Silver mementos given by two stars of the stage to Cecil King, stage manager at His Majesty’s Theatre, London, are to be included in the Antiques & Interiors Sale on 9th September having been passed down through King’s family.
The first is an Edward VII Silver Double Cigarette Case, made by Cohen and Charles of London in 1904 and engraved ‘Presented to Cecil King, Esq’re as a Token of Sincere Appreciation from Madame Sarah Bernhardt His Majesty’s Theatre June 1904’ (estimate: £150-250 plus buyer’s premium). Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) was the leading French stage actress of the late 19th and early 20th century, and one of the first prominent actresses to make sound recordings and act in motion pictures. Born in Paris the illegitimate daughter of a courtesan to the upper classes, Bernhardt would develop a cult-like following. Still a well-remembered name today, she was famed for her dramatic death scenes and for occasionally sleeping in a coffin.
Also on offer is a lot offered with an estimate of £200-300 comprising an Edward VII Silver Salver by Thomas Bradbury & Sons, London 1905, inscribed ‘From Ellen Terry to Cecil King 1906’, an Edward VII Silver Cigarette Box by Sampson Mordan and Co., London, 1904, inscribed ‘To Cecil King From 12 Pals Berlin 1907’, and a signed copy of Terry’s autobiography. Dame Alice Ellen Terry (1847-1928) was born into a family of actors. Her career began in childhood, performing Shakespeare in London. After a brief hiatus during an ill-fated marriage at 16 to the much older artist George Frederick Watts, Terry became the leading British actress of the era.
