Jean Forbes-Robertson played Peter Pan from 1927 to 1935 (reprising the role one last time in 1939). She had that elfin quality that made her one of the most popular Peter Pan ever and was the inspiration for E H Shepard's design of his Peter Pan silhouette for the Peter Pan League in 1929. She came from a family of artists and actors: her father was the actor Johnston Forbes-Robertson, her mother the actress Gertrude Elliott, her aunt the American actress Maxine Elliott, her uncle the actor Norman Forbes-Robertson. Her daughter, the actress Joanna Van Gyseghem, has kindly shared with this site previously unseen photos of her mother in her role of Peter Pan, which you can see here https://jmbarrie.co.uk/search?q=Jean+Forbes-Robertson&category=.

I have added to the database an article published in Strand Magazine in January 1913 of Pauline Chase's reminiscences of playing Peter Pan between 1907-1913.
https://jmbarrie.co.uk/photos/pauline-chases-reminiscences-of-peter-pan-strand-magazine-1913

This is a tiny edition (12x14 cm) of the story of Peter Pan for little children, charmingly illustrated by Kathleen Atkins, published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1930. It is of course very much abridged, but retains its essence and magic. The complete book has been uploaded on the database - search for Kathleen Atkins.

I have now uploaded the illustrations from one of my favourite editions of Peter Pan: published in 1931 by Hodder & Stoughton, and illustrated by Gwynedd M. Hudson (ca. 1882-1935). The first edition had a dustjacket and red-orange cloth cover, and was later reprinted with a blue cloth cover for a cheaper, special Boots the Chemists edition (a circulating library run by the chain of pharmacies).

Gwynedd M. Hudson studied art at the Brighton School of Art. She was a figure painter, illustrator, and poster artist. Among other works, she also illustrated a lavish edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Her version of Peter Pan & Wendy is also lavish in an Art Deco style. The layout, typesetting and lettering are exquisite. Apart from the full page illustrations, she also hand-lettered the chapter titles and captions. The book is decorated with stunning chapter headings as well as endings, and a series of running vignettes depicting the procession of the lost boys pursued by the pirates and Hook, themselves pursued by the Indians, followed by various beasts and (of course) the crocodile.

Like F D Bedford, her inspiration came from the novel, not the stage production and Peter Pan is represented wearing a costume made of leaves, not the elaborate costume seen in Alice Woodward's or Flora White's illustrations.

I have uploaded all the illustrations by Alice B Woodward from the Peter Pan Picture Book onto the database. She was a prominent English illustrator at the turn of the 20th Century, famous not only for her works of children literature (apart from Peter Pan, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Black Beauty and many others) but also her scientific illustrations. She died in 1951.

The text of the Peter Pan Picture Book was written by Daniel O'Connor, and is the same as the Peter Pan Keepsake. It Is significantly different from Barrie's own play and novel, as it is adapted from the original productions of the stage play, prior to Barrie's changes and additions. It was originally published by George Bell & Sons in 1907, with Barrie's permission.

The illustrations give an idea of the colours of the original costumes, notably Peter Pan's red outfit, before it became the green costume commonly associated nowadays with the character.

For anyone interested, I have uploaded some photos of the Pet Cemetery in Hyde Park (adjacent to Kensington Gardens), which is mentioned in THe Little White Bird as the "Dog's Cemetery" , which the narrator (Barrie) avoids because of Porthos, his St Bernard.

You can see some of the graves from Bayswater Road but it's not open to passing public, as it's part of Victoria Lodge. If you want to visit it properly, you have to arrange an appointment with the Park Rangers (who will expect a donation for the tour).

For those of you interested, here is the full text of the poem by Geoffrey Anketell Studdert-Kennedy, Roses in December, quoted in JMB's St Andrew's address Courage (and often misattributed to Barrie).


God gave His children memory
That in life's garden there might be
June roses in December.
But sin the Father's goodness scorns,
And weaves of them a crown of thorns,
That wounds when they remember.
Sharp, stabbing points of vain regret
Around my soul forever set,
Turn June into December.
Ah, Christ, Who wore my crown of thorns,
Have mercy on the heart that mourns,
Forgive, when I remember.

For more information on its author, see his Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Studdert_Kennedy
 

I have uploaded photos I took a few years ago of Leinster Corner, inside and out, with the then current owners' permission.

JMB and Mary Ansell moved to Leinster Corner, a now Grade II listed Regency semi-detached villa, in 1905 and lived there until their divorce in 1909. Mary Ansell had the walls of the rooms downstairs knocked down to create a large sitting room area, and installed a glass veranda overlooking the garden. The Art Nouveau fireplace came from Glasgow.

In the 1920s, the house was bought by Kathleen Bruce, widow of Captain Scott, and her second husband Edward Hilton Young (later Baron Kennet) and their descendants lived there until 2015, when it was sold after Lady Young's (Kathleen Young's daughter-in-law) death.  Peter Scott, the renowned ornithologist and conservationist, was brought up here. The house has since been refurbished and altered by the new owners.

Since the Young family no longer live there, I am able to share these photographs.