Gilbert Gallery8-Three Little Maids from School are We

Three Little Maids from School are We

Original Cast Photographs
“Three Little Maids from School are We” from The Mikado
Sibyl Grey, Leonora Braham, Jessie Bond
Photograph taken by Barraud, 263 Oxford Street
mounted on paper

Facsimiles of the actresses’ signatures beneath the image 

Perhaps Gilbert and Sullivan’s most enduring creation, The Mikado is a gentle satire on the Japonisme of the 1880s, of which John Lavery’s painting Woman in a Japanese Dress of 1883, hanging nearby, is a fine example. Yum-Yum first appears in The Mikado with her two sisters, Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing, singing “Three Little Maids from School are We.” Performed by the singers portrayed in this photograph, “Three Little Maids” received a treble encore on the first night on 14 March 1885, and has remained one of the best-loved numbers from The Mikado. A recording of “Three Little Maids” from 1936 can be heard at the listening station in this room. 

LENT BY THE IRVING S. GILMORE MUSIC LIBRARY, YALE UNIVERSITY

The Sidney Rose Collection of Gilbert and Sullivan, Box 7 Folder 1