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Not currently on display at the V&A

Caricature

May 1903 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This caricature is of Arthur Roberts, who was starring in Bill Adams, the Hero of Waterloo at the Theatre Royal, Hanley, during the week of 25 May 1903. 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 of Varieties, Hanley. He compiled them in a series of albums.

The performance was produced by Arthur Roberts’s own company. It was described as a ‘new musical play’, although a reviewer noted that it had a plot of ‘remarkable elasticity’ and could hardly justify that description, being more of an ‘extravaganza’. According to the review, Arthur Roberts seemed to play all the parts including Wellington, Napoleon and Blücher, leaving one to wonder ‘how it was that other actors and actresses had been called in at all’.

Born in London in 1852, Roberts was a busker on Yarmouth Sands in Norfolk at the age of 15. By 1871 he was appearing regularly at a music hall in Greenwich, where he established his comic stage character as an immaculate man-about-town. He first appeared in pantomime at Drury Lane in 1881, and in 1891 starred as Captain Coddington in the musical In Town at the Prince of Wales Theatre - a production considered to be the first musical comedy. In 1927 he published his book of reminiscences 'Fifty Years of Spoof'. He died in 1933.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Brief description
Caricature of the music hall comedian and star of musical comedy Arthur Roberts (1852-1933), from an album of caricatures drawn by George Cooke. May 1903.
Physical description
Pen, ink and wash caricature on pink paper of Arthur Roberts, full-length, sitting astride a white chair, wearing a white suit and white hat with a black band.
Dimensions
  • Height: 15.3cm
  • Width: 11.6cm
Cut from another piece of pink paper and pasted into the album near the end.
Marks and inscriptions
Hanley May 1903 Yours faithfully Arthur Roberts (Signature; Hand written; Pen and ink)
Object history
This caricature is of the music hall comedian and first star of musical comedy, Arthur Roberts (1852-1933), admired by C.B. Cochran and described by George Graves as 'the greatest genius of the English comic tradition.' Born in London, Roberts began his career as a busker on Yarmouth Sands aged 15, and by 1871 was appearing regularly at a music hall in Greenwich where he established his comic stage character as an immaculate man-about-town. The caricature comes from the first of several albums compiled by the graphic artist George Cooke, featuring performers working in music hall in the early 20th century. The album is dated 1903-4-5.
Summary
This caricature is of Arthur Roberts, who was starring in Bill Adams, the Hero of Waterloo at the Theatre Royal, Hanley, during the week of 25 May 1903. 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 of Varieties, Hanley. He compiled them in a series of albums.

The performance was produced by Arthur Roberts’s own company. It was described as a ‘new musical play’, although a reviewer noted that it had a plot of ‘remarkable elasticity’ and could hardly justify that description, being more of an ‘extravaganza’. According to the review, Arthur Roberts seemed to play all the parts including Wellington, Napoleon and Blücher, leaving one to wonder ‘how it was that other actors and actresses had been called in at all’.

Born in London in 1852, Roberts was a busker on Yarmouth Sands in Norfolk at the age of 15. By 1871 he was appearing regularly at a music hall in Greenwich, where he established his comic stage character as an immaculate man-about-town. He first appeared in pantomime at Drury Lane in 1881, and in 1891 starred as Captain Coddington in the musical In Town at the Prince of Wales Theatre - a production considered to be the first musical comedy. In 1927 he published his book of reminiscences 'Fifty Years of Spoof'. He died in 1933.
Bibliographic reference
'Fifty Years of Spoof' by Arthur Roberts
Collection
Accession number
S.392:50-2002

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Record createdNovember 3, 2003
Record URL
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