Figurine of Edith Evans as Florence Nightingale in The Lady with a Lamp
Figurine
1929 (made)
1929 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is one of several wax figurines executed by Agatha Walker in the 1920s, mostly of actors and actresses in character in successful London productions. The 19th century saw a craze for ceramic figurines of performers and Agatha Walker attempted to revive this tradition with her limited edition sculptures, modelled from life in plaster and coated with a fine wax layer which was then coloured. In 1931 Agatha Walker's wax figures were exhibited at the Fine Art Society.
This figurine represents Edith Evans (1888-1976) as Florence Nightingale in a new play The Lady with a Lamp by the New Zealand author Reginald Berkeley. It opened at London's Arts Theatre on 5 January 1929 and after ten perfomances transferred to the Garrick Theatre, where it stayed until the middle of June, achieving a run of 164 performances. Edith Evans made her first professional stage appearance in 1912 and she was already acknowledged as a star by the time she was cast as Florence Nightingale. Agatha Walker made a companion wax of Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Lady Herbert of Lea, who was by all accounts a perfect foil to Edith Evans in this production.
This figurine represents Edith Evans (1888-1976) as Florence Nightingale in a new play The Lady with a Lamp by the New Zealand author Reginald Berkeley. It opened at London's Arts Theatre on 5 January 1929 and after ten perfomances transferred to the Garrick Theatre, where it stayed until the middle of June, achieving a run of 164 performances. Edith Evans made her first professional stage appearance in 1912 and she was already acknowledged as a star by the time she was cast as Florence Nightingale. Agatha Walker made a companion wax of Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Lady Herbert of Lea, who was by all accounts a perfect foil to Edith Evans in this production.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Figurine of Edith Evans as Florence Nightingale in <i>The Lady with a Lamp</i> (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Moulded plaster, covered in wax and coloured |
| Brief description | Figurine by Agatha Walker of Edith Evans as Florence Nightingale in The Lady with a Lamp by Reginald Berkeley, Arts Theatre, 1929. Moulded plaster coated in wax and coloured |
| Physical description | Wax figurine of Edith Evans as Florence Nightingale on an integral base. She is wearing a cream close-fitting cap and a black two-tiered skirt with black three-quarter length sleeves over white undersleeves. She has a crucifix around her neck and her hands are clasped in front of her. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This is one of several wax figurines executed by Agatha Walker in the 1920s, mostly of actors and actresses in character in successful London productions. The 19th century saw a craze for ceramic figurines of performers and Agatha Walker attempted to revive this tradition with her limited edition sculptures, modelled from life in plaster and coated with a fine wax layer which was then coloured. In 1931 Agatha Walker's wax figures were exhibited at the Fine Art Society. This figurine represents Edith Evans (1888-1976) as Florence Nightingale in a new play The Lady with a Lamp by the New Zealand author Reginald Berkeley. It opened at London's Arts Theatre on 5 January 1929 and after ten perfomances transferred to the Garrick Theatre, where it stayed until the middle of June, achieving a run of 164 performances. Edith Evans made her first professional stage appearance in 1912 and she was already acknowledged as a star by the time she was cast as Florence Nightingale. Agatha Walker made a companion wax of Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Lady Herbert of Lea, who was by all accounts a perfect foil to Edith Evans in this production. |
| Bibliographic reference | Stage Personalities. The Portrait Statuettes of Agatha Walker The Studio, vol. 101 (1931) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1041-1996 |
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
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 22, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
