Album of caricatures by the commercial artist George Cooke, showing actors and music hall and variety entertainers who appeared at the Palace Theatre, Blackpool, 1916- 1924

Album of caricatures of music hall and variety entertainers drawn by George Cooke. Bound album with blue board covers with remnants of a brown paper covering. The album contains blue cartridge paper leaves, and the spine originally had a white label inscribed: 'GEORGE COOKE, CARICATURES. ALBUM VI 266-346', which is now loose.
The album contains 74 ink and wash caricatures, each glued to a separate page. All are autographed by the subjects, who are: Will Hay, Frank E. Petley, Shaun Glenville, Joe Cheetham, Two Bobs (Alden & Adams), Ernie Mayne, Jack Barty, Robb Wilton, Frank Steward, Edgar Cooke, Norman Evans, Cullen & Carthy, Bransby Williams, Jack Hylton, Coram, Harry Tate, Albert Burdon, Billy Bennett, Billy Danvers, Walter Williams, Edwin Lawrence, Lucille Laverne, Jackson Owen, Syd Howard, Billy Leonard, Tom Moss, Roddy Hughes, Chick Farr, Billy Elliott. Albert Le Fre, Billy Merson, G.S. Melvin, Ronnie Howard, Little Tich, Debroy Somers, George Clarke, Syd Walker, Hylton Leyland, Nervo & Knox, Les Allen, George Carpenter, Van Dock, Fred Kitchen junior, Nelson Keys, Randolf Sutton, Billy Caryll, Flanagan & Allen, Norman Long, Tommy Handley, Harry Weldon, Arthur Riscoe, Stanley Lupino, George Doonan, Stan Stanford, Billy Seldom, Jack Stanford, Terry Wilson, Mark Lester & Art Riscoe, Dick Henderson, Terence Byron, Gus McNaughten, Blake Adams junior, Tom D. Newell, Edward Petley, Billy Daunt, Morny Cash, Con Kenna, Fred Emney junior, Gilbert Pane, Doug Wakefield, Bert Hopping, Geraldo, Claude Dampier, Will Murray, Sandy Powell, Billy May, David Grundy, Ted Ray, Donald Stuart, and Roy Barbour.
On the first page are printed advertisements for George Cooke's work: a blue and white line drawing of George Cooke as a chef riding on a turkey; a black and white line drawing of Cooke working at a drawing board with the words 'George Cooke / Caricaturist / Designs for Lithos, Memo. Heads, / Postcards etc'; a circular paper label printed with a black and white self portrait by Cooke with the words 'George Cooke Caricaturist' round the edge and 'Palace / Blackpool' across the forehead; a dark blue label in the shape of two faces printed with the words 'The / Bros / Hanaway / Two of / the / Heads'; a dark blue label showing a harp in a wreath and the words 'Mario Lorenzi' and a dark pink label in the shape of a profile head printed with the words 'George Cooke / Caricaturist / Designs / for Lithos / Blackpool'.

This is one of ten albums which, according to an article in The Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 12 December 1967, were inherited by Cyril Cooke, George Cooke's nephew. Cyril Cooke is quoted as saying, 'My uncle, a Yorkshireman, was a brilliant caricaturist who was in personal touch with all the celebrities visiting the Palace Theatre and Blackpool.... At one time he had a commission to produce groups for the Blackpool Illuminations.' These caricatures appear to have been done for George Cooke's own amusement, since it was he who collected them, and got the subjects to autograph them for him.

This is the sixth album that the commercial artist George Cooke used for his caricatures of actors and music hall and variety artists who appeared at the Palace Theatre, Blackpool. Originally from Yorkshire, George Cooke specialised in designing illustrated publicity material for performers. These included flyers, letterheads, posters and newspaper advertisements. Before moving to Blackpool he lived in Hanley, Staffordshire, where he drew performers at the Grand Theatre. By 1917 he had moved to London, where he established Cooke’s Publicity Agency at 453 The Strand.

S.397:1 to 81-2002