{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O85104"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85104/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AH2208/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AH2208/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AH2208","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O85104/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O85104","accessionNumber":"S.393:30-2002","objectType":"Caricature","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This caricature is of the singer Eugene Stratton performing at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 16 October 1905. This was the first time he appeared in Hanley. He received the enormous sum of £250 for the week. A reviewer noted that ‘not every week can patrons of the music hall witness an artiste who draws the salary of a Cabinet Minister’. This 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.\r\n\r\nStratton was born Eugene Augustus Ruhlmann in Buffalo, New York, in 1861. He appeared in the USA and Canada as a black-faced performer. He made his first appearance in Great Britain with Haveley’s Minstrels at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London in 1881, and then in Piccadilly with the Moore and Burgess Minstrels, as a comedian, singer, dancer and principal tambourine man. His first success was as ‘The Whistling Coon’, an act that he bought from the veteran minstrel Sam Raeburn. He made his music hall debut in 1892 at the Royal Holborn with a soft-shoe and song and dance routine. He made his name with songs that included ‘Lily of Laguna’. He was a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats from 1893 and became its King Rat in 1896. He gave his last appearance at the Queen’s Theatre, Poplar in 1914, and died in 1918.","physicalDescription":"Pen, ink and wash caricature on pink paper of Eugene Stratton, his face only, without his characteristic stage make-up, appearing against a background of a trapezium-shaped patch of purple.","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":"Drawings","id":"THES48966"},{"text":"Caricatures & Cartoons","id":"THES48983"},{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2006AH2208"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"003","id":"THES352333"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"caricatures","id":"AAT15634"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"Yes-general","note":"NB The term \"coon\" refers to a demeaning stereotype born out of plantation slavery and applied to African Americans. The term is repeated here in its original historical context."}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Hanley","id":"x32079"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"October 1905","earliest":"1905-10-01","latest":"1905-10-31"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"25","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"16.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Yours truly Eugene Stratton","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":"NB The term \"coon\" refers to a demeaning stereotype born out of plantation slavery and  applied to African Americans. The term is repeated here in its original historical context.\r\n\r\nThis is an image of the music hall performer, minstrel, singer and dancer Eugene Stratton (1861-1918), performing at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 16 October 1905, when a reviewer noted that Stratton had never before appeared in Hanley. Born Eugene Augustus Ruhlmann in Buffalo, New York, he appeared in the States and Canada as a black-faced performer, making his first appearance in England with Haveley's Minstrels at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1881. When they returned to the States, Stratton joined the Moore and Burgess Minstrels in Piccadilly where he worked as a comedian, singer, dancer and principal tambourine man. He made his music hall debut in 1892 at the Royal Holborn with a soft-shoe and song and dance routine and made his name with songs including 'Lily of Laguna'. The caricature comes from the second album of caricatures in a collection of albums owned by the Theatre Museum compiled by the graphic artist George Cooke. It is labelled by the artist 'Geo Cooke HYS BOOKE' and features music hall performers working in the early 20th century.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Caricature of the black-faced singer, dancer and music-hall performer Eugene Stratton, born Eugene Ruhlmann (1861-1918), from an album of caricatures drawn by George Cooke. October 1905.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<i>The Performer</i>,  21 June 1906,  advertisement of engagement."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.393:30-2002"],"accessionNumberNum":"393","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2002,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-29","recordCreationDate":"2003-11-04","availableToBook":true}}