the working classes, offering an alternative to the public house. Baylis took over the management of the theatre after her aunt’s death. While she was committed to staging affordable theatre, she saw no reason why the local residents shouldn’t enjoy Shakespeare, opera and ballet. Under her management, every Shakespeare play was produced between 1913 and 1923 and she staged operas and ballets at both the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Her work laid the foundation for the National Theatre and the English National Opera. In 1928 she employed Ninette de Valois, who created the ballet company that would eventually become the Royal Ballet. In 1924 Lilian Baylis was awarded an honorary Master’s degree from Oxford University, becoming only the second woman to receive one, and in 1929 she was made a Companion of Honour, in recognition of her service to the nation. |
| Other number | 1960/W/3 - BTMA accession number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | s.1156-2011 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2012 |
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