The Garrick Club in London is a shrine to British theater in general, and its greatest actor in particular. The club was founded in 1831 "for the general patronage of the drama, for bringing together the supporters of the drama, and for the formation of a theatrical library with works on costume." Today it is much more, with an unrivalled collection of nearly 1,000 paintings, extraordinary holdings in theatrical memorabilia, and an international membership. The period 1760–1830 has been called “a golden age of theater painting in England,” and two of the finest companion collections of visual resources for the era are to be found at the Garrick Club, London, and the Folger Shakespeare Library.
