Pictures Dated 2nd December 2010

The famous old blacksmith's shop, Gretna Green, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, 20th century. Artist: Unknown

The famous old blacksmith's shop, Gretna Green, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, 20th century. This building, just over the border with England, became famous after 1753 as a venue for runaway marriages of English couples. Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act stipulated that if both parties to a marriage were not over the age of 21, parental consent had to be obtained. The Act did not apply in Scotland, hence many couples who were not prepared to wait eloped and were married in Gretna, the first village they encountered in Scotland.

© The Print Collector

British actress Lady Monckton in 'Jim the Penman', 1886. Artist: Barraud

British actress Lady Monckton in 'Jim the Penman', 1886. Born Maria Louisa Long, Lady Monckton was the wife of Sir John Braddick Monckton, who was Town Clerk of London. 'Jim the Penman' is a play by Sir Charles Young, 7th Baronet, first performed in 1886. The subject of the play is the Victorian barrister and forger James Townsend Saward. A photograph from The Theatre, A Monthly Review, Volume VIII, July to December, 1886, edited by Clement Scott, Carson & Comerford, London, 1886.

© The Print Collector

The Vaudeville Company in 'The Road to Ruin', at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1886. Artist: Barraud

The Vaudeville Company in 'The Road to Ruin', at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1886. Back: Charles Warner, Kate Rorke, Fuller Mellish, Fred Thorne. Bottom: Louise Peach, Thomas Thorne, and James Fernandez. A photograph from The Theatre, A Monthly Review, Volume VIII, July to December, 1886, edited by Clement Scott, Carson & Comerford, London, 1886.

© The Print Collector