Wilfred Buckland
| Wilfred Buckland | |
|---|---|
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| Born | April 18, 1866 |
| Died | July 18, 1946 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Art director |
| Years active | 1914 - 1927 |
Wilfred Buckland (April 18, 1866 – July 18, 1946) was an American art director. Buckland worked as an art director with Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse Lasky, and later with Alan Dwan, from 1914-1927. He was Hollywood's first "art director" and is credited with a number of advancements in filmmaking, including the advances in lighting techniques, the development of architectural sets, and the use of miniature sets. In 1924, he was named one of the ten individuals who had contributed the most to the advancement of the motion picture industry since the time of its inception. A 1980 exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum advanced the argument that "everything we know as 'Hollywood' traces to Wilfred Buckland." Buckland was among the first inductees in the Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame.
Buckland was born in New York City, the son of Reverend Rabbi Joseph Wales and Emily (Wilson) Buckland. He worked as an artist for a time and was responsible for much of the interior decoration and paintings of New York's Trinity Church for its bi-centenary celebration in 1897. He also worked with the leading stage producer, David Belasco, for many years. In 1907, The New York Times described Buckland as the "general stage manager" for Belasco. He also designed the color scheme, draperies and stage curtain at Belasco's Stuyvesant Theatre (now operating as the Belasco Theatre) that opened in 1907. In 1910, Buckland was described as Belasco's "art director," responsible for the design of scenery, costumes and other artistic details. One newspaper reviewer wrote the following about the sets designed by Buckland for the stage production of "Omar, the Tentmaker": "Pictorially nothing finer has ever been disclosed upon the stage than the succession of sumptuous Oriental pictures evolved for the production by Wilfred Buckland, who for 10 years served as art decorator for David Belasco."
Buckland's Broadway credits include "The Rose of the Rancho" (scenic design, 1907), "A Grand Army Man" (scenic design, 1907), "Adrea" (stage director and scenic design, 1905), "The Music Master" (scenic design, 1904), "The Darling of the Gods" (design, 1903), and "Du Barry" (design, 1901).
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