Drawing

Watercolour drawing by the artist Pamela Coleman Smith (1877-1925) of the actress Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Hiördis in The Vikings by Henrik Ibsen. It was drawn in 1903, and has been signed and dated by the artist.

The Vikings was mounted at the Imperial Theatre in April of 1903. Following the end of her long stage partnership with Henry Irving, Ellen Terry took on the lease of the Imperial Theatre where she intended to produce plays in conjunction with her son, the artist, designer and director, Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966). The Vikings was the first play they attempted and featured a set and lighting scheme designed by Gordon Craig and costumes designed and made by Terry's daughter Edith Craig (1869-1947).