Iconic photos of a changing city, and commentary on our Collections & Exhibitions from the crew at MCNY.org
White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Eva Le Gallienne as the White Queen, Josephine Hutchinson as Alice, and Leona Roberts as the Red Queen in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1932. Museum of the City of New York. 37.350.26.
Sir John Tenniel. The White and Red Queen Sleeping. Illustration for Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. 1865.
Actress, producer, and director Eva Le Gallienne built a reputation for taking classic works of literature and bringing them to life in the theater. In her 1932 production of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this was applied in extraordinary proportions (quite literally). Because Alice was such a beloved childhood staple, Le Gallienne decided upon a visual interpretation that literally translated the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel. The script, written with Florida Freibus, was adapted faithfully from text. The resulting product had a magical effect, as if the engravings had been conjured to life. Alice’s costumes and sets shifted seamlessly together, creating a world where drawings moved across the pages of a book on their own.
White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Josephine Hutchinson as Alice in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1932. Museum of the City of New York. 37.350.31.
Sir John Tenniel. Alice Pushes through the Mirror. Illustration for Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. 1865.
Between 1932-1933 there were 127 performances at Le Galliene’s own Civic Repertory Theatre. It became her most personally cherished piece, and was revived in 1947 and again upon its 50 year anniversary in 1982 with an 84-year old Eva playing The White Queen.
White Studio. [Eva Le Gallienne as the White Queen and Josephine Hutchinson as Alice in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1947. Museum of the City of New York. 37.350.24.
Sir John Tenniel. Alice “a-dressing” the White Queen. Illustration for Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. 1865.
Le Gallienne was a genius at scouting fresh talent for collaborators, and this production was no exception. In 1931 she commissioned fashion illustrator Irene Scharaff as costume and set designer. Irene Scharaff’s brilliance is strikingly apparent in this first effort on the stage (later she would go on to win five Academy Awards as costume designer for such famous productions as Cleopatra, West Side Story, and Funny Girl.) Together Le Galliene and Scharaff engineered a moving background 400 yards long that unwound throughout the production on two giant rolling drums. Moving platforms also operated in the front. Cut-out spaces allowed the actors and marionettes to move in time, weaving in and out of the scenery. The original 1932 production was operated entirely by man-power; the 1982 revival utilized machines.
White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Josephine Hutchinson as Alice, Burgess Meredith as Tweedledee, and Landon Herrick as Tweedledum in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1932. Museum of the City of New York. 37.350.27.
White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Marionette operators for the Walrus and Carpenter characters in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1947. Museum of the City of New York. 37.350.16.
White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Marionettes for the Walrus and Carpenter characters in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1932-1947. Museum of the City of New York. 37.350.17.
White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Howard Da Silva as the White Knight and Josephine Hutchinson as Alice in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1932. Museum of the City of New York. 37.350.25.
Martha Swope. [Kate Burton as Alice with the pig in “Alice in Wonderland”.]. 1982. Museum of the City of New York. 86.43.11.
These theater photographs were digitized with the generous support of the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Visit the Museum’s online Collections Portal to see more.
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