Caricature
April 1907 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This caricature is of Fred Conquest performing in The Freak’s Revenge at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 22 April 1907. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke and compiled in a series of albums.
Actor, gymnast and pantomime performer, Fred Conquest was born in London in 1870. He made his first pantomime appearance at the age of four at the Grecian Theatre, when it was managed by his father, George Conquest. His first adult appearance was at the Surrey Theatre in 1889. His greatest success was in his father’s famous role of Zacky the Monkey in For Ever. In 1901 he managed the Surrey Theatre briefly on the death of his father. Subsequently he appeared in pantomime and music hall sketches. The Freak’s Revenge was the story of the revenge of a ‘freak, or man-monkey’ upon the captain who ran away with his wife and daughter. Its climax was ‘the struggle to death’ between the man-monkey and the savage gorilla, which he had mistakenly sent into the room of his own daughter. Conquest died in 1941.
Actor, gymnast and pantomime performer, Fred Conquest was born in London in 1870. He made his first pantomime appearance at the age of four at the Grecian Theatre, when it was managed by his father, George Conquest. His first adult appearance was at the Surrey Theatre in 1889. His greatest success was in his father’s famous role of Zacky the Monkey in For Ever. In 1901 he managed the Surrey Theatre briefly on the death of his father. Subsequently he appeared in pantomime and music hall sketches. The Freak’s Revenge was the story of the revenge of a ‘freak, or man-monkey’ upon the captain who ran away with his wife and daughter. Its climax was ‘the struggle to death’ between the man-monkey and the savage gorilla, which he had mistakenly sent into the room of his own daughter. Conquest died in 1941.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and ink and wash on paper |
| Brief description | Caricature of the actor, gymnast and pantomime performer Fred Conquest (1870-1941) performing his sketch 'The Freak's Revenge'. From an album of caricatures drawn by George Cooke. April 1907. |
| Physical description | Pen, ink and wash caricature on pink paper of Fred Conquest (b.1870), full-length, standing dressed in a red shirt and black trousers. He has a wild mane of hair and long sideburns, and is looking madly at the bottle of brandy he is clutching with both hands. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Yours truly Fred Conquest (Signature; Hand written; Pen and ink) |
| Object history | This caricature is of the actor, gymnast and pantomime performer Fred Conquest (1870-1941), the second son of the actor-manager George Conquest. Fred made his first appearance in pantomime aged four at the Grecian Theatre, managed by his father, and his first appearance as an adult at the Surrey Theatre in 1889. In 1901 he briefly managed the Surrey Theatre on the death of his father, after which he appeared in pantomime and music hall sketches. His greatest success was in his father's famous role of Zacky the Monkey in 'For Ever'. He first took this to the halls in 1906, when it was advertised as 'The most Original and Sensational Sketch now on the Variety Stage' and audiences were invited to 'See the Struggle to Death between the Man-Monkey and the Gorilla'. This comes from the second album of caricatures by 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 Fred Conquest performing in The Freak’s Revenge at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 22 April 1907. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke and compiled in a series of albums. Actor, gymnast and pantomime performer, Fred Conquest was born in London in 1870. He made his first pantomime appearance at the age of four at the Grecian Theatre, when it was managed by his father, George Conquest. His first adult appearance was at the Surrey Theatre in 1889. His greatest success was in his father’s famous role of Zacky the Monkey in For Ever. In 1901 he managed the Surrey Theatre briefly on the death of his father. Subsequently he appeared in pantomime and music hall sketches. The Freak’s Revenge was the story of the revenge of a ‘freak, or man-monkey’ upon the captain who ran away with his wife and daughter. Its climax was ‘the struggle to death’ between the man-monkey and the savage gorilla, which he had mistakenly sent into the room of his own daughter. Conquest died in 1941. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'The Performer' 24 May 1906, p.159 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.393:43-2002 |
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| Record created | November 7, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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