World War I medals belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven
Medal
ca. 1919 (made)
ca. 1919 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Miniature medals, British War Medal, 1914-1918, and Allied Victory medal, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven, on one pin.
From an early age Gabrielle Enthoven, née Romaine (1868-1950), was fascinated by the theatre. After her marriage in 1893 she began to collect press cuttings and playbills and, following the death of her husband in 1910, she became involved with the Pioneer Players, a feminist theatre company for which she wrote plays. As her collection of theatrical material grew, Mrs Enthoven became aware that no archive or museum was documenting the British theatre as she was doing. In 1911 she wrote to the Observer newspaper, beginning a campaign for the establishment of a national collection for the performing arts within an existing museum. Though she received support in the press, an attempt by the London Museum to establish a permanent exhibition of theatre was unsuccessful. Mrs Enthoven, however, continued her campaign and, after several attempts, in 1924 she persuaded the V&A to take her vast collection, which by this time was outgrowing her home. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was housed in the Prints and Drawings department and Mrs Enthoven continued to work on the collection in a voluntary capacity and provided funding for staff and for new acquisitions. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was one of the founding collections of the V&A's Theatre Museum (1974-2007) and the collection's playbills, cuttings, photographs, prints, designs and memorabilia are now held in the V&A Theatre and Performance department.
During the First World War, Gabrielle Enthoven volunteered for war work and from August 1914 until December 1915 she was chief of records for the War Refugees Committee, a voluntary body which organised the reception of refugees fleeing mainland Europe. At the end of 1915 she joined the Red Cross, becoming chief of the records department for its Central Prisoners of War and Missing Persons Committee. Because of ill health, she left the Red Cross in August 1920. She was awarded an OBE for this work.
These miniature World War I medals were part of Mrs Enthoven's personal collection. Their history is not known. Her collection also contained the full size British War Medal and Allied Victory medal.
From an early age Gabrielle Enthoven, née Romaine (1868-1950), was fascinated by the theatre. After her marriage in 1893 she began to collect press cuttings and playbills and, following the death of her husband in 1910, she became involved with the Pioneer Players, a feminist theatre company for which she wrote plays. As her collection of theatrical material grew, Mrs Enthoven became aware that no archive or museum was documenting the British theatre as she was doing. In 1911 she wrote to the Observer newspaper, beginning a campaign for the establishment of a national collection for the performing arts within an existing museum. Though she received support in the press, an attempt by the London Museum to establish a permanent exhibition of theatre was unsuccessful. Mrs Enthoven, however, continued her campaign and, after several attempts, in 1924 she persuaded the V&A to take her vast collection, which by this time was outgrowing her home. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was housed in the Prints and Drawings department and Mrs Enthoven continued to work on the collection in a voluntary capacity and provided funding for staff and for new acquisitions. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was one of the founding collections of the V&A's Theatre Museum (1974-2007) and the collection's playbills, cuttings, photographs, prints, designs and memorabilia are now held in the V&A Theatre and Performance department.
During the First World War, Gabrielle Enthoven volunteered for war work and from August 1914 until December 1915 she was chief of records for the War Refugees Committee, a voluntary body which organised the reception of refugees fleeing mainland Europe. At the end of 1915 she joined the Red Cross, becoming chief of the records department for its Central Prisoners of War and Missing Persons Committee. Because of ill health, she left the Red Cross in August 1920. She was awarded an OBE for this work.
These miniature World War I medals were part of Mrs Enthoven's personal collection. Their history is not known. Her collection also contained the full size British War Medal and Allied Victory medal.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | World War I medals belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Silver and bronze medals on silk ribbon |
| Brief description | Miniature medals, British War Medal, 1914-1918, and Allied Victory medal, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven, on one pin. |
| Physical description | Miniature British War Medal, silver, profile head of George V with inscription 'GEORGIVS V BRITT. OMN. REX ET IND. IMP.'. On reverse, figure of St George, naked, on horseback. the horse trampling a Prussian shield and a skull and crossbones. Above, right, a sun with many rays. Inscribed '1914-1918'. On a silk ribbon with, from left, narrow bands of blue, black, and white, a central wide orange band, and narrow bands of white, black and blue. Miniature Allied Victory Medal, bronze, full length winged figure of Victory, standing, holding a palm branch in her right hand , her left arm extended. On reverse, the inscription 'THEGREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION 1914-1019'. On a silk ribbon in rainbow colours with a central band of orange. The medals are attached to a pin inscribed 'SPINK & SON', the British War Medal on the left. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Gabrielle Enthoven Collection |
| Summary | Miniature medals, British War Medal, 1914-1918, and Allied Victory medal, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven, on one pin. From an early age Gabrielle Enthoven, née Romaine (1868-1950), was fascinated by the theatre. After her marriage in 1893 she began to collect press cuttings and playbills and, following the death of her husband in 1910, she became involved with the Pioneer Players, a feminist theatre company for which she wrote plays. As her collection of theatrical material grew, Mrs Enthoven became aware that no archive or museum was documenting the British theatre as she was doing. In 1911 she wrote to the Observer newspaper, beginning a campaign for the establishment of a national collection for the performing arts within an existing museum. Though she received support in the press, an attempt by the London Museum to establish a permanent exhibition of theatre was unsuccessful. Mrs Enthoven, however, continued her campaign and, after several attempts, in 1924 she persuaded the V&A to take her vast collection, which by this time was outgrowing her home. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was housed in the Prints and Drawings department and Mrs Enthoven continued to work on the collection in a voluntary capacity and provided funding for staff and for new acquisitions. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was one of the founding collections of the V&A's Theatre Museum (1974-2007) and the collection's playbills, cuttings, photographs, prints, designs and memorabilia are now held in the V&A Theatre and Performance department. During the First World War, Gabrielle Enthoven volunteered for war work and from August 1914 until December 1915 she was chief of records for the War Refugees Committee, a voluntary body which organised the reception of refugees fleeing mainland Europe. At the end of 1915 she joined the Red Cross, becoming chief of the records department for its Central Prisoners of War and Missing Persons Committee. Because of ill health, she left the Red Cross in August 1920. She was awarded an OBE for this work. These miniature World War I medals were part of Mrs Enthoven's personal collection. Their history is not known. Her collection also contained the full size British War Medal and Allied Victory medal. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.586:1 to 2-2018 |
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| Record created | December 5, 2018 |
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