Photograph of Edward Granville Eliot dressed as the pantomime clown, Harry Payne, 1885

Photograph showing a young boy dressed as a Victorian clown in an elaborate ruffled costume, with wig and make-up. He sits on the edge of a model plum pudding, with one leg inside the hollow 'pudding'. He holds a small card in his right hand and in his left hand is a larger card on which, in capital letters, are the words 'The Mysterious Tent Now Open Mr Harry Payne at Home'. The photograph is mounted on a paper page from an album. On the reverse are two family photographs one showing three people picnicking under a tree and captioned 'Orchard near Bradford.', the other, taken on the same occasion, showing two people and captioned 'Orchard.' A third photograph, captioned 'Brympton House' is missing. The upper edge and one side of the paper is brown and crumbling.

Given by Jane Asher

The photograph shows seven-year-old Edward Granville Eliot dressed as the famous pantomime clown, Harry Payne, for a charity bazaar in 1885. He sits on a papier-mâché plum pudding, a small version of the giant stage properties that featured in 19th century pantomime. His costume, which is now in the V&A's collections, is a perfect miniature version of the outfit worn by Payne, who appeared in Drury Lane pantomimes from 1883 until his death in 1895.

Edward Granville Eliot had an interesting career himself, being at various times an actor, a playwright, a banjo player and a solicitor, before joining the army.

S.552-2021