About: Dykwynkyn

Richard Wynn Keene (9 December 1809 – 28 November 1887) is mainly remembered today under his theatrical name of Dykwynkyn. Keene was a Victorian designer of costumes, props, mechanical effects and scenery for plays and pantomimes on the London stage, with a strong sense of wit and a special feeling for animals. He contributed some notable props for the first cycle of Wagner's Ring at Bayreuth. He was also an artist and in his earlier career a manufacturer and inventor of building materials. Keene's cement, a type of hard plaster for internal use, perpetuates his name. Keene achieved his theatrical distinction despite being severely or almost totally deaf. Probably for that reason he was never a public figure, and he died in penury.