The Significance of the Citizens Theatre Paint Frames

A paint frame is the vertical structure on which a canvas is hung to allow a scenic artist to paint over a very large area. The Citizens Theatre paint frames are one of the few original working examples in Britain. Samples taken from these frames are made up of multiple layers of paint which have accreted over 100 years as paint flicked off brushes, rollers, and latterly spray guns while the cloths were being painted. Cross-section microscopy, micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) mapping and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) were used to characterise these layers. Using the results in combination with archival research into scenic art suppliers/manufacturers, newspaper reviews of theatrical performances, and oral histories of scenic artists it has been possible for the first time to relate change in pigments and media within the paint layers with trends in scenic painting practice. This is one aim of ongoing research into the history of British scenic art (https://powertotransform.gla.ac.uk/) connecting the material history of the paint frame, theatrical cloths, and the lives of the scenic painters.