Mr Merlin Morgan – Western Mail – Monday 10th November 1924
LATE MR. MERLIN MORGAN.
LONDON TRIBUTE TO AN ABERDARE MUSICIAN.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, Sunday.
It was appropriate that London Welshmen should have taken part in the matinee at the London Palladium this afternoon in memory of the late Mr. Merlin Morgan, the gifted Welsh conductor, who died recently.
A native of Aberdare, Mr. Merlin Morgan was a well-known figure in London Welsh circles long before he made a name for himself in the West End theatrical world. He was musical director at Daly’s and the Gaiety theatres. He devoted much attention to the development of Welsh choral music in London. He was, in fact the founder of the London Welsh Male Choir, and this body, under the Conductorship of’ Mr. Llewelyn Bevan, took part in to-day’s matinee. They sang one or two Welsh airs, and were warmly applauded for their contribution to what proved an interesting programme of music. The promoters of the matinee had arranged a programme by singers and others intimately associated with Mr. Morgan, and among the contributors were Ivor Foster, Lilian Davies, Blanche Tomlin, Ivor Novello, Robert Michaelis, Jose Collins, Gabrielle Ray, Harry Dearth, Joyce Carey, and Thorpe Bates. Altogether the matinee, with such a galaxy of talent hosted by the Daly’s theatre orchestra proved a decided success.
Western Mail – Monday 10th November 1924
The Orchid – The Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser – Saturday 31st December 1904
“THE ORCHID”
This successful musical play, with which the new Gaiety was opened, is now in its second year, and the second edition which Mr Edwardes has now got in full swing can hardly fail to secure for it a pleasant prolongation of popularity. Among the new numbers mention should be made of an exceedingly pretty song, “On a Summer Afternoon,” given with refreshing piquancy by Miss Gertie Millar; of a charming fishing ballad, “Blanche Marie,” to which every justice is done by Miss Marie Studhohme, and of a capital song “La Promenade Anglaise,” of which not the least attractive feature is the dance which follows and which is executed with the most gracious nonchalance by Miss Gabrielle Ray. A “motor” scene, which eventually resolves itself into a “bathing” medley is a most popular new number, while cheers nightly greet a characteristically Irish ballad, “Kate O’Malley,” allotted to Mr Lionel Mackinder, and winding up with a brisk jig, wherein Miss Olive May greatly distinguishes herself. Special praise must also be accorded to the extremely dainty song, “Sweep,” which now takes the place of the “Pierrot” number in the last scene. In this Miss Gertie Millar wins for herself the unqualified favour of everyone by her amazingly graceful and fascinating method. Mr Edmund Payne, Mr Charles Brown, Mr Harry Grattan, Mr Robert Nainby, Mr James Sullivan, Miss G. Rowlands and Miss Connie Ediss, it is almost needless to add, continue to work with untiring energy for the of the piece, and deservedly meet with enthusiastic receptions nightly.
The Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser – Saturday 31st December 1904
Flying Colours – The Irish Independent – Monday 18th September 1916
NEW REVUE.
The latest of the long succession revues, which are so popular with the London public, is “Flying Colours,” by A. da Courville and Wal Pink, with music by W. F. Peters. It was produced with a fair amount of success at the Hippodrome on Saturday night. The piece differs from most Hippodrome revues in being less noisy and less glaring, and the performers make comparatively little use of the auditorium. But while the artistes are mostly entertaining there is hardly a scene or song which is particularly humorous or clever in itself. The lady principals, including Miss Gabrielle Ray and Miss Dorothy Waring are only sparsely employed. The chief comedian is Little Tich, who appears in all sorts of guises – a bull-fighter, a Spanish lady, a jockey, a music-seller, and what not, and is his droll self in them all. A notable episode is Capt. Bairnsfather’s trench scene, reproducing exactly the spirit and detail of his famous drawings of scenes at the front.
Irish Independent – Monday 18th September 1916
About
One of my main interests is a love of old pictures and postcards that give us a brief glimpse into a past and often forgotten age.
Collecting old postcard and pictures enables the viewer to glimpse a brief moment from that individual’s life; often far removed from their own either by the passage of time or social class. Social History, often described as “history from below” shows everyday people, their social structure and the interaction of different groups; like the wealthy and politicians these people helped shape and maintain society and so shape history.
Examining the images one can’t help but wonder how the individuals lived, were their lives hard compared with today and were they happy. Often the images come with little or no information that can answer these questions, one can only imagine.
With each image saved and seen by others, so that moment, that person is kept alive, our understanding is increased and so our lives are enriched.
A picture is often more descriptive than words can ever be, but how true is this, if a picture enables us to gain entry to another time, another world, will, like the view from a different window, even in the same house provide a different image?
These images allow a glimpse into another time, another era; but what preceded or followed this image? As the individuals were positioned and posed like an artist’s model is what we see truly reflective or like the slightly softened image of an aging beauty a less that truthful representation?
I am reminded of a documentary I watched several years ago regarding the returning troops from the front during the First World War. The camera images show a broken, demoralised sea of humanity, young men who having seen images that most of us hope never to witness had lost that sparkle; that zest which only youth has. But bring on the news camera and that battered returning group came to life, the smiles returned and even though muddied and bloodied their heads and bodies became erect, their arms swung in time and they demonstrated a swagger that spoke of courage, defiance and determination; an image that gave hope to the viewer.
It seems to me that even in the early days of photography all was not what it appeared and now in the advancing digital age a picture may paint a thousand words but will it be factual or fiction?
My interests And collections vary from Maids, Nuns, religious dress and the more risqué images of the French Maid. Often when searching for a particular subject the boundaries cross and as well as true Maids we find Edwardian actresses dressed as Nuns or Maids. During one of my searches I came across Gabrielle Ray dressed as a Maid, “Susan” in Lady Madcap and was instantly captivated by her.
Collecting the individual cards isn’t enough; I like to know more about the individual, which is easier when that person is an actress, although often the information is scarce
Searching for information about Miss Ray I discovered that she was one of the most photographed women of the Edwardian era and described in “Temps” as the most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom; but sadly her success, if measured by being visibly working or in the public eye was short-lived. She struggled with depression and alcohol abuse, and her health declined. In 1936, she suffered a complete mental breakdown and was institutionalized for nearly forty years; dying in 1973 at Holloway Sanatorium at the age of 90.
There are several other sites and blogs dedicated to the memory of Miss Ray and my intention is to share my small but growing collection of pictures and postcards with anyone who shares my interest. Reading about Miss Ray I was saddened that this lady, like many others before and since, after a brief moment in the sun they are soon forgotten. Hopefully as people view and enjoy this blog her memory will remain alive for a little longer.
I have started to write a short Biography about Miss Ray which I will try to update as frequently as possible. The Index page will show any updates under the Biography catagory.
I have also tried to link the various postcards and pictures to the plays in which Miss Ray appeared, however I realise, after several errors that this isn’t an easy task as many are decorative studio poses rather than production images. The individual Rotary, Philco and other publishers numbers are included with any description which should make searching for a particular card or ones from the same set easier. If I have made any glaring errors please feel free to let me know.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy my collection as much as I do.
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