Florence Mary MacArthur (27 October 1893 – 12 January 1972), was an English artist and stage designer who also illustrated a number of books. Her work for the stage (always as Molly MacArthur) was first seen in 1923, after which she worked in the theatre continuously until 1958.

Biography

She was born Florence Mary MacArthur in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

, on 27 October 1893, the second child of the Liberal MP

William MacArthur The Honourable Sir William Macarthur (December 1800 – 29 October 1882) was an Australian botanist and vigneron. He was one of the most active and influential horticulturists in Australia in the mid-to-late 19th century. Among the first vitic ...

and Florence Creemer (née Clarke). She trained at the

Westminster School of Art The Westminster School of Art was an art school in Westminster, London. History The Westminster School of Art was located at 18 Tufton Street, Deans Yard, Westminster, and was part of the old Royal Architectural Museum. H. M. Bateman described ...

and was registered as a student in 1915. She married James Sinclair Standish Anderson on 15 February 1917. Her married name has led to some confusion with children's illustrator Florence Mary Anderson (1889–1945), but MacArthur always used her maiden name for her professional work. MacArthur's skill and sensitivity as an artist raised her book illustration beyond the purely decorative, distilling the essence and atmosphere of the texts it accompanied. Her work, often in the form of woodcuts, appeared in books, including: *

Trevor Blakemore Trevor Ramsey Villiers Blakemore (13 October 1879 – 8 July 1953) was an English poet and author. Early life Born in Chislehurst, Kent, Blakemore was the son of Ramsey Blakemore, a merchant, of St Leonards-on-Sea,"BLAKEMORE, Trevor Ramsey" in J ...

, ''China Clay'' (W. Heffer & Sons, 1922) * Florence Mary MacArthur, ''Tribute'' (Pelican Press, 1925) *

Eleanor Farjeon Eleanor Farjeon (13 February 1881 – 5 June 1965) was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Several of her works had illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also be ...

, ''Come Christmas'' (Collins, 1927) * Helen Simpson, ''Mumbudget'' (Heinemann, 1928) * Ann Driver, ''Music and Movement'' (Oxford University Press, 1936) Her first work for the theatre was seen at the

Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfor ...

in 1923–24 for

J. B. Fagan James Bernard Fagan (18 May 1873 – 17 February 1933) was an Irish-born actor, theatre manager, producer and playwright active in England. After turning from the law to the stage, Fagan began his acting career, including four years from 1895 t ...

, and two years later she designed her first London production at the

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by author, playw ...

, ''The Cradle Song'' (1926). In 1931, after Anmer Hall bought the St. James's Picture Theatre in Westminster, she and fellow designer

Arnold Dunbar Smith Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...

converted it into the

Westminster Theatre The Westminster Theatre was a theatre in London, on Palace Street in Westminster. History The structure on the site was originally built as the Charlotte Chapel in 1766, by William Dodd with money from his wife Mary Perkins. Through Peter Ri ...

. There she worked for Tyrone Guthrie: ''A Pair of Spectacles''; ''The Anatomist''; ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'', and ''The Kingdom of God''. Her later West End credits included: ''

The Green Bay Tree ''The Green Bay Tree'' is a 1933 three-act drama written by Mordaunt Shairp that explores a "half-suggested homosexual relationship" between a man and his protégé or, in the words of one critic "a rich hot-house sybarite" and someone "he ado ...

''; ''Hervey House'' (1935); ''Call It a Day'' (1935); '' Love from a Stranger'' (1937); ''Mary Read''; ''The Black Eye''; ''Bitter Harvest''; '' Bonnet Over the Windmill'' (1937); ''Busman's Honeymoon''; ''Black Limelight''; and ''

Quiet Wedding ''Quiet Wedding'' is a 1941 British romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Margaret Lockwood, Derek Farr and Marjorie Fielding. The screenplay was written by Terence Rattigan and Anatole de Grunwald based on the play ''Qui ...

''. Throughout the 1930s, she designed for

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at his ...

at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

: 1933–34 ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition ...

'' and ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'', 1936–37 ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...

'' and ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' and, 1937–38 ''

Pygmalion Pygmalion or Pigmalion may refer to: Mythology * Pygmalion (mythology), a sculptor who fell in love with his statue Stage * ''Pigmalion'' (opera), a 1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * ''Pygmalion'' (Rousseau), a 1762 melodrama by Jean-Jacques ...

'' and ''The King of Nowhere'' for Esmé Church. In 1937, she had accepted Esmé Church's invitation to design an 18th-century ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' at the

and New Theatres", giving the setting for the most memorable Rosalind of Dame Edith Evans" (Marie Ney), and in 1939 designed ''Viceroy Sarah'' for the Old Vic's Buxton season. The OUDS also saw her work in

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

's production of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' (1932) and ''Twelfth Night'', produced by

Esmé Church Esme Church (10 February 1893 – 31 May 1972) was a British actress and theatre director. In a long career she acted with the Old Vic Company, the Royal Shakespeare Company and on Broadway. She directed plays for the Old Vic, became head of the ...

(1937). Other producers with whom she was associated include

Basil Dean Basil Herbert Dean CBE (27 September 1888 – 22 April 1978) was an English actor, writer, producer and director in the theatre and in cinema. He founded the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, after organising unoff ...

and Irene Hentschel. During the war, Molly MacArthur served as an air-raid warden. She also did her own work and, after it, designed austerity revues for

Laurier Lister George Laurier Lister, OBE (22 April 1907 – 30 September 1986) was an English theatre writer, actor, director and producer, best known for a series of revues presented in London in the late 1940s and 1950s. He was later associated with Laurence ...

. In 1949, she renewed her association with Esmé Church who, in 1944, had accepted the invitation of the Bradford Civic Group to become director of its playhouse in Chapel Street. An important part of Esmé Church's work was founding and nurturing the Northern Children's Theatre, which gave practical training to young actors in the north of England and provided entertainment for children.

Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the natur ...

and

Edward Petherbridge Edward Petherbridge (born 3 August 1936) is an English actor, writer and artist. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in the 1987 BBC television adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' novels, and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's ''Ro ...

were just two of the actors whose careers started there. Molly MacArthur was responsible for the design of virtually all productions during the 12 years of its existence. She died in Oxford on 12 January 1972. Her obituarist in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'' said of her: "She had a remarkable eye for stage pictures, which made a deep impression on the audience and long haunted the memory of those who saw them."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Florence 1893 births 1972 deaths 20th-century British printmakers 20th-century English women artists 20th-century English painters Alumni of the Westminster School of Art Artists from London English children's writers English engravers English illustrators English watercolourists People from Chelsea, London Women watercolorists Women engravers 20th-century engravers