This pen and ink illustration shows Arthur Collins, manager of Drury Lane from 1896 until 1923, and the dancer and choreograhger John D'auban (1842-1922) rehearsing the Drury Lane Pantomime at the Drill Hall, Chenies Street, London. The Drill Hall, 16 Chenies Street, was originally built in 1882 as a drill hall for the Bloomsbury Rifles, it was subsequently used as a rehearsal space by a range of theatres and companies including Diaghilev’s (1872-1929) Ballet Russes who rehearsed there in the early 1900s.
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As the handwritten caption below the image explains, amongst the men and women shown dancing to the accompaniment of the piano, is Mr D'Auban: 'showing how it should be done'. Frederick John D'Auban (1842–1922) was an English dancer, choreographer and actor of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Famous during his lifetime as the ballet-master at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he was also the choreographer for many of the operas staged by W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900).
The illustration is not dated but the clothing of the performers resembles that worn in the early 1900s. It was created for publication in an illustrated magazine or newspaper, probably the Penny Illustrated Paper. Pencil annotation on the rear suggests that the image was drawn by the artist A.J. Finberg (1866-1939). Alexander Joseph Finberg (1866-1939) was born in London in 1866. He studied art at the Lambeth School of Art and in Paris and went on to work for the Graphic and Illustrated London News, and as art critic for several papers including the Manchester Guardian and the Saturday Review.
This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914.
