Collection Summary
Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at
Austin
Craig, Edward Gordon,
1872-1966
Edward Gordon Craig Art
Collection
1890-1930
118 items
The Edward Gordon Craig Art
Collection consists of numerous wood engravings and proofs of engravings, the bulk
of which were created for the Cranach Press German (1928) and English (1930)
editions of Hamlet. The collection also includes two
portraits by his son, Edward Anthony Craig (pseudonym Edward Carrick). The
collection includes woodcut engravings, lithographs, proofs, bookplates, paintings,
and crayon drawings of images such as portraits and landscapes, some of which are
published.
English
Art Collection AR-00048
Acquisition:
Purchase, 1973-1981
Access:
Open for research. Please note that a minimum of 24 hours notice is required to pull
art materials to the Ransom Center's Reading and Viewing Room. Some materials may be
restricted from viewing. To make an appointment or to reserve art materials, please
contact the Center's staff at art@hrc.utexas.edu.
Biographical Sketch
Edward Gordon Craig was born in Hertfordshire, England on 16 January 1872, the son of
architect Edward William Godwin (1833-1886) and actress Ellen Alice Terry
(1847-1928). He was named Edward Godwin at birth, baptised as Edward Henry Gordon
sixteen years later, and adopted the surname Craig when he was 21. Craig was
introducted to the art of wood engraving in the last years of the 19th century by
artists James Pryde and William Nicholson. Engraving became an enduring passion for
Craig. He worked as an actor and manager in the company of Sir Henry Iriving in the
1890s, but in the new century turned to stage design and direction for numerous
productions in theaters throughout England, and in Berlin, Florence, and Moscow.
Introducing innovations in the use of atmospheric, abstract, and highly dramatic
lighting, colors, and stage effects, Craig's stage direction was revolutionary.
After the turn of the century, Craig mainly resided in Europe. He created his
theater magazine
The Mask in 1908 (the publication
ran until 1929), founded the School for the Art of the Theatre in 1913 in Florence,
and published On the Art of the Theatre in 1911, all
of which disseminated his radically new ideas. While Craig had continued to create
wood engravings throughout his stage designing career, frequently using wood blocks
as figures for stage models, he began concentrating on this art in the 1930s. Craig
also began writing more prolifically during this time, publishing a biography of Sir
Henry Irving and his mother, Ellen Terry. He completed a memoir of his early years,
Index to the Story of My Days, 1872-1907, in
1957. Craig remained a significant figure in the worlds of theater and the arts up
until his death in Vence, France on 29 July 1966, and his ideas in stage and print
design have proved lastingly influential.
Sources:
James Hamilton, ‘Craig, (Edward Henry) Gordon (1872–1966)’,
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004;
online edn, May 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32608, accessed 28 April
2017].
Scope and Contents
The majority of items in the collection are proofs of wood engravings for the Cranach
Press editions of
Hamlet (1928 and 1930). Also
included are proofs of several bookplates for Enid Rose, author of Gordon Craig and the Theatre (1931), and portraits,
including an early woodcut engraving of author Walt Whitman, and dancer Isadora
Duncan.
Photographs of Edward Gordon Craig and his family can be found in the Edward Gordon
Craig Literary File Photography Collection; set designs, models, and woodcuts in the
W. H. Crain Costume and Scenic Design Collection; and works and correspondence in
the Arnold Bennett Collection (MS-0334), Edward Gordon Craig Collection (MS-00960),
J. L. (James Louis) Garvin Papers (MS-1553), Carlton Lake Collection of French
Manuscripts (TXRC06-A21), Donald Wolfit Papers (R12539), Edward Carrick Papers
(FI-005), and the George Bernard Shaw Collection (TXRC99-A3).
Index Terms
People
Carrick, Edward, 1905-1998.
Duncan, Isadora, 1877-1827.
Kessler, Harry, Graf,
1868-1937.
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892.
Document Types
Charcoal drawings.
Lithographs.
Wood engravings.
Item List
Box 377
73.333.1
Typed description of woodcut illustrations of Hamlet for Cranach Press.
1930.
Manuscripts: ink on paper; 27.9 x 22.2 cm.
Box 377
73.333.2
Kessler, Count Harry, 1868-1937. Typed Letter from Count Harry
Kessler to Craig (page 1).
26 July 1927.
Manuscripts: ink on paper; 27.9 x 22.2 cm.
Box 377
73.333.3
Kessler, Count Harry, 1868-1937. Typed letter from Count Harry
Kressler to Craig (page 2).
26 July 1927.
Manuscripts: ink on paper; 27.9 x 22.2 cm.
Box 377
73.333.4
Kessler, Count Harry, 1868-1937. Typed letter from Count Harry
Kessler to Craig (page 3). On verso: pencil sketch for Hamlet by
Craig.
26 July 1927.
Manuscripts: ink and graphite on paper; 27.9 x 22.2
cm.
Box 377
73.333.5
Kessler, Count Harry, 1868-1937 and Edward Gordon Craig,
1872-1966. Typed letter from Count Harry Kessler to Craig, with
autograph notes by Craig on list of illustrations.
5 August 1927.
Manuscripts: ink on paper; 28.6 x 17.8 cm.
Box 377
73.333.6
Kessler, Count Harry, 1868-1937. Hamlet Series List B, list of illustrations with autograph
notes.
Circa 1927.
Manuscripts: ink on paper; 20.3 x 18.9 cm.
Box 377
73.333.7
Kessler, Count Harry, 1868-1937 and Edward Gordon Craig,
1872-1966. Figures/ Blocks list of illustrations, with a small pencil
sketch by Gordon.
20 July 1927.
Manuscripts: ink and graphite on paper.
Box 58
73.333.8
Note reading, "I hope these will do / Greetings,
EGC".
Circa 1927.
Manuscripts: graphite on paper; 15.2 x 21.6 cm.
Box 58
73.333.9
Soldier with shield.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26.4 cm.
Box 377
73.333.10
Seated figure of Hamlet.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33 x 25.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.11
Ophelia.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33 x 26 cm.
Box 377
73.333.12
Ophelia.
Circa 1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.3 x 25.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.13
Guildenstern.
1927.
Proofs: ink, crayon, and graphite 33 x 26.4 cm.
Box 377
73.333.14
Ghost.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.2 x 25.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.15
Doubt.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.16
Actor.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 32.5 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.17
Actor.
1912.
Proofs: wood engraving; 27.9 x 19.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.18
Candle bearer.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.19
Candle bearer.
1912.
Proofs: ink and crayon on paper 20 x 27.8 cm.
Box 58
73.333.20
Candle bearer.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.21
Candle bearer.
1921.
Proofs: wood engraving; 20.2 x 27.9 cm.
Box 58
73.333.22
Candle bearer.
1927.
Proofs: ink, crayon and graphite on paper; 32.7 x 26
cm.
Box 58
73.333.23
Candle bearer.
1912.
Proofs: wood engraving; 19.7 x 27.8 cm.
Box 58
73.333.24
Hamlet and Daemon.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.25
Ghost with bone.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 32.7 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.26
Stage manager.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 32.7 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.27
Courtier.
Circa 1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33 x 26.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.28
Horatio.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 32.4 x 26 cm.
Box 377
73.333.29
Hamlet with skull.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 32.1 x 25.9 cm.
Box 58
73.333.30
Grave diggers.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.31
Hamlet and body of Polonius.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.32
Fencer.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.33
Fencer.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.3 x 26.2 cm.
Box 377
73.333.34
Doubt.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.3 x 26.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.35
Seated soldiers.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.3 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.36
Ghost in flames.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.37
Ophelia sane.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.38
Soldier with shield.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.39
Ophelia mad.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 34 x 26.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.40
Head of Hamlet.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 35.6 x 23.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.41
Actor.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 35.7 x 23.5 cm.
Box 377
73.333.42
Buffon - Osrick.
1927.
Proofs: ink, crayon, and graphite on parchment; 35.2
x 23.8 cm.
Box 377
73.333.43
Title Page - Vignette.
Circa 1910s.
Proofs: ink, crayon, and graphite on parchment; 35.6
x 23.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.44
Actor.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 35.2 x 23.8 cm.
Box 58
73.333.45
Soldier.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 35.4 x 23.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.46
Hamlet and Daemon.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 35.6 x 23.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.47
Grave digger.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 35.4 x 23.5 cm.
Box 58
73.333.48
Buffon.
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 35.4 x 23.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.49
Erster Akt (First Act).
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 34 x 26.7 cm.
Box 58
73.333.50
Zweiter Akt (Second Act).
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.7 x 26 cm.
Box 58
73.333.51
Dritter Akt (Third Act).
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33 x 26.4 cm.
Box 58
73.333.52
Vierter Akt (Fourth Act).
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 33.3 x 26.2 cm.
Box 58
73.333.53
Funfter Akt (Fifth Act).
1927.
Proofs: wood engraving; 32.7 x 31.8 cm.
Box 57
73.361.1
Man with top hat and cane in front of windmill.
1899.
Wood engravings; 18.3 x 12.1 cm.
Box 57
73.361.2
Man crawling outside city.
1899.
Wood engravings; 12.5 x 17.5 cm.
Box 57
73.361.3
Bookplate of John Drew.
1899.
Wood engravings; 8.9 x 7.6 cm.
Box 57
73.361.4
Design for Head-Dress.
Circa 1890s.
Wood engravings; 7.9 x 7.3 cm.
Box 57
73.361.5
Outwardly I was curate, inwardly I was still Caesar.
1899.
Wood engravings; 18.6 x 12.5 cm.
Box 57
73.361.6
A marching crowd with firearms.
1899.
Wood engravings; 17.5 x 12.5 cm.
Box 57
73.361.7.1
Bookplate proof for "G.C.".
1901.
Wood engravings; 4.4 x 7.6 cm.
Box 57
73.361.7.2
Bookplate proof for "Lindsay".
1904.
Wood engravings; 9 x 6.2 cm.
Box 57
73.361.8
A house.
1908.
Wood engravings; 12.9 x 16.5 cm.
Box 57
73.361.9
A beach house.
1908.
Wood engravings; 12.4 x 17.6 cm.
Box 57
73.361.10
Figure running.
1908.
Wood engravings; 8.6 x 6.5 cm.
Box 57
73.361.11
An estate house landscape.
1908.
Wood engravings; 12.7 x 20.3 cm.
Box 57
73.361.12
Desert canyon landscape.
1908.
Wood engravings; 12.4 x 17.6 cm.
Box 57
73.361.13
Building cityscape.
1909.
Wood engravings; 10.8 x 20.3 cm.
Box 57
73.361.14
Bookplate with skeleton.
1910.
Wood engravings; 8.3 x 6.7 cm.
Box 57
73.361.15
Sphinx.
1911.
Wood engravings; 11.9 x 16.8 cm.
Box 57
73.361.16
Bookplate plank 'P' and building.
1912.
Wood engravings; 11.1 x 7.9 cm.
7.308 FF 1B:09
73.616
Craig, Edward Anthony. Enter the Villain.
Circa 1930s-1960s.
Drawings: charcoal on paper; 26 x 23.2 cm.
7.308 FF 1B:09
73.617
Craig, Edward Anthony. Arthur Machen.
Circa 1930s-1960s..
Drawings: charcoal on paper; 26 x 20.3 cm.
Box 57
74.135.1
Elektra.
1908.
Proofs: ink on paper; 39.7 x 26.7 cm.
Box 57
74.135.2
Elektra.
Circa 1908.
Proofs: ink on paper; 24.1 x 35.6 cm.
Box 57
74.135.3
Elektra.
Circa 1908.
Proofs: ink on paper; 24.3 x 35.6 cm.
Box 57
74.135.4
Elektra.
Circa 1908.
Proofs: ink on paper; 35.6 x 24.1 cm.
Box 57
74.135.5
Elektra.
Circa 1908.
Proofs: ink on paper; 35.4 x 24 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1a
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900.
Wood engravings; 7.9 x 6.8 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1b
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 7.3 x 5.6 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1c
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 6 x 4.3 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1d
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 6 x 4.4 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1e
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 6 x 4.4 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1f
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 5.9 x 4.4 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1g
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 6 x 4.4 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1h
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 6 x 4.3 cm.
Box 57
74.136.1j
Book stamp for Enid Rose.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 6.2 x 4.6 cm.
Box 57
74.136.2
Book stamp for Enid Rose mounted on wood.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings;: paper and ink on wood 6 x 4.3 cm.
Box 57
74.136.3
The Pyramid.
1908.
Wood engravings; 13 x 17.5 cm.
Box 57
74.136.4
Lestri Levante.
1925.
Wood engravings; 12.5 x 17.3 cm.
Box 57
74.136.5
The Villa.
1924.
Wood engravings; 17.621 x 12.1 cm.
Box 57
74.136.6
Lestri Levante.
1924.
Wood engravings; 12.7 x 17.3 cm.
Box 57
74.136.7
The Caffe Parkonshy.
1908.
Wood engravings; 17.3 x 12.7 cm.
Box 57
74.136.8
Slight Remembrances- only nothings.
1913.
Wood engravings; 12.2 x 17.5 cm.
Box 57
74.136.9
Small battle scene.
Circa 1910s.
Wood engravings; 22.7 x 14 cm.
Box 57
74.136.10
Battle scene outside fort.
1921.
Wood engravings; 8.9 x 12.1 cm.
Box 57
74.136.11
Hamlet seated figure.
Circa 1910s.
Wood engravings; 10.6 x 13 cm.
Box 57
74.136.12
Hamlet figure in robe.
1912.
Wood engravings; 13.3 x 10
cm.
Box 57
74.136.13
Hamlet figure in toga.
1912.
Wood engravings; 13.5 x 10.5
cm.
Box 57
74.136.14
Hamlet figure in robe.
1912.
Wood engravings; 13.5 x 11.3
cm.
Box 57
74.136.15
Hamlet, robed figure with sword opening door.
1914.
Wood engravings;17.1 x 24.4
cm.
Box 57
74.136.16
Orchestra.
1900.
Wood engravings; 8.4 x 12.7
cm.
Box 57
74.136.17
Walt Whitman.
1893.
Wood engravings; 21.4 x 17.1
cm.
Box 57
74.136.18a
Portrait of a girl.
1928.
Wood engravings; 23.3 x 17.5
cm.
Box 57
74.136.18b
Portrait of a girl.
1928.
Wood engravings; 24.4 x 17.3
cm.
Box 57
74.136.19
The Equestrienne.
1923.
Wood engravings; 25.6 x 18.7
cm.
Box 57
74.136.20
Mountain house.
1926.
Wood engravings; 17 x 24.4
cm.
Box 57
74.136.21
Man in overcoat and hat.
Circa 1900s.
Wood engravings; 28.7 x 17.6
cm.
Box 57
74.136.23
Man with bowl of flowers.
1901.
Wood engravings; 25.1 x 9.4
cm.
Box 57
74.136.24
La Procession Nocturne.
1927.
Wood engravings; 20.5 x 26.4
cm.
Box 57
76.80.1
Man with top hat and cane in front of windmill.
Circa 1900.
Lithographs: reproduction of woodcut; 29.5 x 21
cm.
Box 57
80.74
Miss Isadora Duncan.
Circa 1900s-1910s.
Wood engravings; 59.1 x 45.7
cm.
Box 57
81.19.1
Hamlet, Ophelia Mad.
1912.
Wood engravings: ink on tissue;32.4 x 25.4
cm.
Box 57
81.19.2
Hamlet, seated figure with crossed arms and bowed
head.
Circa 1914.
Wood engravings: ink on tissue; 31.3 x 22.9
cm.
Box 57
81.19.3
Hamlet, figure with staff.
1914.
Wood engravings: ink on tissue; 24.8 x 17.6
cm.
Box 57
81.19.4
Hamlet, grave digger.
Circa 1914.
Wood engravings: ink on tissue; 27.8 x 20.3
cm.
Box 57
81.19.5
Hamlet, figure in bird costume.
1914.
Wood engravings: ink on tissue; 34.9 x 24.8
cm.
Box 57
81.19.6
Hamlet, robed figure with sword opening door.
1914.
Wood engravings: ink on tissue; 17.6 x 24.8
cm.