Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

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lost in retrospect by contrast v/ith its more vigorous antecod
nts and cuocecsors. 7
Against this ue^tive view of the eighteen-ei iitiea cm be
set a number of ar;uncnta. In the theatre, a much-acclaimed
rapprochinent between the rrtiftic establishment and the
commercial manaconents *;e.ve the rtist a footing which was
to the advantage of a later ane- ...ore r dical generation.
Irving may hrve acquired his : rtistic L.en^e from Ellen Terryv;ho
claims as much in her autobiography - or dili cntly
picked the brains of :iis advi. ore, but he set a rjtand.-rd. which
the otiier London nana^ers v;ere obliged to enul^te if they
v.ished to fill their houses , j.'o do this they re- lireu the
services of deui. nors like Godwin and ingfield, and ac vicu .1
effect nomine ted tlio business of the eta; c, r.;o tu se "experts"
had to be £iven authority over matters formerly entrusted to
th--t elu.. ive being, the stc.^e-,1 nri^cr. The "omcrts" boerja
to dea net powers now associated \ dth the [unction of a
director. Jone ja;makers, like Darrett,established a working
compromise \/it.- t ? -oir .clvir ore; so e, like Tree, followed
Irvinc in a. su:diif a v;ell-ij. ; rorraed dco-jotism; some, like the
hapless John Cole .11, r:ou f ;rb to keep t.ie old absolute ian? crial
r'Jile, and suffered accordingly, .ion tv/o younr A;iorican
researc-icrs, Kenneth " c r'owan and Robert lidnond Jo. es, reported
on a t )ur of tiie Gontiiioutra t'loiitres in 1922, they .\cvoted
a chcrou.r to "The ^-rti^t ?:u: Vdroctor", and foimcl tlv. t they
eoulu not ui.efui-ly di.:tinguiUi betvve .n the • rtc r>lf yed in
the str-ein.:; of R rroo.uction by o.ic director and the urtict.
On the Continent, the -^icciGuce of a ;,t,.te ondo'.vod th'.-.Mtrecyctera,
, itii it;;. :ieir; rcliios of -•-roduction-v.orkurG :md the
•iou-'aanapjri 1 artistic dorainruce do.ii;.inded by • .ci'ior, acco..jpliched
the tt sk of introducing the; "third person". In London
the requii-cnentE of £,n inf -»i-:ied public !• t tie ! rtist into
t;io playhouse,
die fortunes of Jli-. l:ocpo. r-. .t t >e hones o_ the Lone on
nan: ^.vacate ,;ii-_-ht i>U5t est that the •! .yv.ri: iit w s i.,ho.n the
exit -.-hen the artist v.-as . olconocl to the roh< -\r -'1. One ai^n
that thij w.s not necessarily the c.' t-o nd ; lit be seen iu