Not currently on display at the V&A

Design

after 1920 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Rough design by Gladys Calthrop for the book jacket of The Noël Coward Songbook.

Gladys Calthrop (1894-1980) was an English set and costume designer. Born Gladys Treeby in Devon, Calthrop married, and later separated from, Everard E. Calthrop. She met Noel Coward in Italy during 1921, they subsequently became friends and worked together on many plays. Their first collaboration was on The Vortex in 1924 for which Calthrop designed both sets and costumes. She worked in both London and New York.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Watercolour over pen and pencil drawing.
Brief description
Rough design by Gladys Calthrop for the book jacket of The Noël Coward Songbook, Gladys Calthrop Design Collection.
Physical description
Centre of the drawing features a bright green book, entitled The Noël Coward Songbook. A dark pink stage curtain is drawn along the left, top and right edges of the drawing; a piano keyboard is drawn at the bottom.
This is a rough sketch drawn on paper and backed on a sheet of plywood. Completed with a cover to imitate the appearance of a book.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.6cm
  • Width: 25.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'N.C. much thicker [...] / [...e] do notes (4 measure)' (Handwritten in pencil at the bottom of the drawing.)
  • 'THE NOËL COWARD SONG BOOK' (Written on the cover of the book which is drawn in the middle of the page.)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Gladys Calthrop
Subject depicted
Summary
Rough design by Gladys Calthrop for the book jacket of The Noël Coward Songbook.

Gladys Calthrop (1894-1980) was an English set and costume designer. Born Gladys Treeby in Devon, Calthrop married, and later separated from, Everard E. Calthrop. She met Noel Coward in Italy during 1921, they subsequently became friends and worked together on many plays. Their first collaboration was on The Vortex in 1924 for which Calthrop designed both sets and costumes. She worked in both London and New York.
Other number
THM/52 - Archive number
Collection
Accession number
S.639-2012

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Record createdJune 1, 2012
Record URL
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