Mirror
c.1904 (made)
| Artist/Maker |
This Art Nouveau-style mirror was a wedding present to the theatre owner and producer Walter Melville and his actress wife Eva Dare who married at Middlesbrough Register Office on 7th May 1904. Walter Melville's company was presenting his melodrama A Girl's Cross Roads at the Grand Opera House in Middlesbrough when he got married, and the mirror is engraved with a dedication from the company. Eva Dare was in the London production of the play at the Standard Theatre in 1903 as Tilly Vayne, with his brother Frederick Melville as Jack Livingstone.
Walter Melville (1875-1937) was the son of the theatre owner Andrew Melville and he got his first taste of theatre management in1895 at the Birmingham Grand Theatre when his father was ill. After his death in 1896 he and his brother Walter managed the Standard Theatre in London's east end for his mother, and from September 1904 he took the theatre on with his brother Frederick, after their mother's death. Walter Melville wrote several successful melodramas for the autumn seasons at the Standard Theatre, which he also took on tour.
Walter Melville (1875-1937) was the son of the theatre owner Andrew Melville and he got his first taste of theatre management in1895 at the Birmingham Grand Theatre when his father was ill. After his death in 1896 he and his brother Walter managed the Standard Theatre in London's east end for his mother, and from September 1904 he took the theatre on with his brother Frederick, after their mother's death. Walter Melville wrote several successful melodramas for the autumn seasons at the Standard Theatre, which he also took on tour.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Mirror presented as a wedding present to Eva and Walter Melville by the members of the Company of A Girl's Cross Roads. Pewter, mirror glass and mosaic, c.1904. |
| Physical description | Mirror framed with a wide pewter frame with stud details. There is an oval inset decorative panel in the top part of the frame featuring a green mosaic tile surround to a pink mosaic tile central fan shape. The lower part of the frame is etched with the inscription: 'TO EVA & WALTER MELVILLE FROM THE MEMBERS OF A GIRLS X ROADS COMPANY MAY 7th 1904' |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | TO EVA & WALTER MELVILLE FROM THE MEMBERS OF A GIRLS X ROADS COMPANY MAY 7th 1904' (Etched in the bottom part of the frame) |
| Credit line | Donated on behalf of Barbara May (Crosbie), the second Mrs. Walter Melville |
| Object history | A Girl's Crossroads was originally presented by Walter Melville at The Standard Theatre, 5 October 1903, and at the Terriss Theatre 28 December 1903, with Eva Dare in the cast. During the tour after the London production Walter Melville and Eva Dare married in Middlesbrough Register Office when A Girl's Cross Roads was playing at the Grand Opera House Middlesbrough. |
| Associations | |
| Summary | This Art Nouveau-style mirror was a wedding present to the theatre owner and producer Walter Melville and his actress wife Eva Dare who married at Middlesbrough Register Office on 7th May 1904. Walter Melville's company was presenting his melodrama A Girl's Cross Roads at the Grand Opera House in Middlesbrough when he got married, and the mirror is engraved with a dedication from the company. Eva Dare was in the London production of the play at the Standard Theatre in 1903 as Tilly Vayne, with his brother Frederick Melville as Jack Livingstone. Walter Melville (1875-1937) was the son of the theatre owner Andrew Melville and he got his first taste of theatre management in1895 at the Birmingham Grand Theatre when his father was ill. After his death in 1896 he and his brother Walter managed the Standard Theatre in London's east end for his mother, and from September 1904 he took the theatre on with his brother Frederick, after their mother's death. Walter Melville wrote several successful melodramas for the autumn seasons at the Standard Theatre, which he also took on tour. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.257-1987 |
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| Record created | March 22, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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