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The Works of Art Collection
Displayed throughout the Club is its remarkable collection
of art works representing the history of the theatre. There
are over 1000 paintings, drawings and sculptures, a fascinating
selection of theatrical memorabilia, and thousands of prints.
The origins of the collection lie with the actor Charles
Mathews, one of the original members of the Club who had a
passion for collecting theatrical portraits, and displayed
them in a gallery at his home, Ivy Cottage, in Highgate. Mathews
managed to secure a large number of pictures from the collection
of Thomas Harris, who had been manager of Covent Garden Theatre,
and which included paintings by the likes of Johan Zoffany,
Francis Hayman and Gainsborough Dupont. He also actively commissioned
artists such as Samuel de Wilde to paint all the popular stars
of the stage at that time. Mathews had hoped to sell the collection
to the Club, which was eventually purchased by the broker
Robert Durrant in 1835 and then donated to the Club.
The collection has since been supplemented by that presented
by Mathews' son, Charles James Mathews, of 116 watercolours
by James Warren Childe, showing him in numerous roles. Throughout
the years members and friends have continued leaving pictures,
with many coming from artist members, such as Clarkson Stanfield
and David Roberts, who started their careers as scene painters,
Henry Nelson O'Neil and Sir John Everett Millais, and more
recently John Gilroy.
The majority of the works represent actors and actresses
in costume and often in action. As well as illustrating the
evolution of theatrical portraiture, they provide us with
invaluable glimpses of what a visit to the theatre was like
and how it changed over time, as acting styles moved on from
the declamatory style of actors such as James Quin, to a more
naturalistic attitude developed by David Garrick. They also
show how costumes and sets gradually became more historically
correct, as the move from performing in contemporary dress,
the norm in the late eighteenth century, led to experiments
in authenticity by the likes of Edmund Kean and William Charles
Macready, and ultimately the grand spectacular historical
recreations staged by Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre.
The playwrights represented range from Shakespeare to Chekhov;
tragedy, comedy, pantomime, opera and melodrama are all illustrated.
The collection of theatrical memorabilia includes jewellery,
snuff boxes, swords, walking-sticks, tickets and shoe-buckles.
There is David Garrick's chair from Drury Lane Theatre, his
powder puff and his fly-fishing rod; the ring worn by Henry
Irving as Charles I; a Lalique lotus flower worn by Sara Bernhardt
as Ixeil; the dog collar worn by Charles Kean's Saint Bernard
and Noël Coward's perfume ioniser. There is also a fine
collection of porcelain figurines presented to the Club by
Richard Bebb.
The print collection provides a complete history of the use
of engraving to promote theatrical images, from small-scale
frontispieces to the published plays, to grand mezzotints,
and from popular penny-plains/tuppence coloureds to romantic
lithographs. The Club also has a collection of 106 Hogarth
engravings, known to have once belonged to David Garrick.
Published Catalogues of the collection are available, the
most recent being Pictures in the Garrick Club
by Geoffrey Ashton (edited by Kalman A Burnim & Andrew
Wilton) 1997, and The Richard Bebb Collection in the
Garrick Club by Kalman A Burnim & Andrew Wilton
2001, and Brief Lives: Sitters and Artists in the Garrick Club Collection by Kalman A Burnim & John Baskett 2003. A fully searchable database of all the primary collections is available here
Researchers are welcome to visit and view works relevant
to their studies from the collection, by appointment with the Librarian
Guided tours
for small groups are also possible by arrangement with the former Secretary to the Works of Art Committee
The Library
| When the Club was founded in 1831, Rule 1 called for
the "formation of a theatrical Library, with works
on costume". At the General Meeting on 15th October
1831 the barrister John Adolphus, suggested that members
should present their duplicate dramatic works to the Club,
and that these should go some way towards forming a Library.
A very valuable collection was presented by over a hundred
members, which includes the texts of most of the English
dramatists, David Garrick's correspondence and several
thousand programmes and playbills. |
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James Winston, the first Secretary of the Club, was one of
the principal early benefactors and his gifts included minutes
from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for most of the nineteenth
century. These presentations formed the nucleus of the Library
which now holds over 10,000 volumes and is a goldmine of material
for researchers and lovers of the theatre.
Sir Julian Hall, who was at one time Chairman of the Library
Committee, left a legacy to the Library that enabled the Covent
Garden and Drury Lane playbills 1798-1840, and several hundreds
of plays and periodicals, to be bound.
It is impossible to list all the treasures held here: twenty-two
volumes devoted to Henry Irving collected by his biographer
Percy Fitzgerald; five volumes devoted to William Charles
Macready; a large volume devoted to Charles Mathews's one
man shows; a series of John Philip Kemble's prompt books;
there are also a number of eighteenth and nineteenth century
manuscripts, including The Will by James Barrie and Love à la mode by Charles Macklin.
There is an important collection of books relating to David
Garrick, including Garrick's own time books, and books from
his Library; C.B. Smith's fifteen volumes of original autographed
letters from all the major figures of the late eighteenth
and early nineteenth centuries; John Nixon's two volume collection
on the London Theatre contains numerous rare prints and original
drawings; the collections also include theatrical ephemera,
such as photographs and tickets. There are eight extra-illustrated
volumes relating the history of early London Theatres and
works such as Ackerman's The Microcosm of London 1808-11, and James Winston's The Theatric Tourist 1805.
There are boxes of material relating to Arthur Pinero, which
include manuscripts, stage settings etc. A large selection
of periodicals includes a complete run of the Era from 1858-1939.
There is also of course, a wealth of information documenting
the Garrick Club's own history, and that of its past members.
The theatre is continually changing and the Library seeks
to adapt so that it may reflect these changes, and continue
to serve members, students of the theatre, and researchers,
as it has done since the 1830's.
The Library is available to visiting scholars by prior arrangement
with the Librarian only. Scholars are requested to write to
the Librarian outlining the area of their research, and if
relevant material is available, an appointment can be arranged.
Material may not be published in any form without permission
in writing from the Library Committee. The Club is not necessarily
the copyright owner of manuscript material and may not be
in a position to give permission to publish.
The Club does not allow the photocopying, scanning or microfilming
of Library material. Photographic copies can be made by arrangement
with the Librarian.
Catalogues and indexes to all the Club’s collections are accessible on site, and a computer cataloguing programme is ongoing. The main Library Catalogue can be searched here
Please
contact Marcus Risdell
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