British theatre in the nineteenth century operated very much like a family business. Touring companies of necessity depended upon core family groups to manage the affairs, to perform the plays, and to nurture the children. London companies—though not so inbred as the provincials—often saw husbands and wives, parents and children perform together; indeed acting dynasties established in the last century extended well into this one. These actors, at whatever age, were perforce versatile, as an evening's bill might require appearances in an opening melodrama, a Shakespearean tragedy, then a farce to finish. And each of the items on an evening's playbill required scenery. The job of providing those sets was likewise often a family undertaking, though one that lacked female roles: father taught son; son taught grandson. From the beginning of the century until almost the end, the Grieve family—John Henderson Grieve (1770–1845), his sons Thomas (1799–1882) and William (1800–1844), and grandson Thomas Walford Grieve (1841–1899)—designed and painted scenery for some of the most important productions of those years—as well as for some of the most inconsequential and forgettable.