Herbert Sleath - Postcard, 1910
Title
Herbert Sleath - Postcard, 1910
Date
25 April 1910
Description
Promotional postcard of Herbert Sleath, starring in 1910 touring production of The Woman in the Case.
What's the story?
Herbert Sleath starred in The Woman in the Case at the Theatre Royal from 25 to 30 April 1910.
The Woman in the Case is a play by American writer Clyde Fitch, premiering on Broadway in January 1905.
Herbert Sleath was a noted actor/manager for his time. From 1916, he served briefly in the army during World War One, but tragically died in 1921 aged just 50 in Holloway Sanatorium, with the cause of death given as General Paralysis of the Insane, caused by late stage syphilis.
This postcard forms part of a large scrapbook collection donated to the Theatre Royal archive by Diane Meadwell from Sandiacre. Her great grandfather was Bernard Hill, the former landlord of The Sun Inn on Parliament Street and who later became the Stage Door Keeper at the Theatre Royal. Bernard’s daughter Edith also worked at the Theatre Royal as an usherette.
Whilst in his stage door job, Bernard collected a large number of postcards of the numerous artists who performed at the venue, many of which he got them to autograph, as well as writing the date and if necessary the show on the reverse, making the future archivist’s job that little bit easier. We have then been able to cross-reference this information with the list of Theatre Royal shows being compiled by volunteer researcher Lynn Whitley.
We are grateful to Diane for sharing her family memories with us and for donating such a valuable resource to the archive.
The Woman in the Case is a play by American writer Clyde Fitch, premiering on Broadway in January 1905.
Herbert Sleath was a noted actor/manager for his time. From 1916, he served briefly in the army during World War One, but tragically died in 1921 aged just 50 in Holloway Sanatorium, with the cause of death given as General Paralysis of the Insane, caused by late stage syphilis.
This postcard forms part of a large scrapbook collection donated to the Theatre Royal archive by Diane Meadwell from Sandiacre. Her great grandfather was Bernard Hill, the former landlord of The Sun Inn on Parliament Street and who later became the Stage Door Keeper at the Theatre Royal. Bernard’s daughter Edith also worked at the Theatre Royal as an usherette.
Whilst in his stage door job, Bernard collected a large number of postcards of the numerous artists who performed at the venue, many of which he got them to autograph, as well as writing the date and if necessary the show on the reverse, making the future archivist’s job that little bit easier. We have then been able to cross-reference this information with the list of Theatre Royal shows being compiled by volunteer researcher Lynn Whitley.
We are grateful to Diane for sharing her family memories with us and for donating such a valuable resource to the archive.
Type
Postcard
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researchers: David Longford / Lynn Whitley
