Caricature
September 1906 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This caricature is of Neil Kenyon when he was performing at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 10 September 1906. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke when he was based at the Grand Theatre. He compiled them in a series of albums.
A review of his performance at Hanley praised Kenyon for his song ‘Simple Sandy’, ‘so quaintly sung, and accompanied as it was by such excellent patter’.
Neil Kenyon (1873-1946) was the Scottish comedian and singer Neil McKinnon. He began his acting career touring with stock companies performing in melodrama and burlesque, and later in Shakespeare revivals produced by Osmond Tearle. He made his variety debut at the London Pavilion in 1904, with songs and musical monologues in broad Scottish dialect. These included ‘The Caddie’, ‘The Stationmaster of Dunrobin’ and ‘The Postie of Dunrobin’. He also appeared in pantomime. In 1913 he performed in a unique private Royal Variety performance for George V and Queen Mary at Lord Derby’s mansion at Knowlsey, near Liverpool.
A review of his performance at Hanley praised Kenyon for his song ‘Simple Sandy’, ‘so quaintly sung, and accompanied as it was by such excellent patter’.
Neil Kenyon (1873-1946) was the Scottish comedian and singer Neil McKinnon. He began his acting career touring with stock companies performing in melodrama and burlesque, and later in Shakespeare revivals produced by Osmond Tearle. He made his variety debut at the London Pavilion in 1904, with songs and musical monologues in broad Scottish dialect. These included ‘The Caddie’, ‘The Stationmaster of Dunrobin’ and ‘The Postie of Dunrobin’. He also appeared in pantomime. In 1913 he performed in a unique private Royal Variety performance for George V and Queen Mary at Lord Derby’s mansion at Knowlsey, near Liverpool.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and ink and wash on paper |
| Brief description | Caricature of the Edwardian actor and music hall performer Neil Kenyon, born Neil McKinnon (1873-1946), from an album of caricatures drawn by George Cooke. September 1906. |
| Physical description | Pen, ink and wash caricature on pink paper of Neil Kenyon, full-length, his hands in his pockets, carrying a box or basket on his back. He is wearing a black jacket with brown workman's trousers and boots, a black hat, a red waistcoat and a red and black checked scarf. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | D'YE SEE? "Here's hae (?) ye" Neil Kenyon (Signature; Hand written; Pen and ink) |
| Object history | This caricature is of the comedian and Scottish character actor Neil Kenyon (1873-1946) born Neil McKinnon who began his career in touring theatre in melodrama and burlesque, and later in Shakespeare revivals with Osmond Tearle, father of the actor, Godfrey Tearle. He made his debut in variety at the London Pavilion in 1904 and became famous for his broad dialect monologues. This caricature comes from the second album of caricatures in a collection of albums owned by the Theatre Museum compiled by the graphic artist George Cooke. It is labelled by the artist 'Geo Cooke HYS BOOKE' and features music hall performers working in the early 20th century. |
| Summary | This caricature is of Neil Kenyon when he was performing at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 10 September 1906. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke when he was based at the Grand Theatre. He compiled them in a series of albums. A review of his performance at Hanley praised Kenyon for his song ‘Simple Sandy’, ‘so quaintly sung, and accompanied as it was by such excellent patter’. Neil Kenyon (1873-1946) was the Scottish comedian and singer Neil McKinnon. He began his acting career touring with stock companies performing in melodrama and burlesque, and later in Shakespeare revivals produced by Osmond Tearle. He made his variety debut at the London Pavilion in 1904, with songs and musical monologues in broad Scottish dialect. These included ‘The Caddie’, ‘The Stationmaster of Dunrobin’ and ‘The Postie of Dunrobin’. He also appeared in pantomime. In 1913 he performed in a unique private Royal Variety performance for George V and Queen Mary at Lord Derby’s mansion at Knowlsey, near Liverpool. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.393:31-2002 |
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| Record created | October 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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