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Inkwell owned by Walter Bentley According to the donor, this inkwell was presented to the actor Walter Bentley from the city of Newcastle, NSW, in 1914. Walter Bentley made his professional stage debut in New Zealand in 1873 before returning to Britain determined to be a successful actor. After becoming one of Britain's leading Shakespearean actors, including three and a half years working with Henry Irving, he founded his own theatre company and starred opposite the famed Italian actress Adelaide Ristori. In 1883 Bentley left Britain for the USA and toured there for three years playing at first Wilfred Denver in the popular drama 'The Silver King,' a character he created in many important US theatres, followed by leading roles in 'Burr Oaks' and then 'Love or Money' which he wrote. The role of Wilfred Denver was one of the great triumphs of his career and was considered the most successful in his repertoire when he toured Australia and New Zealand between 1891 and 1900. In 1891 he played at George Coppin's Theatre Royal in Melbourne as Rob Roy and Hamlet, a role he performed in Sydney in 1893. He appeared as Richelieu in 'The Three Musketeers' at Sydney's Her Majesty's Theatre. Australian audiences at this time also saw him play Matthias in 'The Bells', Hamlet and David Garrick. After a ten-year absence, Bentley returned permanently to Sydney in 1909 to perform again as Hamlet. The 'Sydney Morning Herald' wrote 'Mr. Bentley held the crowded audience, and he must be classed amongst the few Hamlets of the day whom all good judges of acting would make a point of seeing'. Around 1912 a Melbourne publisher produced an edition of 'Hamlet' 'arranged for stage representation from the 1623 folio edition by Walter Bentley'. He played Hamlet again at Sydney's Theatre Royal in 1913, but he was reportedly past his prime. Dr. Sue-Anne Wallace, granddaughter of Walter Bentley is currently researching for a biography of Walter Bentley. She believes it was probably the Scots community in Newcastle who, delighted to have such a world-renowned Scottish actor in their midst, organised to have this Inkwell presentation piece made to honor Bentley's skills and versatility as an actor. (Conversation with Curator Glynis Jones 9/02/2021) Source: collection.maas.museum/object/9448

Thanks for this Vesna Verencevic. The State Library was looking for information to advertise "World Theatre Day" on the 27th March 2022. Your information on this photographs will assist. Keep up the great work ...

While clandestine smoking may have been indulged in by the avant-garde and the fashionable prior to the war, the changes in society during the 1920s brought female smoking into the open, and in the following decades advertising began to target women.5,6 The increasing engagement of women in the paid workforce, particularly with the outbreak of the Second World War, led to greater social and financial freedom for many women, which in turn fuelled higher smoking rates.2,5 By the end of the war, more than one-quarter of Australian women were smokers, along with almost three-quarters of adult males.7 Although the second half of the 1900s brought confirmation that tobacco use is a major cause of death and disease, female smoking continued to increase, peaking at one-third in the mid-1970s, by which time smoking in males had begun to decline.8,9 Source: www.tobaccoinaustralia.org.au/chapter-1-prevalence/1-1-a-...

"Laurel Martyn received an OBE in 1976, and in 1997 the inaugural Australian Dance Award for lifetime achievement. Charismatic dancer, innovative choreographer, influential educator, her contribution to Australian dance cannot be overestimated." Source: www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/farewell-laurel-martyn

Coy!