1912
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Photograph of a Gordon Craig set model is a 1912 photographic by Edward Gordon Craig, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is a 1912 photograph by Edward Gordon Craig. It shows a set model, not a finished stage. Craig worked in simple, bold shapes to focus attention on the play, not fancy scenery. He disliked realistic backdrops. His designs used tall vertical forms meant to frame the actors, not trick the eye. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more Craig designs.
A photograph documents Edward Gordon Craig’s 1909 set model for Act III, scene iv of Hamlet, created for the Moscow Art Theatre’s 1912 production. The model features tall vertical screens arranged to resemble pillars, with a framed box placed to the left containing an opening at the front and right side, and a cut-out figure visible at the rear. The design reflects Craig’s rejection of realistic scenery in favor of simplified, non-illusory structures meant to emphasize the play’s essence. The photograph, part of Craig’s personal archive, was later acquired by Jason Buzas from Craig’s family.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Edward Henry Gordon Craig, was an English modernist theatre practitioner; Part of the Terry family and son of the actress Ellen Terry, he worked as an actor in his youth before becoming a director and scenic designer,…
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