Henry Irving as Dubosc

Bernard Partridge (1861-1945) was a painter and illustrator who became the principal cartoonist of Punch magazine. He acted at the Lyceum in his youth, using the name Bernard Gould, and made many drawings of Irving, some which appeared in the theatre's souvenir programmes. His work has provided both a record of costumes and scenery and of the dramatic effect of Irving's performances.

This image shows the actor Henry Irving (1838-1905) as Lesurques in The Lyons Mail by Charles Reade (1814 -1884). Irving played both the hard-drinking villain Dubosc, who has robbed the Lyons Mail, and the genteel hero Lesurques who is mistaken for him and arrested. Irving needed to change costume quickly between being on stage as one character and then the other. He was assisted in doing this by his dresser.