Percy Grainger,
Drawing by Ernest Thesiger, 1903

Percy Grainger,
Drawing by Ernest Thesiger, 1903

Ernest Thesiger was one of the closest of the many artist and musician friends that Grainger made, especially in the first decades of his career. Thesiger was an aspiring painter when he made this drawing, and later became a stage and film actor. Thesiger introduced Grainger to banker William Gair Rathbone, who became a father-figure for the young Australian while he was in London. Thesiger also introduced Grainger to John Singer Sargent, who played a crucial role in setting Grainger up as a society pianist. Grainger said of Rathbone and Sargent that they were his ’“good angels” during these challenging London years’.

Grainger Museum, University of Melbourne

Grainger Museum

1903

Grainger Museum

Grainger Museum Collection, 04.0064