Not currently on display at the V&A

Set Design

1946 (Painted, drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Set design. The design depicts the exterior of a late 19th century clapboard house behind which is a view of a valley with mountains, trees, and water.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil, gouache, pen & ink, and white paint on paper.
Brief description
Set design by Maise Meiklejohn for "The Lady From The Sea", Arts Theatre, March 13th 1946.
Physical description
Set design. The design depicts the exterior of a late 19th century clapboard house behind which is a view of a valley with mountains, trees, and water.
Dimensions
  • Height: 388mm
  • Width: 506mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • ' b 41 ' (Textual information; on reverse centre; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn, Maise Dele)
  • ' Maise Meiklejohn ' (Signature; Lower right hand corner.; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn, Maise Dele)
  • ' Sketch for 'Lady from the Sea'. Ibsen. March 1946. (Textual information; Lower left hand corner.; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn, Maise Dele)
Object history
This set design by Maise Meiklejohn is part of an extensive collection of designs by the artist purchased by the Theatre Museum in 1990. The design was executed for a production of Henrik Ibsen's play "The Lady From The Sea" performed at the Arts Theatre, March 13th 1946. The production was directed by Judith Furse, and the text was translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling. The cast included Veronica Turleigh as Ellida and Mark Dignam as Dr. Wangel.

Historical significance: This design was executed for a production by the actor/producer Alec Clunes, whose greatest achievement was his direction of eight seasons of plays at the Arts Theatre during a period when money and actors were scarce and scenery hard to get. He introduced an ambitious and intellectually demanding repertory of unearthed English classics and promoted the staging of foreign plays, as an alternative to the usual West End fare of "leg shows" and average drawing room pieces, which earned him the status, according to one critic of "pocket national theatre".
Leela Meinertas, 1990.
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Association
Literary referenceThe Lady From The Sea
Collection
Accession number
S.186-2002

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Record createdOctober 8, 2002
Record URL
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