Edward Onslow Ford1852Bust
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Not receiving at present
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- 8 days ago
- In this state since
- Sep 25, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the sculpture
Sir Henry Irving (1838-1905) was one of Britain's greatest actor-managers, a man who dedicated his life to the theatre, especially London's Lyceum Theatre where he produced and starred in some of the finest spectacular productions of Shakespeare and contemporary drama that the British theatre had witnessed. This bust by the English sculptor Edward Onslow Ford portrays him in the title role of Hamlet.
Irving was born in Cornwall and spent fifteen years acting in repertory from 1856 until 1871, when he made his name at the Lyceum Theatre in The Bells. In his years in repertory he played over six hundred different roles and for the next 31 years he starred at the Lyceum, holding audiences spellbound, and setting new standards of production and performance that made him a legend.
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Edward Onslow Ford (1852-1902) trained abroad but set up a studio in London as a portrait sculptor in marble and terracotta. He became a Royal Academician in 1885 and sculpted Irving several times, as well as Queen Victoria and many other leading personalities of the day.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- S.292-1980
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 8 days ago
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
