Not on display

Richard Hearne as 'Mr. Pastry' in Dick Whittington

Caricature
15/01/1961 (dated)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This caricature shows Richard Hearne (1908 -1979) as Mr Pastry in Dick Whittington by Emile Littler at the Oxford New Theatre in January 1961. It was drawn by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976), a rehearsal pianist and orchestral violinist at the Brighton Theatre Royal from 1932 until 1936, and at the Oxford New Theatre from 1936 for over forty years. Sommerlad sketched the stars on stage when he wasn’t needed in the orchestra pit, compiling the sketches in a series of albums.

Richard Hearne, acrobat, actor and dancer was a circus performer who became a favourite children's television comedian in the early 1950s with his walrus-moustached and bowler-hatted comic creation, Mr Pastry. He first appeared on television in a broadcast from Alexandra Palace in 1936 and became a resident clown at the BBC for over thirty years.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleRichard Hearne as 'Mr. Pastry' in <i>Dick Whittington</i> (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil, pen and ink and wash on paper
Brief description
Pencil, pen and ink and wash caricature on paper of Richard Hearne as 'Mr. Pastry' in Dick Whittington at the New Theatre Oxford, by Gilbert Sommerlad, 15 January 1961.
Physical description
Pencil, pen and ink and wash caricature of Richard Hearne as 'Mr. Pastry' in Dick Whittington at the New Theatre Oxford. Dated 15 January 1961. From a hard-backed sketch book containing caricatures of theatrical performers and entertainers drawn by Gilbert Sommerlad.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25cm
  • Width: 17.6cm
Credit line
Given by Michael Sommerlad
Object history
This caricature comes from an album of caricatures of theatrical performers and entertainers drawn by Gilbert J.Sommerlad (1904-1976) between October 1957 and October 1965 at the Oxford New Theatre. Gilbert Sommerlad moved from Brighton to the recently built New Theatre, Oxford, to join his brother Roy (violin and clarinet) as resident pianist in 1936. He continued with his caricatures until his retirement.
Subject depicted
Summary
This caricature shows Richard Hearne (1908 -1979) as Mr Pastry in Dick Whittington by Emile Littler at the Oxford New Theatre in January 1961. It was drawn by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976), a rehearsal pianist and orchestral violinist at the Brighton Theatre Royal from 1932 until 1936, and at the Oxford New Theatre from 1936 for over forty years. Sommerlad sketched the stars on stage when he wasn’t needed in the orchestra pit, compiling the sketches in a series of albums.

Richard Hearne, acrobat, actor and dancer was a circus performer who became a favourite children's television comedian in the early 1950s with his walrus-moustached and bowler-hatted comic creation, Mr Pastry. He first appeared on television in a broadcast from Alexandra Palace in 1936 and became a resident clown at the BBC for over thirty years.
Collection
Accession number
S.133:31-2002

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdDecember 8, 2003
Record URL
Download as: JSON