{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1278370"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1278370/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014GX5039/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014GX5039/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014GX5039","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1278370/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1278370","accessionNumber":"S.373-2014","objectType":"Drawing","titles":[{"title":"Walter Melville","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Walter Melville (1875-1937) ran the Lyceum Theatre in partnership with his brother Frederick between 1910-1938. They became particularly known for their annual spectacular pantomimes.\n\nThe artist, book illustrator and film-maker Patrick Russell Edmund Kinsella, known as E.P. Kinsella (1875-1936) was born in Liverpool, the son of the music-hall performer and proprietor Patrick ‘Pat’ Kinsella and his wife Flora. In London Kinsella worked as an artist, set designer and illustrator, producing illustrations for publicity for the Melvilles at the Lyceum Theatre and the Princes Theatre (now the Shaftesbury), that they built in 1911.\n\r\nKinsella appears to have started designing posters for London theatres about 1911 when he did those for <i>Orpheus in the Underworld</i> at His Majesty’s Theatre, and <i>The Eternal Waltz</i>at the London Hippodrome. His artwork for publicity material for the Melville Brothers dates from about 1916, and his friendship with Walter Melville continued into the 1920s.\n\r\nKinsella was also an enthusiastic film maker. He formed the Kinsella &amp; Morgan Film Company with Horace Morgan, making cartoons and live action shorts for the War Aims Committee, and seven <i>Kincartoons</i> between 1917 and 1918 including <i>Simple Simon</i> and <i>George Robey’s Day Off</i> featuring his friend the actor George Robey. Kinsella &amp; Morgan ceased film production at the end of the war, but Kinsella continued to use his camera after that date, judging from this postcard  he sent Walter Melville on 22nd July 1922.\n\r\nKinsella asks Melville what time he will be at the theatre, with a sketch obviously referring to a private joke between the two. He depicts himself crouched on his studio floor as a supplicant, touching Melville's trouser leg and telling him he can take the tools of his artwork - 'my paints, my palette, my maul' (his artist's mahl or maul stick), but not his camera which he lovingly refers to as his 'chield' – probably a corruption of 'child'. His hand-cranked camera stands on a tripod, topped with what appears to be a wooden film casette.\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","physicalDescription":"Pen and ink drawing on card, sent to Walter Melville at the Lyceum Theatre. The sketch shows a man grovelling at the feet of another, larger, male figure. The image is captioned 'Take my paints. / my Palette. / MY maul. / but <u>don't</u> / Take my / 'chield''. Signed 'KIN/', in the bottom left hand corner. Along right hand edge the artist has written a message to Melville. On the reverse is the address, with a postage stamp, postmarked 20 July 1922.\n\n","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Kinsella, Edward Patrick","id":"A33367"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"drawing board","id":"x33403"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawing (image-making)","id":"AAT54196"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Ink on card","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Drawings","id":"THES48966"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2014GX5039"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"007","id":"THES356677"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"drawings","id":"AAT33973"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x34232"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1922","earliest":"1922-01-01","latest":"1922-12-31"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x34232"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Andrew Melville","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"18.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"13.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"approximate","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Take my paints. / my Palette. / my maul. / but <u>don't</u> / Take my 'chield''","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 ink, top left hand corner "},{"content":"'KIN/'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Artist's signature, bottom left hand corner"},{"content":"'Dear W / What Time will you be at Theatre Thursday yours Kin/'","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 ink, right hand edge"},{"content":"'Walter Melville Esq / Lyceum Theatre / Wellington Street / Strand / London. W.C.'","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 on reverse"},{"content":"","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":" ","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Pen and ink drawing by E.P. Kinsella, sent to Walter Melville at the Lyceum Theatre by the artist, 1922","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.373-2014"],"accessionNumberNum":"373","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2014,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-05","recordCreationDate":"2014-01-23","availableToBook":true}}