Framed Chromolithograph by T (Theobald Chartran) picturing Victorien Sardou, French dramatist, playwright of the original 'Tosca' and developer, along with Eugene Scribe, of the 'Well Made Play'.

Much maligned by 'socially radical' playwrights, his method of composition which focused on concise plotting, compelling narrative and a solid structure shorn of intellectual or philosophical pretensions was nonetheless adapted for use by figures such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and J.B. Priestly. Shaw in particular affected to scorn Sardou's creations as 'Sardoodles' but still condescended to employ a Sardou structure on his breakout success, 'Man and Superman' in 1902.