Bundle of photographs

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 133 FRD1/10/2/36
  • Former Reference
      GB 133 82.
  • Dates of Creation
      [Mid-1930s]-1954
  • Physical Description
      14 pieces.

Scope and Content

Bundle of miscellaneous photographs, originally stored together in an unmarked envelope. They consist of family photographs and stills and publicity shots relating to specific plays and films, as follows:

  • /1-4 Family photographs which appear to date from a similar period, including: Ella Donat at home (/1-2); RD reading a book at home (/3); and Ella playing with one of her children as a baby (/4) [mid 1930s].
  • /5 RD on set with two fellow actors in his role as Mr Hansel in To Dream Again; copyright photograph of The Bulletin (1942).
  • /6-7 Two official film stills from The Young Mr. Pitt, showing parliamentary scenes [1942].
  • /8-9 Two studio publicity photographs of RD with other actors from film Sabotage Agent (The Adventures of Tartu) [1943].
  • /10 Half-length publicity photograph of RD in cord jacket and spotted cravat, used to publicise his season at the Manchester Opera House with Much Ado About Nothing and The Man Behind the Statue (Sep 1946).
  • /11 Stage still of RD as Benedick in the London production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Westminster Theatre; by Alexander Bender of 59 Brook Street, London (Nov 1946).
  • /12-13 Two publicity photographs of RD as Sir Robert Morton in The Winslow Boy [1948].
  • /14 Head and shoulders studio publicity shot of RD as the Rev. William Thorne in Lease of Life (1954).

Arrangement

Some of these photographs are identified as belonging to John [Donat] with captions in his hand on the reverse, so were presumably collected by him, possibly after his father's death and added to RD's own archive.