Not currently on display at the V&A

Queen Elisabeth medal ribbon bar, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven

Medal Ribbon Bar
1916-1919 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Medal ribbon bar, with ribbon of the Queen Elisabeth Medal, Belgium, World War I, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven.

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.

This medal ribbon bar was part of Mrs Enthoven's personal collection. Its history is not known. The Queen Elisabeth medal was awarded to individuals for had given medical and nursing care given to Belgian soldiers and civilians during World War I.




Object details

Category
Object type
TitleQueen Elisabeth medal ribbon bar, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Silk ribbon on metal bar
Brief description
Medal ribbon bar, with ribbon of the Queen Elisabeth Medal, Belgium, World War I, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven.
Physical description
Medal ribbon bar, with the ribbon of the Queen Elisabeth Medal, grey moiré silk ribbon with narrow bands of pink at each edge. The ribbon covers a metal bar, with rough stitching on reverse. With metal pin.




Dimensions
  • Height: 1.2cm
  • Width: 3.8cm
Credit line
Gabrielle Enthoven Collection
Summary
Medal ribbon bar, with ribbon of the Queen Elisabeth Medal, Belgium, World War I, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven.

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.

This medal ribbon bar was part of Mrs Enthoven's personal collection. Its history is not known. The Queen Elisabeth medal was awarded to individuals for had given medical and nursing care given to Belgian soldiers and civilians during World War I.


Collection
Accession number
S.592-2018

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Record createdDecember 18, 2018
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