Henry Irving in 'The Bells'

Henry Irving (1823-1904), the celebrated Victorian actor, is portrayed here in one of his most famous and frequently performed roles: the burgomaster Mathias in 'The Bells', a man racked by remorse for a murder he committed many years before. The scene depicted here is the moment at the end of the first act when Mathias, on the anniversary of his crime, hears the bells of the murdered man's sledge ringing in his ears and sinks back into his chair, transfixed.

'The Bells', a play by Leopold Lewis based on a French original,opened on 25 November 1871, established Irving's reputation on the London stage: a critical success, the play was kept on the bill for six months.

James Archer ( 1823-1904) was a portrait, history and genre painter who studied in Edinburgh before settling in London in 1862.

The Museum has two other portraits of Henry Irving; one by Bernard Partridge and the other by Reginald Eves.