GARRICK CLUB'S HISTORIC GIFTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 178, 14 August 1937, Page 15

GARRICK CLUB'S HISTORIC GIFTS

Its Famous Portrait Gallery

r|"*h0 Garrick Club, which has always enjoyed a special distincfcion for the richness of the gifts and bequests that have been mado to it, has been left by: Mr William Meredith, the younger son of Greorge Meredith, the manuscripts of the "Hardman" Letters written by his father to the late Sir .William Hardman. • EarJier bequests havp inOluded the portrait ?f Mrs Garfiqk, attrihuted to Zolfany, fornierly in .the. cojiection of Sir Henry Irving; David Garriclt'f chair from Drury Lane Theatre* and his silver tankurd and cover ; Sir William Gilbert's writing desk; portraits of Sir John Hare by Sir Jolin . Aliiluis, Sir Charles Wyndham as David Garrick hy John Pettie, R.A-, acd Mr -E. Lyall Swete as the Earl of Warwick in "St. -Joan" ; and1 the bronze bust of Beltona, by Robin, bequeathed by Lt,-Gol. Hugh V. Warrender, Sir Arthur Pinero left the reversion of part of his estate to the Glub. The Club has also a bust of Sir Arthur and Ehere are others of Thacl;eray and Gharles Kemble, Most famous in its own special line of any club in the world is the portrait gallery, formed. originally fay Charles Mathews, .the elder. After the death of Mathews in IS35, and some unsuceessfui ett'orts to deal with the colleotion on the part of his widow, the Club had the qpportunjty of buying it for, a thousand poqnds, A member of the Club and an enthusiastic supporter of the drama, John Rqwiand Diirrant, generously supplied the money. ' Mathews, over a period of many years, spent much time in forming this remarkable collection, whjch consisted of nearly four hundred portraits and : scenes from pl.ays. Fitzgerald, writing

of jt, remayked that "When, indccd, we think of- the Clnb, it is not oi the assemblage of the gay and witty beings who have been its members, but' of the wonderful gallery pf dramatio pictures, each showing the player 'in his habit as he lived' and also in th« hahit in which Jhe displayed his talept ; the face which he wore in common life and that which he donned to give expression ±o hia paxt,w Besides the hundrefis pf indiyidual portraits which cover' the> walls' and take us back frpm the present age to m won'derful past, there are many~ ptarik* ing scenes from plays, such those by Zoffany of Garrick and Mn Prit* ehard in (Macbeth'-? and Garrick and Mrs Gibber in ''Veniee Praaerv©d,'a which are of the highest importance i>! the history of acting. , From time to time notable additiaia have been made to the original oelleb* tion, amongst them being ihe portraifi of gir Henry Irving in morning dres«A by Sir John MilUus; Fhelpa as Cordv* nal Wolsey, by Sir Johnston Fnrbea* Robertson; and Ellon Terry, Mrs Euh dal, and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tref in "The Merry Wives," by tho Bon* John Collier. Sir Sqnire anfi l#dy Bancroft are represented by Bsaible statuettes by Frince Viptor of ^HdheAi4 lohe. These ndditiooi, xmmtwi?® batarcegi two and three hundred, hara come mostly as preseniations frpm mninbif pf the Club. The late KingCeODBh V»». who was Its Patron, presented fiir Frank Lockwood's humorooa pen and mk drawing of Sir Qenry Irving «M«b ing his first pheasant, the bird faSingj on top -of his hat. Thb drawing aras found among some of ihe papera » £ King Edward VH^ > f "l 9