Richard 2^nd, Act 2, Scene 1; Mr Walter Lacy as Gaunt

Photograph of actor Walter Lacy as John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, in the costume he wore in Act 2 scene 1 of King Richard II, as performed at the Princess's Theatre, Oxford Street. The scene probably captures Gaunt's 'sceptred isle' speech and sees Lacy sitting up in a bed covered with the Plantagenet colours, in an apparent state of distress. An actor stands in the background whilst another stands on the left side.

This photograph documents Charles Kean's production of Richard II, with Kean in the title role. The production was shown at Princess's Theatre, London, where Kean presented many adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. The plays were distinguished for their elaborate scenery and attention to detail that included historically authentic costumes and music. Queen Victoria saw Kean's production of Richard II five times (Royal Archives reference VIC/MAIN/Z/115). A hand coloured set of photographs of this production by the photographer Laroche were presented to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert for Christmas 1857.