Not currently on display at the V&A

Ellen Terry

Bust
1917 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bust represents the great actress Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Camma in Alfred Lord Tennyson's play The Cup. She first played the role at the Lyceum Theatre on 3 January 1881 to Henry Irving's Synorix. As usual Irving spared no expense on the production, and although it was praised for its lavish settings and costumes, critics regretted that the Poet Laureate had not written a more coherent play. Ellen Terry however was praised for her performance and her appearance, and the critic Henry Labouchère in the magazine Truth applauded her 'skill in giving life to drapery', calling her 'this graceful and picturesque creature....the embodiment of the aspirations of modern art'.

In her memoirs Ellen Terry recalled her dresses for the role as 'simple, fine and free' - 'designed by Mr. Godwin, one of them the toga made of that wonderful material which Arnott had printed'. Ellen Terry was first employed by Sir Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre in 1878; she was his leading lady until 1902 and their on-stage partnership became one of the most famous in the history of the theatre.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleEllen Terry (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster cast
Brief description
Bust of Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Camma in The Cup by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Lyceum Theatre 3 January 1881. Plaster of Paris by Doris Lindner (1896-1979), dated 1917
Physical description
Plaster bust of Ellen Terry in her costume as Camma in The Cup, looking straight in front of her, wearing a Classical draped toga and close-fitting head covering.
Dimensions
  • Approximately height: 26.0cm
  • Maximum, across her shoulders width: 16.0cm
  • Of base depth: 10.3cm
  • Of base width: 13.0cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'ET' (Stylised letters, incised on the front of the base)
  • 'Doris Lindner 1917' (Incised on the base.)
Credit line
Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996
Subject depicted
Summary
This bust represents the great actress Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Camma in Alfred Lord Tennyson's play The Cup. She first played the role at the Lyceum Theatre on 3 January 1881 to Henry Irving's Synorix. As usual Irving spared no expense on the production, and although it was praised for its lavish settings and costumes, critics regretted that the Poet Laureate had not written a more coherent play. Ellen Terry however was praised for her performance and her appearance, and the critic Henry Labouchère in the magazine Truth applauded her 'skill in giving life to drapery', calling her 'this graceful and picturesque creature....the embodiment of the aspirations of modern art'.

In her memoirs Ellen Terry recalled her dresses for the role as 'simple, fine and free' - 'designed by Mr. Godwin, one of them the toga made of that wonderful material which Arnott had printed'. Ellen Terry was first employed by Sir Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre in 1878; she was his leading lady until 1902 and their on-stage partnership became one of the most famous in the history of the theatre.
Bibliographic reference
Ellen Terry My Life, 1908
Collection
Accession number
S.1058-1996

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMay 16, 2006
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest