Interior, showing a box and the stage, of the Old Grand Theatre, now the Gaumont Hippodrome, Colchester
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Interior, showing a box and the stage, of the Old Grand Theatre, now the Gaumont Hippodrome, Colchester is a 1940 watercolor by Walter Bayes, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor shows the inside of a theater built in 1905. Walter Bayes painted it around 1940. He used soft colors to catch the bright stage lights and shiny gold details. The theater’s shell-and-pearl decorations show off local pride—Colchester is famous for oysters. It’s the second view he made of this exact spot. The pale tones make the pink and white walls look almost glowing. Check out more work by the artist Walter Bayes.
A watercolour by Walter Bayes depicts the interior of the Old Grand Theatre in Colchester, painted in 1940. The scene features a performer on stage receiving applause, with three spectators seated in a box to the right. Above the stage, an elaborate decoration shaped like an oyster shell and pearl is prominently displayed, reflecting local associations with Colchester’s oyster industry. The theatre, originally opened in 1905 as the Grand Palace of Varieties, had by this time largely ceased live performances before later conversions into a cinema, bingo hall, and nightclub.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Walter John Bayes was an English painter and illustrator who was a founder member of both the Camden Town Group and the London Group and also a renowned art teacher and critic.
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