Joan Jefferson Farjeon (26 May 1913 – 8 August 2006) was an English

scenographer A scenographer or production designer, develops the appearance of a stage design, a TV or movie set, a gaming environment, a trade fair exhibition design or a museum experience exhibition design. The term originated in theater. A scenographer work ...

and costume designer. Born into a literary family, she began illustrating in 1939 and began working as a sceneographer and costume designer in 1941, working in theatre productions from the 1940s to the 1990s.

Biography

Farjeon was born in London's West End Lane on 26 May 1913 into a literary family. Her father, the dramatist and novelist Joseph Jefferson Farjeon, was the third child of Margaret Jefferson (daughter of

Joseph Jefferson Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...

), and the novelist

Benjamin Farjeon Benjamin Leopold Farjeon (12 May 1838 – 23 July 1903) was an English novelist, playwright, printer and journalist. As an author, he was known for his huge output. Life Farjeon was born in London to Dinah Levy and Jacob Farjeon, Orthodox Jews. ...

. Her American mother, Frances Wood, was friendly with the Jefferson family. Farjeon's birth was recorded in the poem ''Nursery Rhymes of London Town'' by her aunt

Eleanor Farjeon Eleanor Farjeon (13 February 1881 – 5 June 1965) was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Several of her works had illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also be ...

in 1916. She moved to

Billingshurst Billingshurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village lies on the A29 road (the Roman Stane Street) at its crossroads with the A272, south-west of Horsham and north-east of Pulborough. Th ...

, Sussex during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

before returning to London after the war ended. In 1925, Farjeon won a solo dancing contest at the Lyric Theatre. A collection of poems, ''Joan's Play'', was named after her in 1926, and inspired by her life in Sussex. Farjeon was educated at Lindores School in

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish situated in the county of East Sussex in South East England. An ancient town and part of the local government district of Rother, Bexhill is home to a number of arc ...

, and after two years of formal education left school at age 16, enrolling at the

Westminster School of Art The Westminster School of Art was an art school in Westminster, London. History The Westminster School of Art was located at 18 Tufton Street, Deans Yard, Westminster, and was part of the old Royal Architectural Museum. H. M. Bateman described ...

. After remaining homebound in her early 20s, in 1939, Farjeon illustrated a collection of plays entitled ''Granny Gray'' for Eleanor Farjeon. She gained experience painting scenery for the Little Revues of

Herbert Farjeon Herbert (Bertie) Farjeon (5 March 1887 – 3 May 1945) was a major figure in the British theatre from 1910 until his death. He was a presenter of revues in London's West End, a theatre critic, lyricist, librettist, playwright, theatre manager and ...

, leading the writer and friend

Nicholas Stuart Gray Nicholas Stuart Gray (23 October 1922, Scotland – 17 March 1981) was a British actor and playwright, perhaps best known for his work in children's theatre in England. He was also an author of children's fantasy; he wrote a number of novels, a ...

and her aunt to persuade her to leave home and become independent. Farjeon began working as a scenic and costume designer in 1941, and lodged with members of the

Theatre Royal, Windsor The Theatre Royal is an Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre on Thames Street in Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in Berkshire. The present building is the second theatre to stand on this site and opened on 13 December 1910. Built for Sir Wiliam Shipley an ...

. Two years later,

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at his ...

invited Farjeon to design for him at

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actress ...

until callup papers meant she worked on land in

Ditchling Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling. ...

, Sussex. After producing designs for the musical ''

Song of Norway ''Song of Norway'' is an operetta written in 1944 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Edvard Grieg and the book by Milton Lazarus and Homer Curran. A very loose film adaptation with major changes to both the book a ...

'' in 1946, she worked on

Vernon Sylvaine Vernon Sylvaine (1896–1957) was a British playwright and screenwriter. He is known for writing several popular stage farces. He began working in film in 1937 when his stage hit '' Aren't Men Beasts!'' was turned into a film of the same title ...

's comedy ''

Will Any Gentleman? ''Will Any Gentleman?'' is a 1950 stage farce by the British writer Vernon Sylvaine. The play was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool in July 1950. It then went on to the West End, running for 364 performances at the Stand ...

'' in 1950. Later West End plays Farjeon was an illustrator were ''Beauty and the Beast'' in 1950,

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

's ''

The Hollow ''The Hollow'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the United States by Dodd, Mead & Co. in 1946 and in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in November of the same year. The US edition ...

'' in 1951, ''The Princess and the Swineherd'' in 1952, the

puppet play Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performan ...

''Rapunzel'' in 1953, Peter Hall's 1953 production of ''Henry IV'' at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberl ...

, 1954's ''The Hunters and the Henwife'' and ''The Marvellous Story of Puss in Boots, The Imperial Nightingale'' and ''New Clothes for the Emperor'' adapted from

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

in 1957, ''The Other Cinderella'' in 1958, Christie's ''

Verdict In law, a verdict is the formal trier of fact, finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In Engl ...

'' that same year at the Strand Theatre and ''Lock Up Your Daughters'' at the

Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new thea ...

in 1959. Farjeon worked with

James Roose-Evans James Roose-Evans (11 November 1927 – 26 October 2022) was a British theatre director, priest, and writer on experimental theatre, ritual and meditation. In 1959 he founded the Hampstead Theatre Club, in London; in 1974 the Bleddfa Centre for ...

as resident designer at the

Pitlochry Festival Theatre The Pitlochry Festival Theatre is large performing arts theatre located in the town and burgh of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The idea of a performance space in the area was conceived in the late 1940s by John Stewart, a leading p ...

in 1960. In 1962, she illustrated on ''The Seventh Swan'', ''The Wrong Side of the Moon'' in 1966, ''Lights Up'' in 1967 and ''New Lamps for Old'' in 1968. In 1968, Farjeon was made resident designer at the Webber Douglas School of Dramatic Art, producing productions in the Chanticleer Theatre through the 1990s. Outside of designing, she became amanuensis "manager" for the television cooks

Johnnie Cradock Major John Whitby "Johnnie" Cradock (17 May 1904 – 30 January 1987) was an English cook, writer and broadcaster and the fourth husband of television cook and writer Fanny Cradock. Biography Craddock was born in Lambeth, London, on 17 May 1904 ...

and

Fanny Cradock Phyllis Nan Sortain Pechey (26 February 1909 – 27 December 1994), better known as Fanny Cradock, was an English restaurant critic, television chef and writer. She frequently appeared on television, at cookery demonstrations and in print with h ...

sometime after 1955.

Personal life

In retirement, Farjeon moved to a retirement home in

Northwood, Middlesex Northwood is an affluent area in northwest London, England. It is located within the London Borough of Hillingdon on the border with Hertfordshire and from Charing Cross. Northwood was part of the ancient parish of Ruislip, Middlesex and has f ...

in 2003 with a collection of her works dispatched to the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

's Theatre Department for observation for students. She died in town on 8 August 2006.

Reception and collections

Anne Harvey of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' wrote of Farjeon, "She was recognised throughout her working life as an exceptional craftswoman, with a sharp, true eye for fine detail and accuracy and an enviable gift for draughtsmanship." She noted the designer's works "were so precise that they could be sent to a theatre abroad, and recreated for another production." Along with a collection of her costume and set designs and notebooks relating to her work in Nicolas Stuart Gray productions contained in the University of Bristol, the

Harvard Depository The Harvard Depository, in Southborough, Massachusetts, is Harvard University's large-scale storage facility for books, documents, and special media (such as film and video). Opened in 1986 and expanded several times, it holds some 45% of the 16 mi ...

of the

Harvard Library Harvard Library is the umbrella organization for Harvard University's libraries and services. It is the oldest library system in the United States and both the largest academic library and largest private library in the world. Its collection ...

holds some of Farjeon's personal papers and objects connected to her.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson Farjeon, Joan 1913 births 2006 deaths People from West Hampstead Designers from London Alumni of the Westminster School of Art 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 21st-century English women 21st-century English people Women costume designers English costume designers English illustrators Scenographers Women scenic designers People from Billingshurst