Sir Henry Irving
Postcard
1905 (printed)
1905 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Memorial postcard commemorating Sir Henry Irving, published at the time of his death in 1905, mounted with the announcement of the sale of Irving's property by Christie, Manson & Woods, 14 December 1905, and details of Lot 13, a malacca cane that had belonged to Thomas King and John Hollingshead.
Henry Irving (1838-1905) rose from humble beginnings to become the best known actor of his day. Beginning his acting career in 1856, he took over the management of the Lyceum Theatre in 1878, producing and appearing in a wide range of drama, and was particularly feted for his Shakespearean roles. His work to elevate the status of the theatrical profession was rewarded in 1895 when he became the first actor to receive a knighthood for services to the theatre.
Irving died in Bradford while on tour. He had just finished a performance of Tennyson's play, Becket, in which his character's dying words were 'Into thy hands, O Lord, into thy hands'. He was given a funeral in Westminster Abbey where his ashes were interned in Poets Corner. There was national mourning: tributes were paid in Parliament, newspapers produced commemorative supplements and postcards, such as this one, were issued to mark his passing.
Later in 1905 Irving's executors put the actor's possessions up for sale. Paintings, costumes and what were described as theatrical relics were auctioned by Christie, Manson & Woods. The relics included stage properties, one of which was a walking cane with a long history. It had been used by the comic actor Thomas King (1730-1805), when he created the roles of Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal (Drury Lane, 1777) and Mr Puff in The Critic (Drury Lane, 1779). Stage properties belonging to famous actors often take on a special significance and may pass from one great theatre name to another. The cane came to theatre manager John Hollingshead (1827-1904) who presented it to Irving, and Irving used it when he played Dr Primrose in Olivia, a version of Goldsmith’s novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1885), and as the title character in Sardou’s play Robespierre(1899).
In 1979 the cane was given to the V&A, along with this postcard and details of the auction sale.
Henry Irving (1838-1905) rose from humble beginnings to become the best known actor of his day. Beginning his acting career in 1856, he took over the management of the Lyceum Theatre in 1878, producing and appearing in a wide range of drama, and was particularly feted for his Shakespearean roles. His work to elevate the status of the theatrical profession was rewarded in 1895 when he became the first actor to receive a knighthood for services to the theatre.
Irving died in Bradford while on tour. He had just finished a performance of Tennyson's play, Becket, in which his character's dying words were 'Into thy hands, O Lord, into thy hands'. He was given a funeral in Westminster Abbey where his ashes were interned in Poets Corner. There was national mourning: tributes were paid in Parliament, newspapers produced commemorative supplements and postcards, such as this one, were issued to mark his passing.
Later in 1905 Irving's executors put the actor's possessions up for sale. Paintings, costumes and what were described as theatrical relics were auctioned by Christie, Manson & Woods. The relics included stage properties, one of which was a walking cane with a long history. It had been used by the comic actor Thomas King (1730-1805), when he created the roles of Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal (Drury Lane, 1777) and Mr Puff in The Critic (Drury Lane, 1779). Stage properties belonging to famous actors often take on a special significance and may pass from one great theatre name to another. The cane came to theatre manager John Hollingshead (1827-1904) who presented it to Irving, and Irving used it when he played Dr Primrose in Olivia, a version of Goldsmith’s novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1885), and as the title character in Sardou’s play Robespierre(1899).
In 1979 the cane was given to the V&A, along with this postcard and details of the auction sale.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Sir Henry Irving (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed card and paper |
| Brief description | Memorial postcard commemorating Sir Henry Irving, published at the time of his death in 1905, mounted with the announcement of the sale of Irving's property by Christie, Manson & Woods, 14 December 1905, and details of Lot 13, a malacca cane that had belonged to Thomas King and John Hollingshead. |
| Physical description | Memorial postcard commemorating Sir Henry Irving, mounted with the announcement of the sale of Irving's property by Christie, Manson & Woods, 14 December 1905, and details of Lot 13, a malacca cane that had belonged to Thomas King and John Hollingshead. Sepia postcard, with head and shoulders photograph of Henry Irving in an oval, surrounded by a border of laurel leaves, with left, a photograph of Irving's birthplace, and, right, a photograph of Westminster Abbey, each image captioned. To lower left and upper right of Irving's photograph are drawings of flowers and ivy. 'ENGLAND'S GREATEST ACTOR' is written as if on a ribbon scroll above and, below, the quotation 'Into thy hands, O Lord.' and, at lower left edge, 'Born 1838 / Died 1905'. Mounted, left, and headed 'THEATRICAL RELICS' is a printed announcement for the auction of Irving's property to be held by Christie, Manson & Wood at 8 King Street, St James's Square on Thursday, 14 December 1905. Mounted, right, are details and provenance of Lot 13, a malacca cane with engraved ivory top, mounted with silver. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Lady Cunynghame |
| Summary | Memorial postcard commemorating Sir Henry Irving, published at the time of his death in 1905, mounted with the announcement of the sale of Irving's property by Christie, Manson & Woods, 14 December 1905, and details of Lot 13, a malacca cane that had belonged to Thomas King and John Hollingshead. Henry Irving (1838-1905) rose from humble beginnings to become the best known actor of his day. Beginning his acting career in 1856, he took over the management of the Lyceum Theatre in 1878, producing and appearing in a wide range of drama, and was particularly feted for his Shakespearean roles. His work to elevate the status of the theatrical profession was rewarded in 1895 when he became the first actor to receive a knighthood for services to the theatre. Irving died in Bradford while on tour. He had just finished a performance of Tennyson's play, Becket, in which his character's dying words were 'Into thy hands, O Lord, into thy hands'. He was given a funeral in Westminster Abbey where his ashes were interned in Poets Corner. There was national mourning: tributes were paid in Parliament, newspapers produced commemorative supplements and postcards, such as this one, were issued to mark his passing. Later in 1905 Irving's executors put the actor's possessions up for sale. Paintings, costumes and what were described as theatrical relics were auctioned by Christie, Manson & Woods. The relics included stage properties, one of which was a walking cane with a long history. It had been used by the comic actor Thomas King (1730-1805), when he created the roles of Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal (Drury Lane, 1777) and Mr Puff in The Critic (Drury Lane, 1779). Stage properties belonging to famous actors often take on a special significance and may pass from one great theatre name to another. The cane came to theatre manager John Hollingshead (1827-1904) who presented it to Irving, and Irving used it when he played Dr Primrose in Olivia, a version of Goldsmith’s novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1885), and as the title character in Sardou’s play Robespierre(1899). In 1979 the cane was given to the V&A, along with this postcard and details of the auction sale. |
| Associated object | S.432-1979 (Object) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.433-1979 |
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| Record created | July 6, 2018 |
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