Poster for The Great World of London at The Standard Theatre, Bishopsgate & Shoreditch, London, Easter Monday, April 3rd, 1899; produced by The Meliville Brothers;
printed by David Allen & Sons;
English (London), April 1899.
Over the summer, I had the great pleasure of meeting Michael Diamond and being shown his wonderful and unique collection of Victorian and Edwardian theatre posters – I come across bright and colourful melodrama spectacles from Sherlock Holmes to the femme fatale, and soon enough, find myself wishing I could go and see these shows that will unfortunately never be seen again.
Michael Diamond retired 18 years ago, having spent most of his working life with the BBC World Service. He is originally from Taunton, Somerset, but has been living in London since 1966. It was about the same time that Michael’s passion for collecting started.
Michael has always had an interest in the arts, culture and visiting museums. In fact, he has been a V&A visitor since his London life began and in more recent years, a V&A Member. For him, the V&A has always been a fascinating place that “slows you down by this amazing stuff”, a place that “wherever you are aiming for, you’re going to be diverted by something that catches your eye”.
For me, it is a real treat to be shown Michael’s collection, which like the V&A, has many treasures that catch my own eye. The posters are bold and intriguing, and make me wonder about the different types of melodrama that were being shown across the country at a time when TV did not exist. For Michael, the posters are eye-catching, dramatic and great fun. He feels the value of the collection rests in what it tells people about an area of theatre history that is as yet unexplored. It is only in recent years that theatre historians and enthusiasts have become interested in the popular culture which these posters reflect. In many cases, they are the only visual record of popular melodramas. These plays were above all written for working class audiences, whose tastes are only now being investigated thoroughly. This is why Michael’s poster collection complements the theatre posters already in the V&A.
Michael has kindly pledged his collection of almost 400 posters for the V&A as a gift in his Will, something which he hopes will be exhibited or used for research one day by at least some of the several million visitors that come through the V&A doors.
Michael has been so generous to the Museum that he is kindly going to give a talk about his collection and why he feels the V&A is the best home for it. He makes an interesting point that for him, “everything is more interesting as part of a collection than on its own” as connections and patterns emerge when a collection is studied. By sharing his collection with the V&A and the public at large, we all have the opportunity of learning more about the fascinating stories Michael has discovered, whilst making a start of his legacy that will go on living forever.
If you would like to attend Michael’s free talk on Tuesday 6 October between 14.30 and 16.00 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, then please contact Susan Hughes, Legacies Manager to reserve your place by emailing: legacy@vam.ac.uk or calling: 020 7942 2716.
