Photograph
1919 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker |
An extremely popular singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Nellie Briefcliffe (1889-1966) is seen in this photograph as The Lady Angela in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Patience. She was first engaged by Richard D'Oyly Carte for the 1914 season, having seen her London debut in A Dear Little Wife at the Haymarket Theatre, December 1913. She replaced Beatrice Boarer as the company's leading soubrette and immediately took the roles Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore, Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, the title role in Iolanthe, Melissa in Princess Ida, Pitti-Sing in The Mikado, Phoebe in The Yeomen of the Guard, Tessa in The Gondoliers, and Lady Angela in Patience. The Sorcerer was added to the repertoire in July 1916, with Nellie Briercliffe as Constance Partlett.
She left the company in 1918 and appeared in the musical comedy Our Boys at the Adelphi Theatre from May until August 1918, but returned to the D'Oyly Carte for its 1919 season at the Princes Theatre. She left the company again for other roles but returned to the D'Oyly Carte for the last time for a London season at the Savoy Theatre from October 1929 until May 1930.
She left the company in 1918 and appeared in the musical comedy Our Boys at the Adelphi Theatre from May until August 1918, but returned to the D'Oyly Carte for its 1919 season at the Princes Theatre. She left the company again for other roles but returned to the D'Oyly Carte for the last time for a London season at the Savoy Theatre from October 1929 until May 1930.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Hand-coloured photograph of Nellie Briercliffe (1889-1966) as the Lady Angela in Patience by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan which she performed with the D'Oyly Carte Company for several seasons from October 1914. Given by the British Theatre Museum Association. |
| Physical description | Tinted sepia studio photograph of Nellie Briercliffe as Lady Angela in Patience. A three-quarters standing view of her looking demurely towards the photographer in her high-waisted aesthetic costume decorated with a large bow under the waist, designed by Hugo Rumbold. Her robe is tinted pale blue and embroidered with a motif of snowdrops down each side of the robe and on one side of her sleeves, and with round yellow flowers, possibly jonquils, on the other side of her sleeves. Her brown hair is banded by a circlet of snowdrop and she holds her hands together up to her right cheek. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signed in the print lower right 'Sarony' |
| Credit line | Given by the British Theatre Museum Association |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | An extremely popular singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Nellie Briefcliffe (1889-1966) is seen in this photograph as The Lady Angela in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Patience. She was first engaged by Richard D'Oyly Carte for the 1914 season, having seen her London debut in A Dear Little Wife at the Haymarket Theatre, December 1913. She replaced Beatrice Boarer as the company's leading soubrette and immediately took the roles Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore, Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, the title role in Iolanthe, Melissa in Princess Ida, Pitti-Sing in The Mikado, Phoebe in The Yeomen of the Guard, Tessa in The Gondoliers, and Lady Angela in Patience. The Sorcerer was added to the repertoire in July 1916, with Nellie Briercliffe as Constance Partlett. She left the company in 1918 and appeared in the musical comedy Our Boys at the Adelphi Theatre from May until August 1918, but returned to the D'Oyly Carte for its 1919 season at the Princes Theatre. She left the company again for other roles but returned to the D'Oyly Carte for the last time for a London season at the Savoy Theatre from October 1929 until May 1930. |
| Other number | 1966/A/245 - BTMA accession number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.154-2007 |
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| Record created | September 11, 2007 |
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