{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O85085"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85085/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AE9142/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AE9142/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AE9142","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AH2139","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O85085/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O85085","accessionNumber":"S.392:52-2002","objectType":"Caricature","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This caricature is of Nellie Wallace when she was performing at Collins’ Hippodrome, Stoke-on-Trent, during the week of 30 May 1904. She topped the bill as ‘the Great Low Comedienne’. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke when he was based at the Grand Theatre. He compiled them in a series of albums. Wallace’s act at Stoke comprised comic patter and the three songs ‘Down by the River Side’, ‘I was Born on a Friday’ and ‘Three Times a Day’. A reviewer noted her ‘grotesque get-up’, which started the audience laughing the moment she appeared on stage, her cleverness, vivacity and facial expressions.\r\n\r\nBorn in Glasgow in 1870, Nellie Wallace first appeared on stage as a clog dancer in Birmingham, and as a dancer in pantomime. She made her first London appearance in 1903. By 1910 she was billed at the London Palladium as ‘The Essence of Eccentricity’ with her ‘trademark’ frustrated spinster character who wore elastic-sided boots and a hat with a feather. She was one of the few successful female pantomime Dames, replacing George Robey as Dame Trot in <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i> at the London Hippodrome in 1922. She died in 1948.","physicalDescription":"Pen, ink and wash caricature on pink paper of Nellie Wallace carrying a can in her left hand and wearing a tan and black checked dress, a blue jacket and a black hat decorated with a sprig of berries. With an inscription dated 4 June 1906.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Cooke, George","id":"A10376"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Pen and ink","id":"x30618"},{"text":"Watercolour","id":"x33202"}],"techniques":[{"text":"Drawn","id":"x30545"},{"text":"Painted","id":"x30138"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Pen and ink and wash on paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Drawings","id":"THES48966"},{"text":"Caricatures & Cartoons","id":"THES48983"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2006AE9142","2006AH2139"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"003","id":"THES352333"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"drawings","id":"AAT33973"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Hanley","id":"x32079"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"4 June 1904","earliest":"1904-06-04","latest":"1904-06-04"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"15.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"12.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Cut from another piece of pink paper and pasted into the album near the end.","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Truly Yours Nellie Wallace 4/6/'04","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"Pen and ink","method":"Hand written","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Signature","note":"Signature; Hand written; Pen and ink"}],"objectHistory":"This caricature is of the music hall comedienne Nellie Wallace (1870-1948) topping the bill at Collins' Hippodrome, Stoke-on-Trent, during the week of 30 May 1904.  \r\n\r\nNellie Wallace made her name as a frustrated spinster character, complete with elastic-sided boots and a hat with a feather. Born in Glasgow, she made her first stage appearance in Birmingham as a clog dancer and worked as a dancer and in pantomime in the provinces before making her first London variety appearance in 1903. By December 1910 she appeared on the bill that opened the London Palladium as 'The Essence of Eccentricity', with a wide range of songs and a comical voice.  She was one of the few successful female pantomime Dames, replacing George Robey as Dame Trot in 'Jack and the Beanstalk' at The London Hippodrome in 1922. During the War she toured with ENSA. The caricature comes from the first of several albums compiled by the graphic artist George Cooke, featuring performers working in music hall in the early 20th century. The album is dated 1903-4-5.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Caricature of the Edwardian music hall performer the comedienne Nellie Wallace (1870-1948), from an album of caricatures drawn by George Cooke. Dated 4 June 1904.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Staffordshire Sentinel  31 May 1904"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.392:52-2002"],"accessionNumberNum":"392","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2002,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-09","recordCreationDate":"2003-11-03","availableToBook":true}}