Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

BRITAIN AT WORK. 302 painters have appropriated and adapted such buildings as factories and mission chapels rather farther afield, where probably space is a less costly commodity than it is within a stone’s - throw of the Holborn Restaurant ; and there is one painting room so far away from theatre-land as Lewisham. Mr. Bruce Smith, who works only for Drury Lane and Covent Garden—though he does are not likely to be content with inferior work. Speaking generally and roughly, the French scene - painter aims, perhaps, at rather quieter effects than his English compeer, but it would require a robust patriotism to assert that they are less artistic. When a manager, sometimes with help from the author, has roughly indicated Photo: Cassell & Co , Ltd. IN A SCENE-PAINTER’S STUDIO (SHOWING THE BRIDGE AND THE METHOD OF RAISING AND LOWERING IT). not, of course, monopolise the contracts given out by these two theatres, since he is only capable of doing the work of two or three men and not of a round dozen—does some of his painting at Drury Lane; and, as he is one of those who can do two things at once, friends who call upon him here seldom find him too busy to have a chat. Before passing on to describe how scene- painting is done, I should mention the rather curious circumstance that our ingenious , o neighbours across the Channel still paint on the floor. That they produce good results, at whatever inconvenience to themselves, may, to use one of their own idioms, go without saying, for so artistic and theatre-loving a nation as the French the kind of scene he requires, the scene- painter makes a sketch, and if that is approved he proceeds to construct of cardboard a complete model, on a scale, say, of half an inch to the foot. It is here that the resourcefulness and inventiveness of the scene - painter are able to make themselves felt. The model shows every- thing, down to the smallest detail — not only the landscape, but door and windows, those which have to open in the actual scene being made “ practicable ” in the model. “ Wings ” and “ top-cloths ” are also shown, and even the pulley and ropes which will be used in the adjustment of the scene are indicated. This part of the work, as may be supposed, calls for abundant