The Woman in White

Frederick Walker|William Harcourt Hooper

1871 · Wood engraving; proof · Drawings and Prints

Walker designed this poster for Wilkie Collins's "The Woman in White," staged at the Olympic Theatre, London in 1871-2. Collins adapted the script from his enormously successful mystery novel published in 1859, and Walker was a friend. Considered the first theatrical poster by a well-known artist, the image represents the actress Anne Catherick swathed in a white cloak, flinging open a church door to step out into a graveyard at night.

Artist

Frederick Walker|William Harcourt Hooper

Date

1871

Medium

Wood engraving; proof

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928