Celebrity and Fame behind The Nineteenth Century Stage: A spotlight on the life and work of Pamela Colman Smith

Theatre in the nineteenth century underwent a significant transformation socially and artistically. Shakespearean adaptations, new melodramatic performances and extravagant popular theatre productions drew crowds across the country and from all levels of society, propelling the careers of those involved and giving rise to the concept of the celebrity. 

AM’s The Nineteenth Century Stage brings together sources from archives in the UK, USA and Australia which showcase the growth of a distinct celebrity culture that consisted of artists, actors, dancers, performers, playwrights, publishers, theatre managers and designers working in the Victorian theatre industry.

One little-known celebrity featured in the resource, and whose birthday closely coincides with the publication of this resource, is Pamela Colman Smith (16 February 1878 – 18 September 1951), a British artist, illustrator, writer, publisher and occultist. She is best known for being the sole illustrator of the Rider-Waite tarot card deck which remains the most widely used today, but she was also a prominent figure in nineteenth-century theatrical circles. A beautiful selection of her work is available within The Nineteenth Century Stage.

Smith’s characteristic signature, an interlaced P, C and S, predominantly appears in character illustrations and promotional materials for the Lyceum Theatre Company and its members, such as Ellen Terry, Henry Irving and Bram Stoker. After studying at the Pratt Institute of Art and Design and establishing herself within the creative circles of New York, Smith moved to London where she took up work as an illustrator and theatrical designer. She was quickly absorbed into the bohemian elite in London, where she gained the attention of actress Ellen Terry and other prominent members of the Lyceum Company. A card addressed to ‘Uncle Bram’ (Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, the manager of London’s Lyceum Theatre and of actor Henry Irving) illustrated by Smith indicates the close relationship she held with Stoker and the company. Smith began working for the company as an illustrator as well as a costume and stage designer, often travelling with the troupe for their performances outside London. The Nineteenth Century Stage includes a wealth of such illustrations, including a ten-page booklet written by Stoker illustrated with Smith’s hand-coloured prints, as well as her commissioned illustrations for the souvenir programme for the 1899-1900 Lyceum Theatre tour of America.

By the end of the decade, Smith had also entered the Irish theatre scene and occult community of Florence Farr and Annie Horniman, whose individual collections are also included within The Nineteenth Century Stage. Both suffragettes and creatives, their collections showcase the lasting impact this group of women left on nineteenth-century European theatre, literature, and politics. It was within these circles that Smith was introduced to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which Farr and Horniman were both a part. It was also during this period that Smith reinforced the spiritualist aesthetics she had already been developing and attracted the attention of a prolific member of the Order, Arthur Waite. Impressed with her portfolio, he commissioned Smith to illustrate the Rider-Waite tarot cards, the title of which failed to credit her.

Smith continued to publish her illustrated work, illustrating for The Strolling Players and setting up her own literary magazine called the Green Sheaf. A feminist and lesbian, she even made artwork for the suffrage cause, as she was an avid supporter. Although her name is rarely emphasised in public record, The Nineteenth Century Stage provides glimpses of her life and impact through the publication of rare and intimate collections of the Lyceum Theatre Company and from the UC Davis Library.

The Nineteenth Century Stage is out now. The documents quoted in this blog are open-access for 30 days and can be found here:

Ten-page booklet written by Smith and Stoker

Illustrations by Smith

Illustration addressed to “Uncle Bram”

For more information about The Nineteenth Century Stage: Industry, Performance and Celebrity, including free trial access and price enquiries, please email us at info@amdigital.co.uk.