Drawing

This portrait of the actor-manager Sir Henry Irving (1838-1905) shows him as he appeared in the role of King Charles I in his production of Charles I by William Gorman Wills (1828–1891). It was painted by the artist Pamela Coleman Smith and she has signed the portrait with her characteristic mark of an interlaced P, C and S in the top left hand corner.

Pamela Coleman Smith (1878-1951) was an artist and illustrator who became closely involved with the Lyceum Theatre Company, and the actress Ellen Terry (1847-1928) in particular, from the late 1890s. She was best known for her work as an illustrator but she also worked in the field of stage design and exhibited her paintings.