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Finding Aid for the Edward Gordon Craig Papers, 1883-1966
1006
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Title: Edward Gordon Craig Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1883-1966
Collection number: 1006
Creator:
Craig, Edward Gordon, 1872-1966
Extent: 15 boxes (7.5 linear ft.)
3 cartons (3 linear ft.)
16 oversize boxes
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: Edward Henry Gordon Craig (1872-1966) was a member of the Lyceum, London, where he received training as an actor and began
his career in stage design and production (1889-95). He was appointed Royal Designer for Industry of the Royal College of
Art (1938), made a Companion of Honour (1958) and was appointed president of the Mermaid Theatre, London (1964). The collection
consists of materials related to Craig's career as an English stage designer and producer.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language:
English.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including
copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds
the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
B.F. Stevens & Brown, Limited, purchase, 1960.
[Identification of item], Edward Gordon Craig Papers (Collection 1006). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, UCLA.
Edward Henry Gordon Craig was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, January 16, 1872; son of Ellen Terry, a Shakespearean
actress, and Edward William Godwin, and brother of Edith Craig, a theatrical producer and director; attended Southfield Park
School in Tunbridge Wells, Bradfield College, and Heidelberg College in Germany; married and later divorced from actress May
Gibson; member of the Lyceum, London, where he received training as an actor and began his career in stage design and production,
1889-95; involved in productions such as
Acis and Galatea (1902),
The Vikings at Helgeland (1903), and
Much Ado About Nothing (1903); publications include:
The Art of the Theatre (1905),
On the Art of Theatre (1911),
Scene (1923),
Woodcuts and Some Words (1924) and a partial biography titled,
Index to the Story of My Days (1957); magazine publications include:
The Page (1898-1901) and
The Mask (1908-29); appointed Royal Designer for Industry of the Royal College of Art, 1938; made a Companion of Honour, 1958; president
of the Mermaid Theatre, London (1964); died July 29, 1966 in Vence, France.
| January 16, 1872 | Edward Henry Gordon Craig born at Stevenage, Hertsfordshire, England. Son of Ellen Terry and Edward William Godwin. |
| 1883-1886 | Southfield Park School, Tunbridge Wells |
| 1884-1885 | Visits United States on tour with Ellen Terry and Henry Irving. Makes first speaking appearance on stage in Eugene Aram. |
| 1886-1887 | Bradfield College. |
| 1887-1888 | Heidelberg College, Heidelberg. |
| 1888-1889 | Southfield Park School, Tunbridge Wells, as a private student. |
| 1889-1892 | At the Lyceum, London, under the direction of Henry Irving; provincial tours. |
| 1893 | At the Lyceum. Met James Pryde and William Nicholson (the Beggarstaff artists) and began wood carving; at Uxbridge does his first stage production, de Musset's On ne badine pas avec l'amour. |
| 1894 | Provincial tours. |
| 1895 | Leaves the Lyceum; provincial tours. |
| 1896 | Prepares productions of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet with his own company at the Parkhurst Theatre. |
| 1897 | Meets Martin Shaw, the English composer and conductor. |
| 1898 | Begins publishing The Page, which ran until 1901. |
| 1899 | Publishes Gordon Craig's Book of Penny Toys. |
| 1900 | Publishes Bookplates, a booklet. Presents Dido and Aeneas with Martin Shaw and the Purcell Operatic Society in May. Designs and prints a program for the production. |
| 1901 | Presents Dido and Aeneas and The Masque of Love in London with Martin Shaw. |
| 1902 | Presents Acis and Galatea and The Masque of Love in London. Publishes souvenir program illustrated by his woodcuts for the performance. Designs settings for Bethlehem for Laurence Housman. |
| 1903 | Publishes prospectus for The Harvest Home. Designs sets for Fred Terry's production of Sword and Song and enters theatrical management with Ellen Terry and Edith Craig (Edward Gordon Craig's sister) in production of Ibsen's The Vikings and Much Ado about Nothing. Elected a member of the Society of Twelve, London. |
| 1904 | Draws up prospectus for a School of the Theatre. Designs scenes for the Lessing Theater's production of Venice Preserved, in Berlin and meets Isadora Duncan. |
| 1905 | Publishes The Art of the Theatre. Develops theory of the über-marionnette. |
| 1906 | Publishes Isadora Duncan - Six Movement Designs in Germany. Meets Eleonora Duse in Berlin and designs sets for Rosmersholm for her. |
| 1907 | Settles in Florence. The White Fan by Hofmannstal published with woodcut illustrations by Craig. Development of black figures and moveable screens for stage settings. |
| 1908 | Begins publishing The Mask in Florence as forum for theatre criticism; publishes A Portfolio of Etchings. Travels to Moscow to discuss Stanislavsky's production of Hamlet.' |
| 1910 | Travels to Moscow. |
| 1911 | Publishes On the Art of the Theatre. W.B. Yeats uses Craig's new screens in sets for his plays at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. Honored by dinner in London on July 16. In Moscow for the presentation of Hamlet by Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre, December. |
| 1913 | Announces financial support for his School for the Art of the Theatre. Publishes A Living Theatre from Florence. |
| 1914-1916 | School closes due to war and lack of funds; suspends publication of The Mask, writes marionette plays. |
| 1917 | Moves to the Villa Raggio, Rapallo, Italy. |
| 1918 | Republishes The Mask in April. Publishes The Marionette, one vol. only. |
| 1919 | Suspends publication of The Mask. The Theatre Advancing is published in Boston. |
| 1922 | Invited to open the International Exhibition of Theatre Art and Craft at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. Exhibit travels to London and Manchester. |
| 1923 | Publishes Scene. |
| 1924 | Publishes Woodcuts and Some Words, and Nothing, or the Bookplate. |
| 1925 | Publishes Books and Theatres. |
| 1926 | Designs production of Ibsen's The Crown Pretenders at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen for Adam and Johannes Poulsen. |
| 1930 | English edition of the Cranach Press Hamlet with Craig's prints is published. In A Production-1926, Craig's illustrations for The Crown Pretenders are published. Also published the biography, Henry Irving. |
| 1931 | Publishes the biography, Ellen Terry and her Secret Self. |
| 1934 | Invited to Volta Conference in Rome by Pirandello and Marconi; meets Marinetti, Maeterlinck, and Gropius. |
| 1935 | Visits Moscow and meets Brecht, Litvanov and Eisenstein. |
| 1938 | Appointed a Royal Designer for Industry. |
| 1940 | Taken to Stalag 142, Besançon, as a British citizen living in occupied Paris. |
| 1957 | Publishes his partial autobiography, Index to the Story of my Days. |
| 1958 | Made a Companion of Honour. |
| 1962 | Issuing of radio talks made for the BBC 1951-1957 as three discs, London. Eight Wood Engravings for Hamlet privately printed. |
| 1966 | Dies in Vence, France. |
Collection consists of materials related to Craig's career as an English stage designer and producer. Includes correspondence,
manuscripts, books owned and annotated by Craig, articles by or referring to Craig, photographs, designs, and ephemera.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Craig, Edward Gordon, 1872-1966--Archives.
Theatrical producers and directors--England--Archival resources.
Set designers--England--Archival resources.
Actors and actresses--Portraits.
Appia, Adolphe, 1862-1928.
Bernhardt, Sarah, 1844-1923.
Book-plates, English.
Browning, Robert, 1812-1889.
A blot on the scutcheon.
Costumes--illustrations.
Craig, Edith, 1869-1947.
Drawings--specimens.
Duncan, Isadora, 1878-1927.
Duncan, Isadora, 1878-1927--portrait.
Duse, Elenora, 1852-1924.
Eisenstein, Sergei Michailovich, 1898-1948.
English drama--addresses, essays, lectures.
English drama--20th century.
Engravings--catalogs.
Fraser, Claud Lovat, 1890-1929--portrait.
Garrick, David, 1717-1779.
Katherine and Petruchio.
Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906.
Land from the sea.
Peer Gynt.
Irving,
Sir Henry, 1838-1905.
Irving,
Sir Henry, 1838-1905--Portrait.
Irving, Laurence Sydney Brodribb, 1871-1914--Portrait.
Kean, Edmund, 1787-1833.
The Marionette. Florence.
The Mask. Florence.
Masques.
Moscow Art Theatre. Moscow.
Puppets and puppet plays--specimens.
Purcell, Henry, 1658 or 9-1695.
Dido and Aeneas. p. 29
The school for the art of the theatre. Florence--views.
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.
Hamlet. Macbeth.
The Merchant Of Venice.
Much Ado About Nothing.
A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Othello.
Shaw, George Bernard, 1856-1950.
Shaw, George Bernard, 1856-1950.
Caesar and Cleopatra.
Stage lighting.
Terry,
Dame Ellen, 1847-1928.
Terry,
Dame Ellen, 1847-1928--portrait.
Theater collections.
Theater--Great Britain.
Theater--productions and direction.
Theater programs.
Theater--prompt books.
Theater--Russia.
Theater--Russia--views.
Theaters--architecture.
Theaters--architecture.
Theaters--miniature.
Theaters--stage setting and secenery.
Theaters--stage setting and scenery--views.
Toy theaters--specimens.
Tree,
Sir Herbert Beerbohm, 1853-1917.
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892--Portrait.
Bernhardt, Sarah, 1844-1923.
Craig, Edith, 1869-1947.
Craig, Edward Anthony, 1904- .
The crown pretenders.
de Walden,
Lord Howard.
Greet,
Sir Ben, 1857-1936.
Housman, Laurence, 1865-1959.
Irving,
Sir Henry, 1838-1905.
St. John, Christopher Marie (pseudonym).
Terry,
Dame Ellen, 1847-1928.
Shaw, Martin Fallas, 1875-1958.
1. Actor G92, E86.
2. Stage Manager G86, E82.
3. Ophelia.
4. Ophelia Mad G136, E124.
5. Bird Dancer.
6. Ghost with Crown G17, E17.
7. Ghost with Bone G115, E110.
8. Hamlet & Daemon (Large).
9. Hamlet & Daemon (Small) G77, E70.
10. Hamlet with Skull G154, E150.
11. Laertes G160, E156.
12. Queen G134, E123.
13. A Lord (Guildenstern) G170, E162.
14. Seated Figure (Large).
14C. Seated Figure (Small).
15. King Claudius G122, E114.
16. Actor (3/4 length)--two blocks: second E64.
17. Polonius G24, E24.
18. Osric G168, E160.
19. Yorick G155, E151.
20. Gravediggers.
21. Candlebearer 1.
22. Candlebearer 2.
23. Candlebearer 3.
24. Candlebearer 4.
25. Doubt G162, E74.
26. Soldiers seated G10, E10.
27. Ghost in flames G11, E11.
28. Courtier.
29. Courtier.
30. Hamlet with curtain G21, E21.
31. Hamlet/Horatio profile.
32. Mask for Queen.
33. Soldier with Shield (Large) G9, E9.
34. Soldier with Shield (Small) G140.
Block 2 E128.
35. Fencer A:.
Block 1, Block 2, Block 3 G175, E167.
36. Fencer B:.
Block 1, Block 2 G175, E167, Block 3.
37. Hamlet & King Claudius G109, E102.
38. S.1 & S.3 Black Girl.
39. Girl with Stick.
40. Shylock.
41. Antonio.
42. Bassanio.
43. Lorenzo.
44. Lawyer.
45. Young Gobbo.
46. Old Gobbo.
47. Lady in Waiting.
48. Three Witches.
49. Running Figure.
50. The Jewess.
51. Cuchulain.
52. Priestess.
53. Group of Four Men.
54. Mask.
55. Mask.
56. Rosencrantz.
57. Guildenstern.
58. Iphigenia.
59. Mourners.
60. The Jew.
61B. Beauty.
62. The Beast.
63. Group of Eight Men.
64. Moses.
65. Lust.
66. Dancing Girl.
67. Hunger.
68. Girl with Ball.
69. Susanna.
70. First Elder.
71. Second Elder.
72. Hecuba.
73. Ophelia with Willow.
74. Roman Actor.
75. Electra.
76. Roman Actor.
77. Roman Actor.
78A. Roman Actor, Block 1.
78B. Roman Actor, Block 2.
79. The Scrivener.
80. The Priest.
81. Worshipper.
82. Gravedigger (Second) G149, E144.
82B. Gravedigger (First) G150, E146.
83. Portia.
84. Fear.
85. Eve.
86. Kultur, Culture, Cultura et cie.
87. Self-Portrait.
88. Thespis.
89. Hamlet with Sword:.
Block 1, Block 2 G111, E105.
90. Shakespeare.
Rudolph Holzapfel Collection of Edward Gordon Craig Material (Collection 1482)
. Available at the Department of Special Collections, UCLA.