'The Importance of Being Earnest': Set design

The first productions

In the 1890s, set design was often sumptuous in the older and larger London theatres. Covent Garden had become the home of grand opera, Drury Lane was famous for its spectacular melodramas, designed and executed by Bruce ‘Sensation’ Smith, and Henry Irving’s Lyceum was producing lavish Shakespearean productions.

At the St James’s Theatre, the society comedies reflected the world of the audiences watching them. Audiences could see fashionable sets of drawing rooms, dinner parties and country house weekends all stuffed with late Victorian furniture, plants, pictures, and carpets. Set design in the 1895 production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' would have reflected this style.

The stage directions in the play are particular to the kind of furniture which was required for the production. Wilde describes the first scene as being set in the morning room in Algernon’s flat in Half Moon Street. The set would have comprised wooden flats which were wallpapered blue with exquisitely placed furniture provided by Frank Giles & Co.

The outdoor scenery for Act ll was painted by HP Hall and Walter Hann onto wooden flats, including sky and clouds to depict a sunny day in July.

Later productions

The 1930 Lyric Hammersmith production had a distinctly Aubrey Beardsley-influenced design. Beardsley, a contemporary of Wilde’s, was one of the most gifted illustrators of the late Victorian period; his stylised black and white illustrations popularised the Art Nouveau style. Click on the images below to see a selection of pictures showing designs from this, and other productions.

Act I of The Importance of Being Earnest. V&A Theatre Collections

Act I of The Importance of Being Earnest
Photographer Unknown
London
Photograph
1930
V&A Theatre Collections

Scene from Act II of the 1930 production of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, directed by Nigel Playfair.  The actors are (from left) Anthony Ireland as Algernon Moncrieff, Mabel Terry-Lewis as Gwendolen Fairfax, John Gielgud as John Worthing and Iris Baker as Lady Bracknell.

Act II at the Lyric, Hammersmith

Act II of The Importance of Being Earnest
Photographer Unknown
London
Photograph
1930
V&A Theatre Collections

Scene from Act II of the 1930 production of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, directed by Nigel Playfair.  The actors are (from left)  John Gielgud as John Worthing, Mabel Terry-Lewis as Gwendolen Fairfax, Heather Angel as Cecily Cardew and Anthony Ireland as Algernon Moncrieff.

Act III of The Importance of Being Earnest. V&A Theatre Collections

Act III of The Importance of Being Earnest
Photographer Unknown
London
Photograph
1930
V&A Theatre Collections

Scene from Act III of the 1930 production of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, directed by Nigel Playfair. The actors are (from left)  Charles Staite as Canon Chausable, Jean Cadell as Miss Prism, Iris Baker as Lady Bracknell, Mabel Terry-Lewis as Gwendolen Fairfax, John Gielgud as John Worthing, Anthony Ireland as Algernon Moncrieff and Heather Angel as Cecily Cardew

Act III of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. V&A Theatre Collections

Act III of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
Photographer unknown
Northampton, England
About 1960
Photograph
V&A Theatre Collections

Scene from Act III of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest', as produced by Northampton Repertory Theatre Company in the 1960s.

Scene from 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. V&A Theatre Collections

Scene from 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
Photographer unknown
Northampton
Circa 1960s
Photograph
V&A Theatre Collections

A scene from Act II of the Northampton Rep production in the 1960's, featuring (from left) Elspeth NcNaughton as Lady Bracknell, Michael Harbourn as John Worthing and Maria Aitken as Gwendolen Fairfax.

Theatre set for 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. V&A Theatre Collections

Theatre set for 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
Photographer unknown
England
1939
Photograph
V&A Theatre Collections

Photograph of the set from the 1939 production of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the Globe Theatre, London, directed by John Gielgud.