Ellen Terry: preserving the relics and creating the brand

Abstract

The collection of more than 20,000 papers belonging to Ellen Terry and Edith Craig at Smallhythe Place, Tenterden, Kent comprise one of the UK’s most significant theatre archives. This essay outlines the history of the archive, the active collection of ‘Ellen Terry’s relics’ by her daughter after Ellen Terry’s death and Ellen Terry’s own selection of material for preservation during her lifetime. Some examples of Ellen Terry’s marginalia are examined as evidence of her conscious decision to record her opinions for posterity. Ellen Terry cultivated her own image in the press, responded imaginatively to her fans and, indeed, created the Ellen Terry brand at a time in her life when she was in financial difficulty. This essay provides new insights into the details of Ellen Terry’s financial demise as they have become apparent from the newly catalogued archive.

Citation

(2011). Ellen Terry: preserving the relics and creating the brand. In Ellen Terry: spheres of influence (133 - 148). Pickering and Chatto

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2011
• Pages: 133 - 148
• Series Number: 1
• Book Title: Ellen Terry: spheres of influence
• ISBN: 978-1-84893-112-1
• Keywords: Ellen Terry,influence,reputation,reception,theatre history,archive
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/405751
• Contract Date: Jan 1, 2011