{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1468095"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1468095/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020MT8571/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020MT8571/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2020MT8571","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1468095","accessionNumber":"S.593-2018","objectType":"Medal","titles":[{"title":"British Prisoners of War Fund Medal, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven ","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"British Prisoners of War Fund Medal, World War II, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven.\r\n\r\nFrom an early age Gabrielle Enthoven, née Romaine (1868-1950), was fascinated by the theatre. After her marriage in 1893 she began to collect press cuttings and playbills and, following the death of her husband in 1910, she became involved with the Pioneer Players, a feminist theatre company for which she wrote plays. As her collection of  theatrical material grew, Mrs Enthoven became aware that no archive or museum was documenting the British theatre as she was doing. In 1911 she wrote to the <i>Observer</i> newspaper, beginning a campaign for the establishment of a national collection for the performing arts within an existing museum.  Though she received support in the press, an attempt by the London Museum to establish a permanent exhibition of theatre was unsuccessful. Mrs Enthoven, however, continued her campaign and, after several attempts, in 1924 she persuaded the V&amp;A to take her vast collection, which by this time was outgrowing her home. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was housed in the Prints and Drawings department and Mrs Enthoven continued to work on the collection in a voluntary capacity and provided funding for staff and for new acquisitions. The Gabrielle Enthoven Collection was one of the founding collections of the V&amp;A's Theatre Museum (1974-2007) and the collection's playbills, cuttings, photographs, prints, designs and memorabilia are now held in the V&amp;A Theatre and Performance department.\n\nDuring the First World War, Gabrielle Enthoven volunteered for war work and from August 1914 until December 1915 she was chief of records for the War Refugees Committee, a voluntary body which organised the reception of refugees fleeing mainland Europe. At the end of 1915 she joined the Red Cross, becoming chief of the records department for its Central Prisoners of War and Missing Persons Committee. Because of ill health, she left the Red Cross in August 1920. \n\nThe British Prisoners of War Fund Medal was part of Mrs Enthoven's personal collection. The Fund, established during World War II, was a voluntary organisation which sent books and games to prisoners of war held in Germany and Italy.\n\n ","physicalDescription":"British Prisoners of War Fund Medal, enamelled metal, with, centre, five-petalled pale blue flower with gold metallic centre and a gold dot in each petal, around which is a dark blue garter with, in gold, the inscription 'FOR ALL PRISONERS & CAPTIVES'. Blank on reverse. On a blue grosgrain ribbon with a gilt metal band and a pin.\n\n\n\n ","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"unknown","id":"AUTH317916"},"association":{"text":"makers","id":"AAT251917"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"metal","id":"AAT10900"},{"text":"enamel","id":"AAT14910"},{"text":"cotton (textile)","id":"AAT14067"}],"techniques":[{"text":"enamelling","id":"x37485"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Enamelled metal with cotton ribbon","categories":[{"text":"Medallions","id":"THES49034"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2020MT8571"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES356784"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"medals","id":"AAT46025"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"early 1940s","earliest":"1940-01-01","latest":"1945-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Gabrielle Enthoven Collection","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"2.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"vertical measurement","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"2.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"horizontal measurement","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"British Prisoners of War Fund Medal, World War II, belonging to Mrs Gabrielle Enthoven.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.593-2018"],"accessionNumberNum":"593","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2018,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-23","recordCreationDate":"2018-12-18","availableToBook":true}}