{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1176781"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1176781/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2011ET5154/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2011ET5154/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2011ET5154","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1176781","accessionNumber":"S.119-1979","objectType":"Drawing","titles":[{"title":"Feliks Topolski Collection","type":"named collection"}],"summaryDescription":"Sketch by Feliks Topolski in pen and ink and pencil showing a scene from a production of <i>Early Morning</i> by Edward Bond (b.1943) at the Royal Court Theatre in 1969.\r\n\r\nThe Royal Court Theatre was committed to producing plays which challenged the artistic, social and political orthodoxy of the day and throughout the 1960s regularly came into conflict with the Lord Chamberlain Office. Until 1968 The Lord Chamberlain's Office acted as the official censor of the London stage as the 1843 Theatres Act required all scripts to be submitted to, and approved by, the Lord Chamberlain who could prohibt the performance of any plays which theatrened \"the preservation of good manners, decorum or of the public peace\".\r\n\r\n<i>Early Morning</i> was a controversial surreal play set in a version of Victorian England in which Queen Victoria and Florence Nightingale were having a lesbian relationship, the royal Princes were Siamese twins and Disraeli and Prince Albert were plotting a coup. At the climax of the play the whole cast were damned to a cannibalistic Heaven after falling off Beachy Head. In a direct challenge to the official ban issued against the production by the Lord Chamberlain's Office, The Royal Court chose to produce the play. Within a year of the first performance the 1834 Theatres Act had been repealed and the Theatres Act of 1968 abolished censorship of the stage in Britain. \r\n\r\nThe play which was first performed in 1968 was revived in 1969. The actress Moira Redmond (1928-2006) played the role of Queen Victoria in both productions.","physicalDescription":"Rough Sketch in pencil and pen and ink on a sheet of cream paper. It shows a scene from the 1969 production of Edward Bond's <i>Early Morning</i> at the Royal Court Theatre. A group of intermingled figures, some male, some female, are shown in Victorian Dress. The figure of Queen Victoria (drawn in pen and ink), wearing a long veil/headdress is just visible at the centre left of sketch.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Topolski, Feliks","id":"A5964"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"pen and ink","id":"x30618"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawing","id":"x32498"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Pen and ink and pencil on paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Drawings","id":"THES48966"},{"text":"Gender and Sexuality","id":"THES48940"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2011ET5154"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"004","id":"THES356685"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"drawings","id":"AAT33973"}],[{"text":"sketches","id":"AAT15617"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":"possibly"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1969","earliest":"1969-01-01","latest":"1969-12-31"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by the artist","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"60","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"38","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Edward Bond's Early Morning/Royal Court Theatre/1969'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Handwritten annotation in pen and ink at the far right of the sketch"},{"content":"'62'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Handwritten annotation in pencil on the rear of the sketch"}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Sketch by Feliks Topolski in pen and ink and pencil showing a scene from a production of <i>Early Morning</i> by Edward Bond at the Royal Court Theatre in 1969.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Early Morning"],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.119-1979"],"accessionNumberNum":"119","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1979,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Creator's reference no.","id":"THES58055"},"number":"62"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-12-05","recordCreationDate":"2010-12-24","availableToBook":true}}