Plaque
| Artist/Maker |
Edmund Kean (1787-1833 was the son of an actress at Drury Lane Theatre, and as a child he was paraded as an infant phenomenon, billed as ‘The Celebrated Theatrical Child, Edmund Carey, not eleven years old'. He became a strolling player, dancer and tumbler with Richardson's company and worked in the provinces until he made his first adult stage appearance in 1804. It wasn't until 1814 however, when he appeared as Shylock at Drury Lane Theatre that he made his name and became known as the great but erratic actor of whom the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said revealed Shakespeare by 'flashes of lightning'.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | stone-glazed earthenware on a solid base |
| Brief description | Commemorative plaque originally erected outside the London home of the actor Edmund Kean (1787-1833) at 12 Clarges Street, Westminster. Glazed earthenware |
| Physical description | Circular earthenware plaque glazed in blue with blue-grey lettering, featuring a decorative strap border near the outer edge. The central lettering notes in upper case: 'Edmund Kean 1787-1933 Actor Lived here' |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | LCC EDMUND KEAN 1787-1833 Actor (In blue-grey lettering in the centre of the plaque) |
| Credit line | Given by the British Theatre Museum Association |
| Object history | Given to the British Theatre Museum Association by the Greater London Council in December 1964. |
| Association | |
| Summary | Edmund Kean (1787-1833 was the son of an actress at Drury Lane Theatre, and as a child he was paraded as an infant phenomenon, billed as ‘The Celebrated Theatrical Child, Edmund Carey, not eleven years old'. He became a strolling player, dancer and tumbler with Richardson's company and worked in the provinces until he made his first adult stage appearance in 1804. It wasn't until 1814 however, when he appeared as Shylock at Drury Lane Theatre that he made his name and became known as the great but erratic actor of whom the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said revealed Shakespeare by 'flashes of lightning'. |
| Other number | 1966/A/134 - BTMA accession number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.41-1987 |
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| Record created | June 27, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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