{"numero_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_sha256": "bb4b2bc16e21ec170978de74e98f26f9f16ffc5292a0a9f4063b47a88d613e5a", "source_tei": "https://github.com/Princeton-CDH/bluemountain-transcriptions/blob/main/periodicals/bmtnaau/issues/1928/07_01/bmtnaau_1928-07_01.tei.xml", "source_mets": "https://github.com/pulibrary/BlueMountain/blob/main/metadata/periodicals/bmtnaau/issues/1928/07_01/bmtnaau_1928-07_01.mets.xml", "url_numero": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01", "articles": [{"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c002", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c002", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "couv. 1", "page_fin": "couv. 1", "image_debut": 1, "image_fin": 1, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.2", "titre_corps": "[Sans titre]", "titre_sommaire": "[Sans titre]", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 1, "page_imprimee": "couv. 1", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.1", "debut_caractere": 291, "fin_caractere_exclue": 888, "texte": "A DAUGHTER OF SHAKESPEARE :\nA WORD ABOUT ELLEN TERRY\nby J. S.\nFREDERICK ROBSON, SOME MEMO-\nRIES AND RECORDS OF A GREAT\nACTOR by George Augustus Sala, H. C. Hotten,\nCrabb Robinson, J. L. Toole and others.\nA LOST COLLABORATION, being some\nJ~\\. considerations respecting Blake and Bewick,\nby Gordon Craig. I\nAN ACTOR'S PETITION, being an unsuc-\ncessful attempt to escape from a legal pre-\ndicament in 16tb century Italy.\nA LONDON EXHIBITION OF GORDON\nCRAIG'S DESIGNS FOR IBSEN'S\n\" PRETENDERS\nNOTES ON DANIEL NICHOLAS CHO-\nDOWIECKI, JOHN PALMER, FO-\nREIGNERS IN THE BRITISH THEATRE,\nAND OTHER MATTERS."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c003", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c003", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "couv. 1", "page_fin": "couv. 1", "image_debut": 1, "image_fin": 1, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.3", "titre_corps": "ILLUSTRATIONS", "titre_sommaire": "ILLUSTRATIONS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 1, "page_imprimee": "couv. 1", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.1", "debut_caractere": 890, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1232, "texte": "ILLUSTRATIONS\nA PORTRAIT OF ELLEN TERRY, AND A RARE AND UNPUBLISHED\nPHOTOGRAPH OF ELLEN TERRY WITH HER SISTER MARION. A\nPLATE SHOWING (BYEXCLUSIVE PERMISSION) THE SILVER CASKET\nDESIGNED AND MADE BY J. PAUL COOPER TO CONTAIN THE ASHES\nOF ELLEN TERRY. FIVE PORTRAITS OF FREDERICK ROBSON. A POR-\nTRAIT OF JOHN PALMER. SILHOUETTES BY CHODOWIECKI."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c004", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c004", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "couv. 2", "page_fin": "couv. 2", "image_debut": 2, "image_fin": 2, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.4", "titre_corps": "LITERARY CONTENTS", "titre_sommaire": "LITERARY CONTENTS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 2, "page_imprimee": "couv. 2", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.2", "debut_caractere": 195, "fin_caractere_exclue": 769, "texte": "LITERARY CONTENTS.\nELLEN TERRY, A Wordtby. . . , , J. S, 95\nA NOTE ACCOMPANYING PLATE 14 %\nFREDERICK ROBSON, Some Memoirs and Notes . . H. C. Hotten, George Augustus Sala\nand Others . . . . • 97\nA PARLIAMENTARY REPORT, 1866 With References\nto Frederick Robson • j21\nSTAGE DESIGNS IN LONDON. The Exhibition of\nGordon Craig's Designs for Ibsen's «« Pretenders \" . . ' J. S.; Ashley Dukes, &H. M. Wal-\nA LOST COLLABORATION CoJTcLg ' \\f0\nPETITION BallUla da RW„|o . . ,32\nA NOTE ON JOHN PALMER, ACTOR m\nDANIEL NICHOLAS CHODOWIECKI . A. C. \" . 134\nBOOK REVIEWS & EDITORIAL NOTES."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c005", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c005", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "couv. 2", "page_fin": "couv. 2", "image_debut": 2, "image_fin": 2, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.5", "titre_corps": "ILLUSTRATIONS", "titre_sommaire": "ILLUSTRATIONS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 2, "page_imprimee": "couv. 2", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.2", "debut_caractere": 771, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1474, "texte": "ILLUSTRATIONS.\nELLEN TERRY ...\nSILVER CASKET TO CONTAIN THE ASHES OF 95\nELLEN TERRY, Designed bv T P ir* *»\nPORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON* \" ' ' p 7*\"' ,' t \\ ' \" 96\n„ , „ , N> * * • From a Photograph . ■ 15, follow 110\nPORTRAITS OF FREDERICK ROBSON IN TWO OF \" # * >6, precede 111\nHIS ROLES „ „ „ B\nELLEN J ERRY WITH HER SISTER MARION TERRY ■ ■ » ' . !I' *7 lit\nAN ACTOR'S PETITION ' tr ,, * 8' precede 127\nJOHN PALMER, ACTOR \" j/0\" \"°u P ' \" '9' 134\nA PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON ' ' ... \" \" 20' precec3e 135\nnwcauiN . . . prom a publication of Messrs\nSILHOUETTES . ,Hursl & BIacke» • • Page 125\n* Daniel Nicholas Chodowiecki. n 124, 129\n131. 133, 134\nHead and Tail Pieces from old and modern Designs."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c006", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c006", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "[94]", "page_fin": "[94]", "image_debut": 4, "image_fin": 4, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.6", "titre_corps": "ELLEN TERRY", "titre_sommaire": "ELLEN TERRY", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 4, "page_imprimee": "[94]", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.4", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 22, "texte": "ELLEN TERRY.\nPlate 13."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c007", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c007", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "[95]", "page_fin": "[95]", "image_debut": 5, "image_fin": 5, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.7", "titre_corps": "ELLEN TERRY", "titre_sommaire": "ELLEN TERRY", "signature_source": "J. S", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 5, "page_imprimee": "[95]", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.5", "debut_caractere": 15, "fin_caractere_exclue": 815, "texte": "ELLEN TERRY\nJ. S.\nBORN AT COVENTRY FEBRUARY 27. 18 4 8\nWORKED CONTINUOUSLY FROM APRIL 1856 TO APRIL 1921\nDIED AT SMALL HYTHE, KENT, - JULY 21 1928\nWRITTEN ON THE FLYLEAF OF ELLEN TERRY'S\nCOPY OF THE GLOBE EDITION OF THE WORKS\nOF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: —\n\" Sir, I am a poor friend of yours\nthat loves you \"• E. T.\n«• All's Well that End's Well \".\nShe was very much a daughter of Shakespeare, and when she spoke\nhis prose it was as though she was repeating something she had\nheard at home.... something said that morning.\nThis voice of prose had in it unexpected rhythms which somehow\nwe seemed to recognise as a familiar thing : — it was English.\nIt was perhaps the only perfect English voice of the age ; the\ncadences were as clear as day and as simple end as miraculous.\nAt least so it did seem to me."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c008", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c008", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "96", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 6, "image_fin": 7, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.8", "titre_corps": "SILVER CASKET CONTAINING THE ASHES OF ELLEN TERRY", "titre_sommaire": "SILVER CASKET CONTAINING THE ASHES OF ELLEN TERRY", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 6, "page_imprimee": "96", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.6", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 376, "texte": "SILVER CASKET CONTAINING THE ASHES\nOF ELLEN TERRY.\nnpHE CASKET SHOWN ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE, WAS\n1 DESIGNED BY J. PAUL COOPER AND MADE BY HIM\nIN SILVER, TO CONTAIN THE ASHES OF ELLEN TERRY.\nON EACH OF THE SIDES IT HAS A SMALL PANEL\nREPRESENTING SOME BIRD OR BEAST OF THE\nENGLISH COUNTRY-SIDE.\nTHE MASK \" HAS BEEN GRANTED EXCLUSIVE PERMISSION FOR\nTHE PUBLICATION OF THIS DPJSIGN."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c009", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c009", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 7, "image_fin": 7, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.8.1", "titre_corps": "THE SILVER CASKET", "titre_sommaire": "THE SILVER CASKET", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 7, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.7", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 28, "texte": "THE SILVER CASKET.\nPlate 14."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c010", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c010", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "97", "page_fin": "119", "image_debut": 9, "image_fin": 35, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9", "titre_corps": "FREDERICK ROBSON : A SKETCH BY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA WITH A PREFACE BY H. C. HOTTEN AND ADDITIONAL NOTES GATHERED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES", "titre_sommaire": "FREDERICK ROBSON : A SKETCH BY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA WITH A PREFACE BY H. C. HOTTEN AND ADDITIONAL NOTES GATHERED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1634, "texte": "FREDERICK ROBSON\nA SKETCH BY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA\nWITH A PREFACE BY H. C. HOTTEN\nAND ADDITIONAL NOTES GATHERED\nFROM VARIOUS SOURCES.\n\nFOREWORD\nJ. S.\nThe essay by Mr. George Augustus Sala which is\nhere reprinted, we believe for the first time since\nit was published by H. C. Hotten in 1864, is about\none of the most remarkable geniuses of the British Stage.\nWhy he should have been recognized at all only\nto be supported in a lukewarm manner, is the puzzle.\nDestroy Genius at birth or support it unless the\nNation is impoverished. And what nation is ever so\npoor as that ?\nHere is gathered the most we know of his life.\nA \" Life \" will appear it is to be hoped, before ano-\nther twenty-five years go by O.\n\nPREFACE\nBY H . C. HOTTEN.\n\nNOT far from the Strand, and near that seedy para-\ndise for players and stage professionals, Maiden-\nlane, Covent-garden, is situated an odd little cluster of\ncourts, alleys, holes and corners, known as Bedford-\nbury (2).\nThis miniature rookery has the usual wonderful\nshops — wonderful for the strange goods they sell —\nwonderful for the strange old people who sit inside the\ndoors like so many human spiders — and doubly won-\nderful by reason of their keeping open without the\nleast appearance of doing any business.\nThere are key shops, with thousands of rusty old\nkeys, some curiously and, indeed, handsomely designed;\n\n(1) We refer our readers to a note sent us by his son, printed among\nEditorial Notes.\n(2) Properly this name only applies to the narrow thoroughfare which\nleads through the heart of the district, from New-street to Chandos-sireet.\n\nHISTORICAL AND\nBIOGRAPHICAL\nNOTES & EXTRACTS."}, {"page_pdf": 10, "page_imprimee": "98", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.10", "debut_caractere": 2134, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4480, "texte": "furniture shops, with the strangest old tables and chairs ;\nc< sweet-stuff\" shops, with the farthing and halfpenny\nliterature hung on strings in the window panes ; a herb\nshop, where a snuffy old man surrounded by preserved\ntape-worms and stomach wolves, sells his stalks and\nroots for the cure of all human ills.\nWell, in the centre of this little community is a\nlittle square — not exactly a square because the pa-\nved area is three times as long as it is broad, besides\nbeing crooked at both ends, (but this was the way\nthey built their squares formely) — well, in this square,\nin 1836, and when he was fifteen years old, one\nThomas Robson Brownbill, a little boy from Margate,\nwas apprenticed to Mr. Smellie the copper-plate en-\ngraver, and well-known printer of Mr. George Cruik-\nshank's humorous plates.\nMaster Brownbill's friends had found him crazy\nafter the stage as other urchins sometimes are after a\nsea-life. Various professions, less romantic but concei-\nved to be more respectable, were mentioned to him,\nbut, with the exception of the graver's art he would\nnot listen to any one of them. This he thought he\nmight like, so his mother resolved to try him. The\nlad soon became an immense favourite with his master\nand the workmen, and they familiarly nick-named him\n\" Bill \", \" little Bill \", a sort of jocose shortening of\nhis surname, Brownbill — for he was not known as\nRobson, until some years later, when he adopted a\nchristian name as his theatrical title, adding Frederick\nwhich he considered decidedly stylish and quite out of\nthe common ; a custom, not very unusual, I believe, with\nother ladies and gentlemen of his profession. I met\none of the workmen the day after his death, and told\nhim of his old comrade's departure. \" What, little\nBill gone !\" he said. \"AhI he was a merry lad, but\nhe had better-by-half'a stuck to the bench \".\n\" Little Bill \" soon began to exhibit his theatrical\ntastes to the workmen, and his powers of mimicry kept\nthe establishment from morn until night in a continual\nstate of good humour. If a knife grinder, or other\ntravelling oddity entered the court, Bill buttoned up his\ncoat, cocked his hat, and bawled in imitation until the\ntears ran down the men's faces with laughter. The\napprentice always dressed showily, and usually had his\nhair artificially curled in ringlets. His hat was an ex-"}, {"page_pdf": 11, "page_imprimee": "99", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.11", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2320, "texte": "tra size with a twisted brim, and as he wore this some-\nwhat jauntily set upon a rather large sized head, the\nvulgar boys of the court used to call him the \" little\nbig head\nAlas for the uncertainties of parental authority ! Al-\nthough the days were occupied over the graver, the\nnights were almost as regularly spent on the two or\nthree amateur stages which were then to be met with\nin this neighbourhood, and the costume we have just\nmentioned, and the ringlets, were simply the effects of\nthe mind's bent and the evening's recreation. The\nyouth, however, never shirked work for play ; and his\nmaster used to say that there was not a man or boy\nin his shop who was so regular in the morning's atten-\ndance as \" little BrownbillAt this time he lived\nwith his mother — his father had been dead many\nyears — in Henry-street, Vauxhall, so that he had\nsome distance to walk daily.\nHe was bound for seven years, but only stopped\nfour with his master. An unforeseen circumstance hap-\npening, the now skilful engraver and amateur theatrical\nfound himself at nineteen out of his time, and his own\nmaster. Whether it was a promise made to his mother,\nor that he feared to rely entirely on the stage for a\nlivelihood, we do not know, but certain it is that im-\nmediately upon obtaining his liberty he did not go and\nenlist, without more ado, in the dramatic corps of one\nof the London theatres. In his old apprenticeship days,\nhe used to say he would do so directly an opportunity\noffered itself; but this was probably one of those little\nthreats with which sanguine young people are apt to\nthoughtlessly alarm their fidgetty elders.\nHis master gave up business in the old court, and\nremoved to Scotland, and the amateur theatrical, finding\nhimself free, very wisely conceived that a little business\nmight be formed out of the old customers that Mr.\nSmellie had abandoned. Mr. Robson Brownbill now\ntook a shop in Brydges-street, Covent-garden, and here\nhe carried on business as a \" master\" engraver for\ntwelve months. During the whole of this time he con-\ntinued to take part in amateur performances, and a fa-\nvourite song, both with himself and his audiences, was\n\" Lord Lovel\", — generally sung in character. Fi-\nnally, one morning, his neighbours in Brydges-street ob-\nserved, by a piece of paper attached to the shutters of"}, {"page_pdf": 12, "page_imprimee": "100", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.12", "debut_caractere": 2325, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4534, "texte": "Mr. Brownbill's shop, that business had been relinqui-\nshed. The engraver had taken home his tools to keep\nas curiosities, and had accepted the offer of a country\nmanager.\nFrom that time to the present he has been before\na public — one at first small and provincial, but latterly\nlarge and metropolitan — as FREDERICK RoBSON.\n1 have just said that he kept his tools when he\ngave up his business. He used to say to an old friend\nthat he never looked at or handled them without plea-\nsant reminiscences of those early apprentice days passed\nin the quaint little Bedfordbury-square — days unalloy-\ned by the cares of managerial life or mental dejection.\nThese, readers, are our recollections of the appren-\ntice days of this wonderful little man. Since his decease,\na carefully written summary of the principal events in\nhis career has been prepared by one who knew him\nvery well when living. This short biography (the ful-\nlest which has yet appeared) is here given to the rea-\nder as a prologue to the descriptive \" Sketch \" of Mr.\nSala : — \" The death of Mr. F. Robson, at the com-\nparatively early age of 43, though not altogether unex-\npected by those who knew his physical condition, is\na sad event to chronicle. He died on Friday, the\n12th inst., after a long and complicated illness, which\nended in dropsy. His medical adviser — Dr. Fer-\ngussen — had given him up several weeks ago, and\nhis family were, therefore, not unprepared for his\ndecease.\n\" His career as an actor has been very short, but\nvery remarkable. He was born at Margate, in 1821,\nand at one time threatened to become one of those\nunnatural productions — an \" infant prodigy \". When\nvery young, he had several opportunities of seeing Ed-\nmund Kean, before that great actor took his farewell\nbenefit, in 1830.\nHe caught the most striking mannerisms of the\ntragedian, and succeeded in reproducing them with far\nmore than the average skill of a precocious child with\ndramatic instincts.\n\" His first efforts as an actor may be said to have\nbeen made as an infant imitator of Edmund Kean.\nHis friends appear to have striven to wean him from\nthe stage, by apprenticing him to a copper-plate en-\ngraver in the neighbourhood of Covent-garden; but"}, {"page_pdf": 13, "page_imprimee": "101", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.13", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4375, "texte": "the intensely theatrical atmosphere of the district\nrevived his youthful ambition. Like many more\ngreat actors, he paid to make a first appearance, and\nwas kindly told that he had ' mistaken his vocation\nThe once famous amateur theatre in Catherine-street,\nStrand, was the scene of his first real trial performance,\nand he played ' Simon Mealbag ', in the domestic drama\nof Grace Huntley. Undaunted by many adverse opi-\nnions passed upon his raw acting, he persisted in doing\nwhat he felt he could do, and accepted an engage-\nment to act in a room as ' second utility * in the old\noyster-town of Whitstable, in Kent. His position here\nwas not as good as that of a nameless stroller whom\n1 lately saw playing Robert Macaire in a booth on\nthe beach of that very town, but still he liked the\nplace and often passed a day or two there when he\ntook holiday. His theatrical apprenticeship at Whit-\nstable was not lost time, for he acquired, amongst other\nthings, that thorough command of the Kentish dialect\nwhich he afterwards made so effective at the Olympic\nin characters like Daddy Hardacre and the old man\nin the Porter's Knot.\n\"From Whitstable he went to many other small\nplaces, appeared at Uxbridge, got as far as Glasgow, and\nfrom there came to London, where he acted for a very\nshort time at the City of London Theatre. Early in\n1844 he accepted an engagement at the Grecian Sa-\nloon Theatre, in the City-road, appearing in the funny\nold farce of the Illustrious Stranger. His success (I\nhappened to be present at his first performance) was\nimmediate and complete. The Grecian Theatre at this\ntime was under the management of its founder, Mr. T.\nRouse — a man who did more than any other ma-\nnager to improve the representation of the drama at the\nminor theatres. The place was a ' saloon ' — that is\nto say, drinking and smoking went on during the perfor\nrnance, but the pieces put upon the stage were all of\na high class, and the scenery and appointments would\nnot have disgraced the Olympic during the brilliant\nreign of Vestris and Planche. The light operas of\nBoieldieu, Adolphe Adam, Auber, and others, were\nvery creditably given, with principal singers like the\nlate Mr. Frazer, of Covent-garden, and a tolerable band\nand chorus. The admission fees were low, the place\nwas comfortably and even luxuriously fitted up, the\n\nSOME NOTES ON ROBSON\nBY JOSEPH KNIGHT\n(i).\nENGAGED by W. Farren to re-\nplace, at the Olympic in Lon-\ndon, Henry Compton (1805-1877),\nhe appeared for the first time at that\nhouse on 28 March 1853 as Tom\nTwig in the farce of 4 4 Catching an\nHeiress \".\n(i) In the Dictionary of National Bio-\ngraphy.\n\nSOME OF HIS ROLES.\n■■ ■!—MB——W——C———M—,nWHITff-i n I,. tl|>|\nJune 1854 in 44 Hush Money\",\nA a revived farce by Dance, he played\nJaspar Touchwood; and in Palgrave\nSimpson's 44 Heads or Tails \" he was\nthe first Quaile. On 17 October, he\nwas the first Job Wort in Tom Tay-\nlor's 44 Blighted Being \", and at Christ-\nmas obtained one of his most conspi-\ncuous successes in Planches 44 Yeilow\nDwarf\". In January 1855 he was\nSowerby in 44 Tit for Tat \", an adap-\ntation by F. Talfourd of 44 Les Maris\nme font rire Amongst other per-\nformances may be mentioned the 44 Dis-\ncreet Princess \" April 1856, in which\nRobson s Prince Richcraft was painful\nin intensity, and Gustavus Adolphus\nFiiz-Mortimer in 4< A Fascinating In-\ndividual \" II June. In Brough's 44 Me-\ndea \", 14 July, Robson's Medea was\none of his finest burlesque creations.\nHis Jones, in Talfourd's 44 Jones the\nAvenger \" (4 Le Massacre d'un In-\nnocent1) was seen on 24 November.\nZephyr, in 44 Young and Handsome \"\nfollowed in January 1857. His Daddy\nHardacre, in an adaptation so named\nof 44 La Fille de 1'Avare \", 26 March\n1857, was one of his earliest essays in\ndomestic drama. On 2 July he was\nMasaniello in Brough's burlesque of\nthat name.\n\nPARTNERSHIP WITH EMDEN\nAT THE OLYMPIC.\nIN August 1857, in partnership with\nEmden, he undertook the manage-\nment of the Olympic, speaking, on\nthe opening night, an address written\nby Robert Brough, and appearing\nboth as Aaron Gurnock in Wilkie Col-\nlins's 44 Lighthouse \" and as Masa-\nniello. On the first production of the\n\" Lighthouse \" by amateurs, at Tavis-\ntock House, Robson's part had been\nplayed by Charles Dickens. 44 The\nSubterfuge \", an adaptation of 44 Livre\ntroisi&me chapitre premier was also\ngiven. After playing a country engage-"}, {"page_pdf": 14, "page_imprimee": "102", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.14", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4468, "texte": "ment he reappeared at the Olympic\nin the 44 Lighthouse\", and was seen\nin Brough's 44 Doge of Duralto, or the\nEnchanted Isle *\\\nIn June 1858 he was the first Pe-\nter Potts in Tom Taylor's 44 Going to\nthe Bad\", and on 13 October the\nfirst Hans Grimm in Wilkie Collins's\n44 Red Vial On 2 October he\ncreated one of his greatest characters\nas Sampson Burr in the 44 Porter's\nKnot This piece by Oxenford was\nfounded to some extent on 44 Les\nCrochets du p£re Martin \" of Carmon\nand Grange.\nAt Christmas he played Mazeppa\nin an extravaganza so named. Paw-\nkins, in Oxenford's 44 Retained for the\nDefence \" (L'Avocat d'un Grec') was\nseen on 25 May 1859, and Reuben\nGoldsched in Tom Taylor's 44 Paya-\nble on Demand, on 11 July. Za-\nchary Clench in Oxenford's 44 Uncle\nZachary \" (L'OncIe Baptisle \") was\ngiven on 8 March 1860, and Hugh\nde Brass in Morton's 44 Regular Fix\"\non 1 1 October. On 21 February\n1861 there was produced H. T. Cra-\nven's 44 Chimney Corner\" in which\nRobson's Peter Probity was another\ntriumph in domestic drama. Dogbriar\nin Watts Phillips's 44 Camilla's Hus-\nhand \" was given on 14 November\n1862. This was the last play in\nwhich Robson appeared.\nIn addition to the parts named the\nfollowing deserve mention: Boots in\n44 Boots at the Swan \", Poor Pilli-\ncoddy, Mr. Griggs in Morton's 44 Tic-\nklish Times\", Alfred the Great in\nRobert Brough's burlesque so named,\nB. B. in a farce so called, Timour\nthe Tartar in a burlesque by Oxen-\nford and Shirley Brooks, Wormwood\nin the 44 Lottery Ticket\", and Chris-\ntopher Croke in 44 Sporting Events\nAlthough ceasing to act, he remained\na lessee of the Olympic until his death,\nwhich took place unexpectedly on\n12th August 1864. He was married,\nand two sons became actors.\n\nA UNIQUE POSITION.\nDURING his short career Hobson\nheld a position almost if not\nquite unique.\nWith so much passion and inten-\nsity did he charge burlesque that the\nconviction was wide-spread that he\nwould prove a tragedian of highest mark.\nA report prevails that he once, in the\ncountry, played Shylock in the 44 Mer-\nchant of Venice \" without success,\nbut this wants confirmation. A state-\nment made in print that he played\nit in London is inaccurate, It is\n\nentertainments were on the most liberal scale, and the\nproprietor sat every night in a box in full view of the\naudience, keeping order with as much dignity as the\nSpeaker of the House of Commons.\n\" At this saloon theatre, Mr. Robson remained for\nmore than five years, playing many of those charac-\nters, such as the Wandering , Boots at the\nSwan, &c., which he afterwards rendered famous at\nthe Olympic. His peculiar and original tragi-comic vein\nwas often shown, though not in burlesque properly so\ncalled ; and as the place, retained some of the features\nof the old tavern 'sing-song' from which it sprang, he\nwas often called upon to exercise his genius as a comic\nsinger. After the plays were over in the theatre, a\n' miscellaneous concert ' was given in one of the large\nsaloons attached to the grounds, and here ' Willikins '\nand the 4 Country Fair ' — which afterwards kept two\nfarces alive at the Olympic for nearly a twelvemonth —\nwere often heard between eleven o'clock and midnight.\n\" When Mr. Robson left the Grecian Theatre, in\n1850, it was to accept a more lucrative engagement\nwhich had been shrewdly offered him by Mr. Henry\nWebb (the chief of the two ' brothers Dromio') who\nwas then, and is still, the lessee of the Queen's Theatre,\nDublin. Mr. Robson played with great success at\nDublin and Belfast for two or three years, until a mis-\nunderstanding arose between him and his audience.\nWhile acting in a drunken scene he pronounced a par-\nticular word in such a way that it sounded like 'priest',\nand this was taken as a studied insult to the Roman\ncatholics. Something like a riot ensued. The next day\na meeting was called by the manager, and explanations\nwere given to delegates from the audience ; but though\nMr. Robson was allowed to appear again, he was\ncoldly received, and acted with evident nervousness.\nHe left for London soon after, and his place was taken\nby Mr. Toole.\n\" In 1855 O, Mr. Robson was engaged by Mr. Far-\nren at the Olympic, and he appeared at Easter in the\nfarce of Catching an Heiress He made very little im-\npression in this part, although his career was now watch-\ned with much interest by a critical few, but his time\narrived in a few weeks later, when the late Francis\n\n(1) Joseph Knight says 1853.\n(2) Playing the part of 44 Tom Twig."}, {"page_pdf": 15, "page_imprimee": "103", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.15", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4501, "texte": "Talfourd's burlesque of Macbeth was produced. In\nthis Mr. Robson played the chief character, and his\ntragi-comic style burst upon the town with all the force\nof an undoubtedly new creation. Never, perhaps, in\nthe history of the stage, and certainly not within the\nmemory of the present generation was such a strange\ncompound seen of passion, humour, pathos, and eccen-\ntricity. In less than three months after this he renew-\ned his triumph by playing 4 Shy lock ' in another bur-\nlesque by the same author ; and this, with 4 Jem Baggs '\nin the Wandering Minstrel T a marvel of realistic\nart, established him at once as a great and original\nEnglish actor. When Mr. Farren gave up the theatre\nand it was taken by Mr. and. Mrs. Alfred Wigan,\nMr. Robson was retained as a most valuable attraction.\nHis first essay in the serious part of Fouche's secretary\nin Plot and Passion was another great success ; and this\nwas followed by the Yellow Dwarf — a ghoul-like imper-\nsonation in a burlesque by Mr. Planche, and the chief\ncharacter in the late Robert Brough's Medea. The\nlatter, as represented by Mr. Robson, was a marvellous\npicture of what we may call tragedy off stilts — su-\nblime in its savage intensity, and life-like and human in\nits common-place features.\n44 Madame Ristori saw it, and was astonished at\nthe genius of an actor who could produce such effects\nwith such materials. When Mr. Alfred Wigan gave\nup the Olympic in 1857, the house was taken by\nMr. Robson, Mr. Emden, and Mr. Bentinck, and for\nseveral years the new management prospered. Mr. Robson\nwas the chief attraction, and he created a number of\nparts — such as Daddy , 4 Pawkins', in\nRetained for the Defence, and the old man in The Porter s\nKnot, which will probably die with him. The terrible force\nof the first, the rich overflowing humour of the second,\nand the homely pathos of the third impersonation will\nlong be remembered. His 4 Wormwood', in The Lot-\ntery Ticket, and Boots at the Swan were equally\ngood. In everything Mr. Robson did — with very few\nexceptions — there was evidence of a deep study of life,\nand an instinctive knowledge of human nature. Mr.\nRobson always thought for himself, and copied no tra-\n\n(1) By Henry Mayhew.\n(2) By Tom Taylor, He played the part of Desmarets J. K.\nHe played also in the 44 Camp \"of Planche at the Olympic. J. K.\n\nnone the less true that he con-\nveyed in burlesque the best idea of\nthe electrical flashes of Kean in tra-\ngedy, and that there were moments in\nhis Macbeth and his Shylock when\nthe absolute sense of terror—the feel-\ning of blood-curdling—seemed at hand,\nif not present. He may almost have\nbeen said to have brought pathos and\ndrollery into association closer than\nhad ever been witnessed on the stage.\nNor in parts such as Peter Probity,\nSampson Burr, and the like belonging\nto domestic drama, has he known an\nequal. In farce, too, he was unsur-\npassable, It is impossible to imagine\nanything more risible than was, for\ninstance, his Slush in Oxenford's 44 A\nLegal Impediment In this he played\na lawyer's bemused outdoor clerk, who,\nvisiting a gentleman, is mistaken for an\nunknown son-in-law-elect expected to\narrive in disguise ; and the manner in\nwhich he 4 introduced into the draw-\ning-room of his astonished host all\nthe amenities, refinements, and social\ncustoms of the private parlour at the\nSwan with Two Necks * will not be\nforgotten by those fortunate enough to\nhave seen it. In his later days, how-\never, in farce and burlesque, he took,\nunder various influences, serious liber-\nties with his audience and his fellow-\nactors. So great a favourite was he\nwith the public that procedings were\ncondoned which in the case of any\nother actor would have incurred se-\nvere and well merited condemnations.\n\nPORTRAITS AND SOURCES\nOF INFORMATION.\n\nROBSOW was small in figure, al-\nmost to insignificance, and was,\nit is said, of a singularly retiring dis-\nposition.\nIn Vol. V. of the \" Extravagan-\nzas \" of J. R. Planche are two litho-\ngraphed portraits of Robson, one after\na photograph by W. Keath, and the\nother after a grotesque statuette of\nRobson as the Yellow Dwarf.\nThe cover of Sala's scarce Memoir\n(1864) had a design of Robson as\nJem Baggs (0 in the M Wandering Mins-\ntrel \" of Henry Mayhew.\nOTHER sources of information are :\nThe Sunday Times, 21 Aug.\n1864 and various years. Theatrical\nTimes 111, 365; Hollingshead's 44 My\nLifetime ; Scott and Howard's E. L.\nBlanchard (2). History of the Theatre\n\n(0 Reproduced on page 113.\n(2) Quoted 011 page 115 119."}, {"page_pdf": 16, "page_imprimee": "104", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.16", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4269, "texte": "Royal, Dublin, 1870; Morley's Jour-\nnal of a London Playgoer; Clark\nRussell's Representative Actors ; Daily\nNews 26 December 18^2.\n\nJoseph Knight.\n\nSAMUEL BUTLER ON ROBSON.\nIN \"THE WAY OF ALL FLESH\".\n\"A Playgoer's Wanderings\nby H. M. Walbrook.\n\" IN a later and very different novel,\nA Samuel Butler's * The Way of all\nFlesh \\ there is a picture of another\nvanished London playhouse, and of\ntwo famous players of the \"sixties. It\noccurs in a passage describing Ernest\nPontifex's visit to the old Olympic\nTheatre in Wych Street, to see Rob-\nson and Mrs Keeley in a burlesque of\nMacbeth. Here is a glimpse of the\npiece and its players ;\n\" In the scene before the murder,\nMacbeth had said he could not kill\nDuncan when he saw his boots upon\nthe landing. Lady Macbeth put a\nstop to his hesitation by whipping him\nup under her arm, and carrying him\noff the stage kicking and screaming \".\nWhereat (writes Butler who was\ndoubtless recalling an experience of his\nown) Ernest Pontifex, who had only\nlately come out of prison, 4 laughed\ntill he cried '\n\nHENRY MORLEY (D GOES TO\no SEE ROBSON. o\nOCTOBER 22. 1853. Olympic\nTheatre.,,. The success of the\nnight was undoubtedly the assumption\nof a serious part by the burlesque ac-\ntor, Mr Robson. That there would\nbe other and higher things to report\nof a performer who, while other peo-\nple were burlesquing reality, could put\nsuch a startling reality into burlesque,\nwas not to be doubted. But one\nhardly expected it so soon. The part\nhe plays in \" Plot and Passion (a\ndrama of which the central figure is\nFouche, its characters being the agents\nor objects of his villainy, and its ca-\ntastrophe his disgrace) is that of a\nmean double-faced fawning, punning\ntreacherous tool, in whom the sordid\npassions have nevertheless not wholly\nextinguished others that place him fi-\nnally at the mercy of his victims. Here\nthe actor's opportunity is that of a\nconstant and quick transition within\ntne limited range of the emotions\nexpressed ; and from meanness to ma-\nlice, from cringing humility to the most\n\n(1) Lorn 1822, died 1894,\n\nditional stage models. He was not like Liston, nor\nMunden, nor any of the great actors of a past time.\nHe stood alone on. a peculiar piece of ground — half-\nway between tragedy and comedy. No actor who\never trod the boards has given rise to more discussion\nas to his half-hidden capabilities. Many think that in\nspite of his small though neat figure, he could have sca-\nled the highest heights of tragedy ; others think that he\nwas a mere farce actor, and little more. Our own\nimpression is that he wanted nothing but confidence to\ndo anything which fire, impulse, and true genius, can\ndo. He had worked hard and honestly for so many\nyears — as well as he ever worked — without cri-\ntical recognition, that when it came at last he could\nhardly believe in its reality. He was often haunted\nby an idea that there was some delusion in his sue-,\ncess, and that his fall would be as sudden and marked\nas his rise. He was very nervous, and his sufferings\non a ' first night ' were painful to behold. He took\ntoo little rest, and was too much the slave of nervous\nexcitement. Stimulants only increased the evil, and the\nresult was a broken down man at forty :\nCut is the branch that might hade grown full straight\nAnd burned is Apollo's laurel bough.\n\" Mr. Robson showed signs of serious illness more\nthan two years ago, though he appeared with much\nof his old power as a travelling tinker in Mr. Watts\nPhillips's play of Camillas Husband, near the close of\n1862. This was the last new part which he ever re-,\npresented, and soon after this period his performances\nbecame so fitful and uncertain, that practically he had\nretired from the London stage. He leaves a widow\nand family, and a son who is following his father's\nprofession \".\nThe son, I believe, is at Dublin, in the old theatre,\nwhere his father was once the popular favourite.\nAnother writer has made public a few interesting\nreminiscences, which will not be deemed out of place\nhere : —\n45 Sixteen years ago\", he says, \" I went to the\nGrecian Theatre (then known as the Grecian Saloon, and\njust emancipated from the influence of the ' Eagle ' and\nBravo Rouse ), and saw a little man play Jacob Ear--\nwig in Boots at the Swan, in the most astoundingly"}, {"page_pdf": 17, "page_imprimee": "105", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.17", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4371, "texte": "humourous manner. I found from the bills that his\nname was Robson, and I came back and talked to\ngreat critics of west-end theatres about him, but he was\nunknown, and they would not take the trouble to go\nand see him. Next I heard of him at the Olympic,\nunder Mr. Farren's management, where he played Shy-\nlock in a sorry burlesque, and wore three hats and\ndanced in a comic pas de deux with poor clever George\nCooke, who, to represent Antonio as a ' fawning pub-\nlican \\ wore a white apron and a red nose. In Shy-\nlock Mr. Robson first showed some flashes of that won-\nderful grotesque tragi-comic power, which afterwards\ntook the town by storm. Then he endowed with\nwondrous vitality, the awful hero of what had hitherto\nbeen considered a very had farce, called The Wan-\ndering Minstrel, the production of Mr. Henry Mayhew,\nand then and thenceforward all London came to see\nRobson.\nSince his decease most of the London daily and\nweekly journals have devoted a portion of their space\nto a review of the wonderful talents of this strange\ngenius. The similarity of view taken of his powers\nmight at first surprise, until we remember that his crea-\ntions were all of the same order, all equally new and\nmarvellous, and striking the beholder with much the\nsame kind of delightful wonderment. One writer says\nof him : —\n\" Out of materials trivial and unworthy, he could\nelaborate characters that startled you by their weird,\nwild force. In his apparently reckless drollery, there\nwas an, undercurrent of passion whose strength and ra-\npidity were amazing. You saw capering about the\nstage, absurdly clad, now mouthing tumid bombast, now\nchanting some street song, a strange figure — one of\nthe quaintest of buffoons. Nothing more ? Of a sud-\nden, the actor would be in earnest ; the eyes that had\nbeen winking with a knowing vulgarity all at once look-\ned you full in the face, mastered you at a glance;\nthere was a passionate cry, a taunting shout, or a wail\nof utter heartrending misery in the voice which had\njust been trolling a Cockney ditty ; and then, ere your\ntears, so strangely surprised from you, were dry, the\nmime was again prancing or strutting, all the earnestness\ngone out of him, a mountebank, but one of bewildering\nand fantastic freaks, of swift and perplexing changes.\n\nmalignant hate, from a cat-like watch-\nfulness to occasional bursts of passion\nthat seemed to defy control, Mr Rob-\nson passed with a keen power and\nready self-possession that never missed\nthe effect intended to be produced\n41 Mr Robson's great\nquality is the downright earnestness by\nwhich he makes others feel what he\nvery evidently feels himself. He has\ndefects of voice and person of the\ngravest kind, but some part of that\nwhich made 44 Prichard genteel and\nGarrick six feet high \" has descended\nto him. The sort of character in\nwhich he is likely to excel may always\nlie within the narrowest range, but by\nthe strength and intensity he puts into\nit he will never fail to attract an au-\ndience. Pie wants finish, refinement,\nrelief—fifty things which will come with\nexperience and study, if he has a\nproper regard for his calling and for\nhimself; but already, with none of\nthese things, he is a genuine actor, and\neveryone feels it. The drama had been\nbut a short while opened on Monday\nnight when the general interest fixed\nitself on that ill-dressed, meagre, dwar-\nfish figure, and, whoever else might\noccupy the scene, the eye still sought\nhim out. For the present, therefore,\nthe little man is undoubtedly the great\nfact at the Olympic * \\\n\" The Journal of a London\nPlaygoer '* by Henry Alor-\nlej\\ 1S66.\n\nHENRY CRABB ROBINSON IN\nHIS EIGHTY-FIRST YEAR\nGOES TO SEE ROBSON.\n\"CEPTEMBER 9. 1856. I dined at\nhome, and ihen went to the theatre,\nmerely to see Robson; and that 1 did\nto my perfect satisfaction. His variety\nof power is beyond all my expecta-\ntion. I could not at first recognize\nhim, in the florid smooth faced Baron.\n1he green-eyed monster, jealousy, is\nadmirably represented by him. His\nexpression is marvellous. Afterwards\nI saw him in a parody of 44 Medea\nA gentleman who sat near me in the\npit stalls lold me that his burlesque imi-\ntation of Ristori was excellent \".\n\nAND AGAIN AT EIGHTY-FOUR.\n\nJULY 8th. 1859. — I walked to\nthe Olympic Theatre, where I had\nmore pleasure than I generally have.\nThe first petite comedie, 44 Nine Points\nof the Law \" But it was to"}, {"page_pdf": 18, "page_imprimee": "106", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.18", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4477, "texte": "see Robson I went. He played in\ntwo pieces — \" The Porter's Knot \"\nin which the porter, who rises in life,\nis reduced to poverty by the misconduct\nof his son; and in the second act,\nafter six years appears as a porter.\nHis exhibition of passion in his paternal\naffliction is admirable — quite unique.\nBut this is far surpassed by his appea-\nrance in *' Retained for the Defence\na satiricle exposure of purious sentiment.\nA foolish philanthropist is willing to\ngive his daughter to an advocate for\nhis generous defence of persecuted in-\nnocence and he invites the acquitted\nfelon to an evening party, in order to\nredress his wrongs and restore h's\nsocial position. Now, this hero is\nRobson. Such a brute surely was\nnever conceived ; nothing that Liston\never performed was so farcical and\nridiculous. Of course,nothing can be\nconceived more stupid and absurd than\nthe farce; its sole merit is the exhi-\nbition it produces of Robson. But one\nmust be content to forego all questions\nabout sense or probability. His gri-\nmaces on eating hice at a swarry,\nand the way in which he olds his um-\nbrellt and vipes his nose,defy all cri-\nticism.\n\nVol. II. \"Henry Crabb\nRobinson's Diary\".\n\nHENRY MORLEY AGAIN.\n\nDECEMBER 12. 1857. — The\nplace of Boots at the Swan,\nheretofore occupied by Mr Keeley, has\nbeen taken, and will for a long time\nbe kept, by Mr. Robson. Mr Keeley\nwas a true Boots; Mr Robson also\nis a true Boots. To the same order\nof Boots each actor refers his part\nmost clearly, but not to the same genus\nof that order. Mr Keeley was not\nonly deaf but humourously stolid; Mr\nRobson although deaf, is humourously\nwide-awake. He is the Boots who is\nbrisk, and alive to all the humour of\nthe street, who would be preternally\nknowing if he could but hear what\npeople say. In word and look and\naction he is more the gamin than the\nsimpleton. The extravagance of a most\nlaughable farce is heightened by him\nto the utmost, and there is not a long\nface to be seen in the house while he\nis busy on the stage\nJUNE 18. 1864 The play-\nbill does, indeed, append to the\nname of the piece a note, saying,\n*• This play is founded on an incident\nsaid to have occured to Garrick, but\nwhich has no pretension to biographical\n\nWhat was this new phenomenon ? Had the man mis-\ntaken his vocation ? You could fancy for a moment, as\nyou watched him, that from those lips there would come\nwith a new force the terrible curse of LEAR, or the\nmiserable pleading of the broken king with his cruel\ndaughters. Presto, and all was over —he was again a\n' low comedian'. Wonderful were these transitions of his \".\nAnother journalist in speaking of the marvellous\nlittle man, very appropriately connects his name with\nthat of a genius who possessed powers equally strange\nand startling, in their fantastic and unique character,\nwith those of the diminutive actor \" who every night\nhad to paint his face and make a crowd laugh or cry,\nas he listed\" : —\n\" We are inclined to believe\", he says, \" that the\nworld might never have known all that was in Frede-\nrick Robson if he had not known Robert Brough.\nThere was a freemasonry of genius between those two\ngifted men — each, alas! cut off before his life-work\nwas half accomplished — which gave the author an\ninsight into the powers of the actor, and afforded to\nhim the hint upon which his own rare faculties enabled\nhim to act without delay. Ostensibly a comic writer,\nand overflowing with rich and racy humour, Robert\nBrough had much of the spirit of Edgar Poe, though\nwithout a tinge of his extravagance. There was a\ntone of serious sentiment underlying his drollest conceits,\nand intensity was interwoven with his grotesque. To\nthe genius of Frederick Robson working upon the ma-\nterial supplied to it by that of Robert Brough, the\nworld was indebted for those incomparable performances\nof Medea and Masaniello, which must linger in the\nmemory of those who witnessed them, as marvels such\nas they can scarcely hope to look upon again \".\nMr. Sala's sketch which follows was written in Ame-\nrica for American readers. The writer's hope, that he\nmay find upon his return the great actor \" once more\na hale and valid man \", will not, alas be realized.\nThe remains of the deceased gentleman were inter-\nred on the 17th inst., at Norwood Cemetary, a spot\nthe actor had chosen for his last resting place some\ntime ago, when the complaint which finally carried him\noff made its first appearance in a violent, but not fatal,\nform.\nPiccadilly, Aug. 20- 1864.\n\nJ. C. H."}, {"page_pdf": 19, "page_imprimee": "107", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.19", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4341, "texte": "ROBSON: A SKETCH.\nLONDON 1864\nBY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA.\n\n. T i .\n|N the whole or London there is not a dirtier, narrow-\nI er, and more disreputable thoroughfare than Wych\nStreet. It runs from the lowest part of Drury Lane\nwhere Nell Gwyn once had her lodgings, and stood at\nher door in very primitive costume to see the milkmaids\ngo a-Maying, and parallel to Holywell Street and the\nStrand, into the churchyard of St. Clements Danes. No\ngood, it was long supposed, could ever come out of\nWych Street. The place had borne an evil name for\ncenturies. Up a horrible little court branching north-\nward from it good old George Cruikshank once show-\ned me the house where Jack Shepherd, the robber\nand prison-breaker, served his apprenticeship to Mr.\nWood, the carpenter; and on a beam in the loft of\nthis house Jack is said to have carved his name. When\nthe pavement of the Strand is under repair, Wych\nStreet becomes, perforce, the principal channel of com-\nmunication between the east and the west end; and\nTheodore Hook used to say that he never passed\nthrough Wych Street in a hackney-coach without being\nblocked up by a hearse and a coal-wagon in the van,\nand a mud-cart and the Lord Mayor's carriage in the\nrear. Wych Street is among the highways we Eng-\nlish are ashamed to show to foreigners. We have\nthreatened to pull it down bodily, any time these\ntwo hundred years, and a portion of the sou-\nthern side, on which the old Lyons inn abutted,\nhas indeed been razed, preparatory to the erection of\na grand metropolitan hotel on the American system; but\nthe funds appear not to be forthcoming; the scheme\nlanguishes; and, on the other side of the street, another\nlegal hostelry, New inn, still flourishes in weedy damp-\nness, immovable in the strength of vested interests. It\nis full of quaint old Tudor houses, with tall gables,\ncarved porches, and lattice-casements; but the picturesque\nappearance cf these tenements compensates but ill for\ntheir being mainly dens of vice and depravity, in-\nhabited by the vilest offscourings of the enormous city.\nNext to Napoli senza sole, Wych Street, Drury Lane, is,\nmorally and physically, about the shadiest street I know.\n\naccuracy **; euphemism for \" This play\nis called David Garrick, but has nothing\non earth to do with Garrick But\nwhy should English actors deal so\nlightly with the memory of their great\nchief, that, for the sake of so poor and\nfalse an effect as the placarding of\nSOUTHERN as GARRICK they\nshould falsify and confuse the memory\nof Garrick's life ? \"\n\n\"The Journal of a\nLondon Playgoer\"\nby Henry Morley.\n\nFRANK ARCHER'S\nRECOLLECTIONS.\n\nROBSON I thought the most won-\nderful actor I had ever seen.\nHis acting of Samson Burr in M The\nPorter's Knot \" I enjoyed more than\nonce. It was a treat of the highest\nkind. I am sorry that I have so few\nmemoriis of this great artist, His\nM Shylock \" and \" Medea \" burlesques,\nand the parts he played in \" Payable\non Demand \" Daddy Hardacre \"#\n\" The Chimney Corner and \" Plot\nand Passion I regret that I missed.\nI have the clearest remembrance of\nsome of his farce acting. His Jacob\nEarwig in \" Boots at the Swan\nTrotter Southdown in \"To oblige\nBenson and the weird, demoniacal\nperformance in u The Lottery Ticket \"\nwere inimitable. Faint remembrances\nalso arise of his acting in two other\nburlesques, \" Mazeppa \" and M The\nKing of Merrows In the former I\nremember him bound to a gigantic rock-\ninghorse.\nI do not think that the genius of\nRobson was in anyway exaggerated.\nHis gifts were peculiarly his own. He\nhad a certain vein of seriousness, and\na dignity that is rarely associated with\nwhat is called a \" Low Comedian \".\nHe certainly, too, had a face that\nsuited serious drama, though, in spite\nof the intensity he displayed, it is\ndoubtful whether he would have suc-\nceeded in any leading Shakespearian\npart. His figure for this would not\nhave been in his favour, even had he\nbeen gifted with what may be called\nthe mental weight necessary. Whether\nhe would have shone in some of\nShakespeare's clowns, or in some of\nthe more exacting characters in the\nold comedies, who shall say? Ma-\ncready—from hearsay only, as he had\nnever seen him — believed he would.\nI knew nothing of him personally,\nthough I thought it a great thing on\none occasion to speak to him. The\nway in which it came about is asso-\nciated with an instance of the vanity"}, {"page_pdf": 20, "page_imprimee": "108", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.20", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4554, "texte": "of the amateur that it would be hard\nto beat. In 1862 an amateur perfor-\nmance for a charity — the Lancashire\nDistress Fund, in fact — took place\nat the Princess's Theatre. Though I\ntook no part in it, some of those who\ndid were friends of mine. One of\nthe attractions was •• The- Porter's\nKnot \" in which a friend of Robson's\nappeared in the little man's own part\nof Samson Burr, and induced him\nlater on the same evening to give his\nperformance of Jacob Earwig, the deaf\nwaiter in \" The Boots at the Swan\"!\nIt was on this particular night when I\nwas hanging about the entrances that\nRobson made some remark to me\nabout the house and its enthusiasm, etc.\nHis dresser was following him about\nwith a tumbler, which was painful to\nsee he clutched at nervously, gulping\ndown the contents before making his\nentrance. He had accustomed himself\nto take a stimulant to dispel the in-\ntense nervousness from which he suf-\nfered. It was eventually fatal. At\nthis performance he was tempted to\nexaggerate, and indulge in antics beyond\nall reason. He was then coming to\nthe end of his tether; and when, in\n1864, at the age of forty-three, Rob-\nson died, the stage lost a great actor.\nIt may not be generally known, by\nthe way, that once in his pre-political\ndays Mr. Chamberlain submitted a\nplay to Robson — then manager of\nthe Olympic \".\n\n\"An Actor's Notebooks\"\nby Frank Archer.\n\nHENRY IRVING ON ROBSON.\nFrom \"Seymour Hicks-\nTwenty-Four Years of an\nActor Life \"by Himself\nHENRY Irving asked me to come\nto supper at the Garrick Club.\nI don't remember, ever before or\nsince, feeling so excited or elated. I\ncame eaily, and found my3elf alone\nwith the mighty tragedian waiting for\nMr. Toole to arrive.... I remember he\ntold me that the greatest actor he had\never seen in his life was Edmund Phelps.\nI have heard it said that Henry\nIrving never saw Phelps act, but I\nhad it from his first hand that he did.\nOn that evening, too, he spoke of\nRobson. He said, •• Yes, Robson—er-\nRobson—a good actor, but net great—no,\nnot great—yes, yes, he was great! He\nwas great enough to know that he\ncould be only great for three minutes!\nThe stuff they talk about his being\nable to have played tragedy, had he\nwanted to, is wrong. Three minutes\nof it—yes—but the whole evening—oh,\ndear no! \"\n\nIn Wych Streets stands, nevertheless, an oasis in\nthe midst of a desert, a pretty and commodious little\ntheatre, called the . The entertainments here\nprovided have earned, for brilliance and elegance, so\nwell-deserved a repute, that the Olympic Theatre has\nbecome one of the most favourite resorts of the British\naristocracy. The Brahminical classes appear oblivious of\nthe yellow streak of caste, when they come hither. On\nfour or five nights in every week during the season,\nDrury Lane is rendered well-nigh impassible by splen- -\ndid equipages which have conveyed dukes and marqui-\nses and members of Parliament to the Olympic. Fre-\nquently, but prior to the lamented death of Prince Al-\nbert, you might observe, if you passed through Wych\nStreet in the forenoon, a little platform, covered with\nfaded red cloth, and shaded by a dingy, striped awn-\ning, extending from one of the entrance-doors of the\nOlympic to the edge of the sidewalk. The initiated\nbecame at once aware that Her Most Gracious Majes-\nty intended to visit the Olympic Theatre that very\nevening. The Queen of England goes to theatres no -\nmore; but the Prince of Wales and his pretty young wife,\nthe stout, good-tempered Duke of Cambridge, and his sis-\nter, the bonny Princess Mary, are still constant visi-\ntors to Wych Street. So gorgeous is often the assem-\nblage in this murkiest of streets, that you are remin-\nded of the days when the French noblesse, in all the\npride of hoops and hair-powder, deigned to flock to the\nlowly wine-shop of Ramponneau.\nMy business, however, is less with the Olympic\nTheatre, as it at present exists, than with its immediate\npredecessor. About fifteen years ago, there stood in\nWych Street a queer, low-browed little building with\na rough wooden portico before it, — not unlike such\na portico as I have recently seen in front of a dilapi-\ndated inn at Culpepper, Virginia, — and with little\nblinking windows, very much resembling the port-holes\nof a man-of-war. According to tradition, the place had,\nindeed, a kind of naval origin. Old King George III.,\nwho, when he was not mad, or meddling with politics,\nwas really a good-natured kind of man, once made\nPhilip Astley, the riding-master, and proprietor of the\ncircus in South Lambeth, a present of a dismantled\n\n(I) See page 99."}, {"page_pdf": 21, "page_imprimee": "109", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.21", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4425, "texte": "BETWEEN I860 and 1866 Irving\nhad played under Robson; but\nwhat he played and where, his Bio-\ngrapher Austin Brereton does not tell us.\n\nBANCROFT AND ROBSON.\nSir Squire Bancroft in \" Mr.\nand Mrs. Bancroft on and\noff the Stage\".\n. . . . having a few spare days I\nspent them in London. ... I was\nalso presented to the great-little Frederick\nRobson, whose son had recently joined\nthe Birminghan Company, and to\nwhom I had been able to show some\ntrifling kindness.\nWhen the boy took me to see his\nfather, I remember, while we were\nlooking at some framed theatrical en-\ngravings, Robson stopping before one\nof them and saying 44 That man was\none of the cleverest and most natural\ncomedians 1 ever saw\". It was the\nportrait of Pearce, the Christy Minstrel\nand original singer of 4 Hoop-de-doo-\ndenda \\ The health of the great actor\nwas already broken, for Robson died\nnot very long afterwards, when only\nlittle over forty years of age. No\nwords of mine could do justice to my\nremembrance of this actor and genius,\nwho is said to have resembled Ed-\nmund Kean in his wondrous bursts of\npassion, while in his comic moments he\nrecalled memories of the greatest co-\nmedians of the past. Off the stage\nRobson was one of the mildest and\nmost unassuming of creatures in the\nworld. The very nervousness which\nmade him so shy and reserved in\nprivate life, perhaps, stood him in\nwonderful stead directly he trod the\nstage: he then became at will the hero\nof domestic drama, the mock tyrant of\nburlesque, or the most amusing carica-\nture in the world of farce!\n\nROBSON AND J. L. TOOLE.\n\n\" T accepted an engagement of two\n1 pounds a week, and remained in\nDublin for the season. It was at this\ntime that I made the acquaintance of\nRobson, as I have previously mentioned \\\n44 V/OU were speaking of Robson\n1 and Keeley \\ said Toole. 4 They\nboth played 4 Jerry \" in The Thumping\nLegacy. It is a cockney who goes to\nCorsica: and the other man says, 4 What\ndo you here? I will tell you. It is now\nfour hundred years since*. Keeley (0 used\n\n(i) It is noteworthy that in Keeley's\nMemoirs no mention of Robson occurs.\n\nseventy-four gun-ship captured from the French. With\nthese timbers, some lath and plaster, a few bricks, and\na little money, Astley ran up a theatre dedicated to\nthe performance of interludes and burlettas, — that is,\nof pieces in which the dialogue was not spoken, but\nsung, in order to avoid interference with the patent-\nrights of Drury Lane and Covent Garden. In our days,\nthis edifice was known as the Olympic. When I knew\nthis theatre first, it had fallen into a state of seemingly\nhopeless 'decadence. Nobody succeeded there. To\nlease the Olympic Theatre was to court bankruptcy\nand invite collapse. The charming Vestris had been\nits tenant for a while. There Liston and Wrench had\ndelighted the town with their most excellent fooling.\n1 here many of Planche's most sparkling burlesques had\nbeen produced. There a perfect boudoir of a green-\nroom had been fitted up by Bartolozzi's beautiful and\nwitty daughter;, and there Hook and Jerrold, Haynes\nBayiey and A Beckett had uttered their wittiest\nsayings. But the destiny of the Olympic was indomi-\ntable. There was nae luck about the house; and Eliza\nVestris went bankrupt at last. Management after ma-\nnagement tried its fortunes in the doomed little house,\nbut without success. Desperate adventurers seized upon\nit as a last resource, or chose it as a place wherein to\nconsummate their ruin. The Olympic was contiguous\nto the Insolvent Debtors' Court, in Portugal Street, and\nfrom the Paint-pots of the Olympic scene-room to the\nwhitewash of the commercial tribunal there was but one\nstep.\nIt must have been in 1848 that the famous come-\ndian, William barren, having realized a handsome for-\ntune as an actor, essayed to lose a considerable portion\nof his wealth by becoming a manager. He succeeded\nin the last-named enterprise quite as completely as he\nhad done in the other: I mean, that he lost a large\nsum of money in the Olympic Theatre. He played all\nkinds of pieces; among others, he gave the public two very\nhumourous burlesques, founded on Shakespeare's plays\nof \" Macbeth \" and \" The Merchant of Venice \". The\nauthors were two clever young Oxford men: Frank\nTalfourd, the son of the poet-judge, — father and son\nare, alas! both dead, — and William Hale, the son\nof the well-known Archdeacon and Master of the Char-\nter-House. Shakespearian burlesques were no novelty"}, {"page_pdf": 22, "page_imprimee": "110", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.22", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4376, "texte": "to say to him in a very quiet way,\n4 Don't you think we had better take\na chair? ' Robscn was all excitement\nand in tragic tones exclaimed: 4 Don't\nyou think we had better be seated?\nKeeley was a peculiar little fellow;\nvery short, bald head, comical face;\nspoke in a serious kind of lone.\nVery little chap. When he appeared\nas a witness at Bow Street, there was\na seat in the witness box. I hey\nthought he was sitting down. The\nmagistrate said, 4 Please to stand up,\nMr. Keeley.' 4 I am standing up/\nsaid Keeley, in his melancholy manner.\nMR. TOOLE had removed to Orme\nSquare from a not less cosy ha-\nbitation situated on the brow of Ha-\nvers lock Hill, where he revelled in a\nback garden sufficiently large to grow\nflowers, and to have the suburban\ndistinction of a summer-house and a\ngrass-plot. I remember his telling me,\nin that very garden, that Robson fre-\nquently visited him there, on Sunday\nmornings, and that he had strongly\nadvised his fellow-actor to take a\nhouse with a garden. 4He was fid-\ngetty and restless ', Toole had said,\n4 sometimes on the stage, I fancied,\nbut always off, and I noticed that\nafter we had sat in the summer-house\nfor a time, with an occasional prowl\non the grass, a sniff at a gillyflower,\nor a bit of London Pride, he would\nsettle down, like a man who is resting,\ngrow quiet and reflective, and we\nwould have a calm and enjoyable\nchat. I know nothing so soothing as\na garden, nothing that calms the nerves\nso much as pottering about among\nflower-beds, especially when you have\nhad a hand in their cultivation, if only\nto the extent of ordering the plants\nfrom the florists \".\nWE were speaking of Robson/ I\nsaid. 4 You knew him very\nwell? '\n4 Yes * he (Toole) replied.\n4 And admired him as an actor ?\n4 Tremendously/ he replied, with\nmuch energy of manner. 4 I used to\nsee a great deal of him in Dublin,\nlong before he came to London He\nwas a popular comedian in Dublin\nwhen I received my first engagement\nthere. He was at the Royal, I was\nat the other theatre. He was a\nspecial favourite in Boots at the Swan.\nWhatever the manager at one theatre\nput up, the other did, and I was\nplaying Boots at the Swan at the\n\nto the town. We had had enough and to spare of\nthem. W. J. Hammond, the original Sam IVeller in\nthe dramatized version of \" Pickwick \", had made peo-\nple laugh in \" Macbeth Travestie and \" Othello ac-\ncording to Act of Parliament . The Olympic bur-\nlesques were slightly funnier, and not nearly so\ncoarse as their fore-runners; but they were still of\nno striking salience. Poorly mounted, feebly play-\ned, — save in one particular, — they drew but\nthin houses. Gradually, however, you began to hear *\nat clubs and in critical coteries — at the Albion and\nthe Garrick and the Cafe de 1'Europe, at Evans's and\nat Kilpack's, at the Reunion in Maiden Lane and at\nRules's oyster-room, where poor Albert Smith used to\nreign supreme — rumours about a new actor. I tie\nnew man was playing Macbeth and Shy lock h* Tal-„\nfourd and Hale's parodies. He was a little stunted\nfellow, not very well-favoured, not very young. No-\nbody — among the bodies who were anybody — had\never heard of him before. Whence he came, or what\nhe was, none knew; but everybody came at last to -\ncare. For this little stunted creature, with his hoarse\nvoice and nervous gestures and grotesque delivery, his\nsnarls, his leers, his hunchings of the shoulders, his con-\ntortions of the limbs, his gleaming of the\nand his grindings of the teeth, was a genius. He\nbecame town-talk. He speedily grew famous. He\nhas been an English, I might almost say a European,\nI might almost say a world-wide celebrity ever since ;\nand his name was FREDERICK ROBSON.\nEventually it was known, when the town grew in-\nquisitive and the critics were compelled to ferret out\nhis antecedents, that the new actor had already attained\nmiddle age, — that he had been vegetating for years\nin that obscurest and most miserable of all dramatic _\npositions, the low comedian of a country theatre, —\nthat he had come timidly to London and accepted at\na low salary the post of buffoon at a half-theatre half-\nsaloon in the City Road, called indifferently the \" Gre-\ncian \" O and the \" Eagle \", where he had danced and\ntumbled, and sung comic songs, and delivered the dis-\nmal waggeries set down for him, without any marked\nsuccess, and almost without notice. He was a quiet,\n\n(1) See page 97."}, {"page_pdf": 27, "page_imprimee": "111", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.27", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4299, "texte": "unassuming little man, this Robson, seemingly without\nvanity and without ambition. He had a wife and fa-\nll. mily to maintain, and drew his twenty-five or thirty\nshillings weekly with perfect patience and resignation,\nA weary period, however, elapsed between his ap-\npearence at the Olympic and his realization of finan-\np cial success. The critics and the connoisseurs talked\nabout him a long time before the public could be per-\nsuaded to go and see him, or the manager to raise his\n-salary. That doomed house with the wooden portico\nwas in the way. At last the wretched remnant of the\nFrench seventy-four caught fire and was burned to the\nground. Its ill-luck was consistent to the last. A poor\nactor, named Bender, had engaged the Olympic for a\nbenefit. He was to pay twenty pounds for the use of\nthe house. He had just sold nineteen pounds' worth\nof tickets, and trusted to the casual receipts at the door\nfor his profits. At a few minutes before six o'clock,\nhaving to play in the first piece, he proceeded to the\ntheatre, and entered his dressing-room. By half-past\n• six the whole house was in a blaze. Bender, half un-\ndressed, had only time to save himself; and his coat,\n* with the nineteen pounds in the pocket, fell a prey to\nthe flames. After this, will you tell me that there is\nnot such a thing as ill-luck ?\nThe Olympic arose \" like a phoenix from its ashes \".\nTo use language less poetical, a wealthy tradesman —\na cheesemonger, I think — found the capital to build\nup a new theatre. The second edifice was elegant,\nalmost splendid ; but in the commencement it seem-\ned fated to undergo as evil fortune as its precursor.\n1 cannot exactly remember whether it was in the old\nor the new Olympic — but I think it was in the new\none — that the notorious Walter Watts ran a brief\nwand sumptuous career as manager. He produced many\npieces, some of them his own, in a most luxurious\nmanner. He was a man about town, a viveur, a dandy;\nand it turned out one morning that Walter Watts had\nbeen, all along, a clerk in the Globe Insurance Office,\nat a salary of a hundred and fifty pounds a year; and\nthat he had swindled his employers out of enormous\nsums of money. He was tried, nominally for stealing\n\" a piece of paper, value one penny \", being a check\n• which he had abstracted ; but it was understood that\nhis defalcations were little short of ninety thousand pounds\n\nsame time as Robson. I got to know\nhim very well. I used to go and\nhave tea with him, and he was very\nkind to me, often gave me hints, and\nlook an interest in whatever I did. I\nwas with him when he received an\noffer from old Farren to go to London.\nHe had played at the Grecian before\nhe went to Dublin, but never at the\nwest end of London. Farren's offer\nwas for the Olympic, and I went to\nthe station with him and saw him off.\nHe had a wonderful talent, and was\na very remarkable actor. There were\nflashes in his mock-tragedy that were\nmagnificent, overpowering. I sometimes\nthought he lacked repose; not that I\nwould venture to criticize him even to\nthat he was so great a genius.\nI think if he had done a little\ngardening it would have done him good ,\n\nFrom \"Reminiscences of J.\nL. Toole \"related by himself\nand chronicled by Joseph\nHatton, 1889.\n\nTHE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER\nSee \"life of Charles Dickens\";\nJ. C. Hotten. p. 160.\nAN over-partial and insufficiently\ndiscriminating 4 friend * is quoted\nas saying ; 44 —Those who saw the\ncharacter of the lighthouse keeper in\nMr. Wilkie Collins's drama as por-\ntrayed first by Mr. Dickens and then\nby Mr, Robson, were enabled to\njudge of the wonderful superiority of\nthe rendering given by the former #\\\n\nTHE WANDERING MINSTREL.\nA. W. à Beckett in \"The à\nBecketts\" of 'Punch'. 1903,\np. 50.\n** The Wandering Minstrel in\nwhich later on Robson scored so hea-\nvily, was produced at the Fitzroy.\nHenry Mayhew wrote under the nom\nde plume of \" Ralph Rigmarole,\nEsqre No doubt this disguise was\nassumed to disarm Henry Mayhews\nfather, who was a highly respectable\nsolicitor, like my grandfather, and who\nmight have joined in the crusade\nagainst \" the boys\n\nVIL1KINS AND HIS DINAH.\nLife of George Cruikshank\nby Btanchard Jerrold. Chatto\n& Windus, 1882. Vol. 2. p. 26.\n\" ' Vilikins and his Dinah' was\na popular street chanson years before\nit was immortalised by Robson in Jem\nBaggs \"."}, {"page_pdf": 28, "page_imprimee": "112", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.28", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3097, "texte": "THE WANDERING\nMINSTREL\nTHE AFFECTING AND\nPATHETIC LEGEND OF\nVILIKINS AND HIS DINAH.\n\nOh! 'tis of a rich merchant,\nIn London did dwell,\nHe had but one daughter,\nAn uncommon nice young gal I\nHer name it was Dinah —\nScarce sixteen years old,\nShe had a large fortune\nIn silver and gold.\nSinging—Too—ral—loo, &c.\nAs Dinah vas a valking,\nIn the garden vun day,\nHer papa came to her,\nAnd thus to her did say : —\nGo and dress yourself, Dinah,\nIn gor—ge—ous array,\nAnd I'll get you a husband,\nBoth vally—ant and gay !\nSinging —? Too —ral—loo, &c.\nOh, papa ! oh, papa !\nI've not made up my mind,\nTo marry just yet,\nI do not feel inclined,\nAnd all my large fortune\nI'll gladly give o'er,\nIf you'll let me stay single\nA year or two more.\nSinging — Too—ral—loo, etc.\n\n(1) Name of the Play, Olympic Thea-\ntre, London. 1853. May 24.\n(2) See also p. 111.\n\nsterling. Watts was convicted, and sentenced to ten\nyears transportation. The poor wretch was not of the\nheroically villanous mould in which the dashing crimi-\nnals who came after him, Robson and Redpath, were\ncast. He was troubled with a conscience. He had\ndrunk himself into delirium tremens; and starting from\nhis pallet one night in a remorseful frenzy, he hanged *\nhimself in the jail.\nIt was during the management of Alfred Wigan at\nthe New Olympic that Frederick Robson began to be\nheard of again. An old, and not a very clever farce,\nby one of the Brothers Mayhew, entitled \" The Wan-\ndering Minstrel\", had been revived. In this farce,\nRobson was engaged to play the part of Baggs,\nan itinerant vocalist and flageolet-player, who, in tatter-\ned attire, roams about from town to town, making the\nair hideous with his performances. The part was a\npaltry one, and Robson, who had been engaged mainly\nat the instance of the manager's wife, a very shrewd\nand appreciative lady, who had persisted in declaring\nthat the ex-low-comedian of the Grecian had \" some-\nthing in him eked it out by singing an absurd ditty\ncalled \" Vilikins and his Dinah\". The words and\nthe air of \" Vilikins \" were, if not literally as old as\nthe hills, considerably older than the age of Queen.\nElizabeth. The story told in the ballad, of a father's\ncruelty, a daughter's anguish, a sweetheart's despair,\nand the ultimate suicide of both the lovers, is, albeit\ncouched in uncouth and grotesque language, as pathe-\ntic as the tragedy of \"Romeo aud Juliet\". Robson\ngave every stanza a nonsensical refrain of \" Right too-\nral lol looral, right tooral lol lay At times, when\nhis audience was convulsed with merriment, he would\ncome to a halt, and gravely observe, \" This is not a\ncomic song'' ; but London was soon unanimous thaL\nsuch exquisite comicality had not been heard for many\nalong year. \"Vilikins and his Dinah\" created a\nrore. My countrymen are always mad about some-\nthing; and Englishmen and Englishwomen all agreed to\ngo crazy about \" Vilikins \". \" Right tooral lol looral \"\nwas on every lip. Robson's portrait as Jem Baggs was\nin every shop-window. A newspaper began an editorial\nwith the first line of \"Vilikins\". —\n\" It's of a liquor-merchant who in London did\ndwell"}, {"page_pdf": 29, "page_imprimee": "113", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.29", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3281, "texte": "A Judge of Assize absolutely fined the High She-\nriff of a county one hundred pounds for the mingled\n_ contempt shown in neglecting to provide him with an\nescort of javelin-men and introducing the irrepressible\n\" Right tooral lol looral \" into a speech delivered at the\nopening of circuit. Nor was the song all that was\nwonderful in Jem Baggs. His \" Make-up \" was su-\nperb. The comic genius of Robson asserted itself in\nan inimitable lagging gait, an unequalled snivel, a\ncoat and pantaloons every patch on and every rent in\nwhich were artistic, and a hat inconceivably battered,\ncrunched, and bulged out of normal, and into preter-\nnatural shape.\nNew triumphs awaited him. In the burlesque of\n\" 1he Yellow Dwarf\", he showed a mastery of the\ngrotesque which approached the terrible. Years before,\nin Macbeth, he had personated a red-headed, fire-eating,\nwhisky-drinking Scotchman, — and in Shylock, a servile,\nfawning, obsequious, yet, when emergency arose, a pas-\nsionate and vindictive Jew. In the Yellow Dwarf he\nwas the jaundiced embodiment of a spirit of Oriental\nevil : crafty, malevolent, greedy, insatiate, — full of\nmockery, mimicry, lubricity, and spite, — an Afrit, a\nDjinn, a Ghoul, a spawn of Sheitan. How that mon-\nstrous orange-tawny head grinned and wagged ! How\nthose flaps of ears were projected forwards, like unto\nthose of a dog ! How balefully these atrabilious eyes\nglistened ! You laughed, and yet you shuddered. He\nspoke in mere doggerel and slang. He sang trumpery\nsongs to negro melodies. He danced the Lancashire\n- clog-hornpipe ; he rattled out puns and conundrums ; yet\ndid he contrive to infuse into all this mummery and buf-\nfoonery, into this salmagundi of the incongruous and\nthe outre, an umistakable tragic element, — an ele-\nment of depth and strength and passion, and almost of\nsublimity. The mountebank became inspired. The Jack\nPudding suddenly drew the cothurnus over his clogs.\nYou were awe-stricken by the intensity, the vehemence\nhe threw into the mean balderdash of the burlesque-\nmonger. These qualities were even more apparent in\nhis subsequent personation of Medea, in Robert Brough's\nparody of the Franco-Italian tragedy. The love, the\nhate, the scorn, of the abandoned wife of Jason, the\ndiabolic loathing in which she holds Creusa, the tige-\nrish affection with which she regards the children whom\n\nGo boldest daughter,\nThe parient replied,\nIf you don't consent to be\nThis here young man's bride,\nI'll give your large fortune\nTo the nearest o' kin,\nAnd you shan't have the benefit,\nOf one single pin.\nSinging — Too—ral —loo, &c.\nAs Vilikins vas a valking,\nThe garden around,\nHe spied his dear Dinah,\nLying dead upon the ground,\nA cup of cold pison\nIt lied by her side,\nAnd a billy dux, stating\n#Twas by pison she died !\nSinging — Too—ral—loo &c.\nThen he kissed her cold corpus,\nA thousand times o'er,\nHe called her his dear Dinah—\nAlthough she was no more!\nHe swallowed the pison,\nLike a lover so brave —\nAnd Vilikins and his Dinah,\nLies a buried in one grave !\nSinging — Too—ral—loo &c.\nMORAL.\nNow all you young vimmens,\nTake a varning and nor\nNever by no means\nDisobey your guv'nor,\nAnd all you young fellers\nMind who you claps your eyes on,\nThink of Vilikins and his Dinah,\nAnd the cup of cold pison.\nSinging — Too —ral—loo, &c."}, {"page_pdf": 30, "page_imprimee": "114", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.30", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4386, "texte": "MADOX BROWN AND ROBSON.\nPræraphaelite Diaries and\nLetters. Edited by William\nMichael Rossetti. 1900.\n1855. December 12th— ....To\nthe Olympic. English Theatricals doo-\nced slow, however ; place felt heada-\nchy. Robson tremendous, but getting\nspoiled..,.\n\nA CONTEMPORARY\no ESTIMATE. o\nI only knew one English actor who,\nto my mind, had in him the true\ngerm and kernel of a Devrient (*) —\nthe late Frederick Robson.\nI remember his truly marvellous\nperformance of the part of 4 Medea *\nin Robert Brough's burlesque. Before\nthe piece began, I went behind the\nscenes with the author, where we found\nRobson in a slate of extreme nervous-\nness, as it had been credibly reported\nthat the lady tragedian, whom he was\nabout to imitate (not to travesty, mind,\nfor there truly was nothing cf the\nbuffoon pure and simple in Fre-\nderick Robson), Madame Ristori, was\nactually in the theatre. Well, with\nthis overpowering oppression upon\nhim, he contrived to achieve a glo-\nrious success. His 4 Medea * was a\ntruly grand tragic figure, gracefully\ndraped in a light veil of burlesque,\nShe who had created the intensely\ntragic character of ill-starred 4 Medea *\nwas so deeply impressed by the little\nman's wonderful tragi-comic reproduc-\ntion of her own creation — which she\nhad been led to believe by a 4 kind\nfriend * of Robson's would turn out a\nfarcical caricature — that she could not\nrefrain from then and there presenting\nto the great artist the flattering tribute\nof her gratification and admiration.\nShe came round accordingly at once,\nescorted by that most courteous of\ngentlemen and most urbane of noble-\nmen, Earl Granville, who joined the\nlady in overwhelming the shy man\nwith well-merited compliments. When\nwe had Robson to oursel ves again, he\ncried like a child — partly with plea-\nsure, partly with distress at his nervous\nawkwardness, which he said 4 must\nhave made me look like a fool \\\nFrom {tReminiscences of an Old Bohe-\nmian Vol. 2. p% 200. 1882.\n(i) Louis Devrient the tragedian;\ndied 1832 aged forty-eight. Editor.\n\nshe is afterwards to slay, — all these were portrayed\nby Robson, through the medium, be it always remem-\nbered, of doggerel and slang, with astonishing force and\nvigour. The original Medea, the great Ristori herself,\ncame to see Robson, and was delighted with and\namazed at him. She scarcely understood two words -\nof English, but the actor's genius struck her home ■\nthrough the bull's-hide target of an unknown tongue. \" Uo-\nmo straordinario ! \" she went away saying.\nI have anticipated the order of his successes, but\nat this distance of time and place I can keep no chro- ,\nnological count of them. Robson has always alterna-\nted the serio-comic burlesque with pure farce, and after\nJem Baggs his brightest hits have been in the deaf\nostler in \" Boots at the Swan \" and the discharged cri-\nminal in \" Retained for the Defence \". In the burle-\nsque of \" Masaniello \", he had an opportunity — which-\nsome thought would prove a magnificent one to him —\nof showing the grotesque side of insanity ; but, for some\nreason or other, the part seemed distasteful to him.\nIt may have been repugnant to his eminently sensitve\nspirit to exhibit the ludicrous aspect of the most dread-\nful of human infirmities. A peste, fame, bello, et de-\nmentia libera nos, Domine! Perhaps the piece itself\nwas weak. At all events, \"Masaniello\" had but a\nbrief run. A drunken man, a jealous man, a deaf man, a fool;\na vagabond, a demon, a tyrant, Robson could marvellously\ndepict: in the crazy Neapolitan fisherman he either fai-\nled or was unwilling to excel. I had been for a long\nperiod extremely solicitous to see Robson undertake the\npart of Sir Giles Overreach in \"A New Way to pay\nOld Debts \". You know that Sir Giles, after the dis-\ncovery of the obliterated deed, goes stark staring mad.\nI should have wished to see him assume Edmund Kean's\nown character in the real play itself ; but Robson was\nnervous of venturing on a purely \" legitimate \" role. I\nwas half persuaded to write a burlesque on \"A New\nWay to pay Old Debts and Robson had promised\nto do his very best with Sir Giles ; but a feeling, half\nof laziness, and half of reverence for the fine old drama,\ncame over me, and I never got farther than the first-\nscene.\nBy this time some of the foremost dramatists in\nLondon thought they could discern in Robson latent\ncharacteristics of a nature far more elevated than those"}, {"page_pdf": 31, "page_imprimee": "115", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.31", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4364, "texte": "which his previous performances had brought into play.\nIt was decided by those who had a right to render\nan authoritative verdict, that he would shine best in\nthat which we call the \" domestic drama \". Here it\nwas thought his broad fun, rustic waggery, and curious\nmastery of provincial dialect might admirably contrast\nwith the melodramatic intensity, of which in so eminent\na degree he was the master. Hence the dramas, writ-\nten expressly and deliberately to his measure and capa-\ncity, of \" Daddy Hardacre \", \" 1he Porter's Knot\",\nand \" The Chimney-Corner\". When I say written,\nI mean, of course, translated. Our foremost dramatists\nhave not yet ceased to borrow from the French; but,\nlike the gypsies, they so skilfully mutilate the children\nthey have stolen, that the theft becomes almost impos-\nsible to detect. Not one person in five hundred, for\ninstance, would discover at first sight that a play so\napparently English in conception and structure as the\n\" Ticket-of-Leave Man\" is, in reality, a translation\nfrom the French.\nThe success achieved by Robson in the dramas I\nhave named was extended, and was genuine. In Daddy\nHardacre, a skilful adaptation of the usurer in Balzac's\n\" Eugenie Grandet \", it was tremendous. It made me more\nthan ever wishful to see him in the griping, ruthless\nOverreach, foiled at last in his wicked ambition and\ndriven to frenzy by the destruction of the document by\nwhich he thought to satisfy his lust of gain. Moliere's\nAvare I thought he would have acted wonderfully ; Ben\nJonson's Volpone, in \" The Fox , he would surely\nhave understood, and powerfully rendered. In the de-\nvoted father of \" The Porter's Knot \" he was likewise\nmost excellent: quiet, unaffected, unobtrusive, never for-\ncing sentiment upon you, never obtaining tears by false\npretences, but throughout solid, sterling, natural, admi-\nrable. I came at last, however, to the conviction, that,\nmarked as was the distinction gained by this good ac-\ntor in parts such as these, and as the lighthouse-keeper\n—- the character originally sustained in private by Charles\nDickens — in Wilkie Collins's play, domestic drama\nwas not his forte; or, rather, that it was not his for-\ntissimo. In fantastic burlesque, in the comic-terrible,\nhe was unrivalled and inimitable. In the domestic\ndrama he could hardly be surpassed but he might be ap-\nproached. Webster, Emery, Addison, could play\n\nE. L. BLANCHARD AND\nF. ROBSON\nBEING EXTRACTS FROM BLANCHARD'S\nDIARY WITH NOTES\nBY CECIL HOWARD.\n0) .\n1853.\nApril 27th. — Drop in at Olympic;\nsee TalfourcTs burlesque of Macbeth.\nRobson very clever,\nDecember 7th. — Davidson, music\npublisher, calls to obtain another por-\ntion of \" Villikins and his Dinah \"(0.\nDecember 13th. — Go to Adelphi.\nSee the ice scene in Thirst for Gold;\nwonderful effect. Then to Olympic.\nRobson great in 4 Villikins \\ At\nWrekin hear he is about thirty-six,\nand of weak health, poor fellow!\n(1) Written by this same Blanchard\nwhen a boy for private theatricals.\n1854.\nMarch 8th. — Look in at Olympic;\nsee charming little piece of To Oblige\nBenson (*).\n(1) Adapted by Taylor from Un Ser-\nvice a Blanchard, and first played Monday,\nMarch 6th, 1854. Emery, Benson ; Mrs.\nStirling, Mrs. Trotter Southdown; Miss\nWyndham, Mrs. Benson ; Robson, Trot-\nter Southdown.\nJune 13th. — To town to see\nHush Money (*) at Olympic; Robson's\nacting wonderful, but piece bad.\n(1) A revival of a farce by Dance,\nfirst played under the Vestris manage-\nment here, by Liston, Keeley, Frank\nMatthews, and Mrs. Orger. F. Robson\nnow played Jaspar Touchwood; Mrs.\nWigan, Sally; Emery, Tom Tillex.\nOctober 17th. —To Olympic; see\nF. Robson in wonderful performance\nof Job Wort in A Blighted Being.\nDecember 27sji. —Go to town ;\nsee Yellow Dwarf 0) a burlesque by\nat the Olympic; not his best,\nbut neatly written and carefully got up.\n(1) F. Robson in the title ?6le, one of\nhis great parts.\n1855.\nMarch 1 6th. — Olympic : Lucky\nFriday, AlfredWigan; and The Yellow\nDwarf and the King of the Gold\nMines; F. Robson (dwarf, one of his\nbest characters)....\nJune 11th. — At night to Olympic;\nsee Gar rick Fever revival (F. Robson,\nEmery, Danvers, White Rivers, Mrs.\nFitzalan, Miss Stephens, Miss Ternan).\nOctober 20th. — To Olympic, first\nnight of season, School for Scandal,\n\nFrom The Life and Reminiscences of\nE. L. Blanchard, By Clement Scott and\nCecil Howard. Hutchinson & Co. 1891."}, {"page_pdf": 32, "page_imprimee": "116", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.32", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4368, "texte": "and new farce by Coyne called Catching\na Mermaid (F. Robson, Luffins a\nShowman).\n1856.\nApril 2nd. — See at night first time\nRobson all through in Discreet Prin-\ncess (*) wonderful and painfully intense\nperformance.\n(i) The Discreet Princess; or, The\nThree Glass Distaffs. Prince Richcraft,\nF. Robson.\nJune 11th, — Go to Olympic; see\nfarce, Fascinating Individual• Robson\nin it; net very good piece.\nJuly 3rd. — At night to Olympic;\nsee the Duological Farce, first night;\nA Coniugal Lesson (J), was very good....\n(l) Played by Mrs Stirling and F.\nRobson.\nNovember 24th. — Go to Olympic:\nWives as they tcere and Talfourd's\nJones the Avenger (0.\n(i) Adaptation from Le massacre <Vun\nInnocent by Frank Talfourd. Robson\nvery good as Jones, and J. Rogers made\na hit as Shrilly Pipes\n1857.\nJanuary 22nd. — Look in at Olym-\npic ; see Young and Handsome (0;\nvery neatly written, but not equal to\nthe former extravaganzas of Planch^.\n(i) F. Robson played Zephyr.\nMarch 26th. — See new play of\nDaddy Hardacre (0 at Olympic, an\nadaptation by Palgrave Simpson of\nLa Fille de VAvare; Robson very good.\n(i) Robson played the title role, that\nof a miser.\nJuly 2nd, — Olympic at mght;\nBrough's new burlesque of Masa-\nniello 0) first time, very good, and goes\noff briskly.\n(l) Robson in the title role, in which\nthe author had given him some of the\nmost excrutiating puns, but in which\ncharacter this great actor displayed those\ntragi-comic powers for which he was so\nnoted.\nAugust 10th, — With C. C. B. to\nOlympic, which opens under Robson's\nand Emden's management.\nAugust ! 1 th, — At night to Olym-\npic and the Lighthouse I1); delighted\nwith it; most effectively got up.\n(ii — an address written by Robert\nBrough was spoken by Mr. Robson ; and\nWilkie Collins's Lighthouse done at Ta-\nvistock Blouse two years previously by\namateurs, made up the bill with Masa-\nniello. . . . Mr. Vining spoke the origi-\nnal prologue in front of the act-drop,\nwhich was an exact reproduction of\nStanfieid's original picture representing\nthe lighthouse.\n\nDaddy Hardacre, or the father in \" The Porter's\nKnot \" ; but none but himself could at once awe and con-\nvulse in Medea and the Yellow Dwarf. These do-\nmestic dramas interested, however, as much by their\nsubject as by the excellence of his acting. Moreover, the\npublic are apt sometimes to grow weary of burlesque,\n— their eternal grimacing and word-torturing and\nnegro-singing and dancing. Themes for parody become\nexhausted, and, without long surcease, would not bear\nrepetition. You may grow puns, like tobacco, until the\nsoil is utterly worn out. The burlesque writers,\ntoo, exhibited signs of weariness and feebleness. Plan-\nche retired into the Heralds' College. The cleverest of\nthe Broughs died. His surviving brother was stupid.\nTalfourd went to the law before he found an early\ngrave. Hale went to India. The younger generation\nwere scarcely fit to write pantomimes, and it was not\nalways Christmas. Besides, Robson had become a ma-\nnager, and thought, perhaps, that weightier parts became\nhim. In co-partnership with Mr. Emdem, he had suc-\nceeded Alfred Wigan as lessee of the Olympic, and\nthere 1 hope he has realized a fortune. But whenever\nhis brief vacations occurred, and actor-like he proceeded\nto turn them into gold by devoting to performances in\ncountry-theatres those days and nights which should pro-\nperly have been given to rest and peace, he proved\nfaithful to his old loves, and Jem Baggs and Boots at\nthe Swan, Medea and the Yellow Dwarf, continued to\nbe favourite parts.\nThe popularity attained in England by this most\nremarkable of modern actors has never, since the public\nwere first aware of his qualities, decreased. Robson\nis always sure to draw. The nights of his playing,\nor of his non-playing, at the Olympic, are as sure a\ngauge of the receipts as the rising and falling of the\nmercury in the thermometer are of the variations of the\ntemperature. A month's absense of Robson from Lon-\ndon always brought about an alarming depletion in the\nOlympic treasury. Unhappily, these absenses have of\nlate years become more irequent, and more and more\nprolonged. The health of the great tragi-comedian has\ngradually failed him. 1 have been for a long period\nwithout news from him ; but I much fear that the hey-\nday of his health and strength is past. The errors which\nmade Edmund Kean, in the prime of life, a shattered"}, {"page_pdf": 33, "page_imprimee": "117", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.33", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4271, "texte": "wreck, cannot be brought home to Frederick Robson.\nRumours, the wildest and the wickedest, have been\ncirculated about him, as about every other public man;\nbut, to the best of my knowledge and belief, they are\nwholly destitute of foundation. Don Basile, in Beau-\nmarchais's play, might have added some very pregnant\nadvice to his memorable counsel, \" Calomniez, -\nniez, il en resultera toujours quelque chose \". He should\nhave taught the world — if the world wants teaching —\nhow to calumniate. The following recipe will be found\nI think, infallible. If your enemy be a man of stu-\ndious and retired habits, hint that he has gone mad ;\nif you see him alone at a theatre or at church, report\nthat he is separated from his wife; and in any case,\ndeclare that he drinks. He can't disprove it. If he\ndrinks water out-of-doors, he may drink like a fish at\nhome. If he walks straight on the street, he may reel\nin the parlour.\nThus, scores of times, the gossip-mongers of\nEnglish provincial papers — the legion of \" our own\ncorrespondents , who are a nuisance and a curse to\nreputable society, wherever that society is to be found\n— have attributed the vacillating health and the inter-\nmittent retirements from the stage of the great actor to\nan over-fondness for brandy-and-water. The sorrowful\nsecret of all this is, I apprehend, that poor Robson has\nfor years been overworking himself, — and that lat-\nterly prosperity has laid as heavy a tax upon his time\nand energy as necessity imposed upon them when he\nwas young. Dame Fortune, whether she smile, or\nwhether she frown, never ceases to be a despot. Over\nDives and over Lazarus she equally tyrannizes. In\nwealth and in poverty does she exact the pound of\nflesh or the pound of soul. There are seasons in a\nman s life when Fortune with a radiant savageness cries\nout to him, \" Confound you ! you shall make fifty thou-\nsand a year ; and she drives him onward to the goal\nquite as remorselessly as ever slave-owner drove negro\ninto a rice-ground. The whip that is made of golden\nwire hurts quite as much, I opine, as the cowhide.\nAnd when, at last, the fortunate man cries out, \" 1 am\nrich, I have enough, Sat me lusistis, ludite nunc alios,\nI will work and fret myself no more, 1 will retire on\nmy dividends, and sit me down under my own fig-tree \",\n— Fortune dismisses him with a sneer : \" Retire, if\n\nNovember 19th. —To Olympic ;\nRobson s reappearance after provincial\nengagement (0,\n(i) He resumed his old character in\nThe Lighthouse.\nDecember 26th. — Go to Olym-\npic (1).\n(i) The Doge of Duralto, or the En-\nchanted Eyes, a fairy extravaganza by\nRobert Brough, with Miss Hughes, Miss\nWyndham, Robson, G. Cooke, and H.\nWigan in the cast to be noted.\n1858.\nJune 5th. — To Olympic; see and\nwrite about for Era Tom Taylor's\nnew comedy, Going to the Badi1).\n(i) Peter Potts, F. Robson ; . . . F.\nRobson's benefit.\nJuly 3rd. — Work till night. Then\nto Drury, Don Pasauale and TVoua-\ntore; Covent Garden, Mario and\nMartha ; Her Majesty's, Somnambula;\nEmden's benefit at Olympic (0. Back\nto write all.\n(i) A Handsome Husband and Hush\nMoney. Robson, Jaspar Touchwood; and\nMrs Emden, Sally. The Wandering\nMinstrel made up the programme.\nOctober 13 th. —At night to Olym-\npic ; see Wilkie Coliins's extraordinary\ndrama of Red Vial (0.\n(i) This was a very strong melodrama.\nIn it Mrs. Stirling played the part of\nthe Widow Bergmann ; Miss Marston,\nMinna ; Walter Gordon, Karl; and Rob-\nson was great as a half-witted fellow,\nHans Grimm.\nDecember 2nd. — Go to Olympic;\nfirst night of The Porter's Knot 0) ;\na charming piece, exquisitely acted by\nRobson and the rest. 3rd. Write no-\ntice of Olympic for Era, from which\n£ 2.\n(i) The character of Sampson Burr\nwill always be associated in one's me-\nmory as one of F. Robson's greatest\nperformances.\nDecember 27th. — ,...to Olympic,\nsee Mazeppa(i).\n(i) By H. J. Byron. Mazeppa, F.\nRobson ; ... it was a piece o the wil-\ndest extravagance.\n1859.\nMay 25 th. —To town. Olympic\nand good farce, Retained for the De-\nfence.\n(i) By John Oxen ford, taken from\nVAvocat d'un Gvec. Pav. kin's, Robson.\nJuly 11th. — Go to Olympic, see\nPayable on Demand W, Tom Taylor's\nnew piece ; clever, but won't be a long\nattraction.\n(i) Leading incident the same as that\nin The Jew of Frankfurt. Action of the"}, {"page_pdf": 34, "page_imprimee": "118", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.34", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4448, "texte": "play supposed to take place in 1792, and\nin its course some twenty-three years are\nsupposed to pass away. Reuben Gold-\nsched, Robson.\nAugust 10 th. — Last night of\nOlympic season (0. Go for hour to\nRobson; hear his speech.\n(1) The programme consisted of A\nDoubtful Victory, Payable on Demand,\nand Retained for the Defence. Robson's\nspeech consisted a good deal of a run-\nning and punning commentary of the.\nvarious pieces that had been produced\nunder the joint management of himself\nand Mr. Emden.\nSeptember 24th. — Olympic (0 and\nPrincess's reopen for season.\n(1) The Olympic re-opened again,\nunder the management of Robson and\nEmden, with Payable on Demand; Re-\ntained for the Defenee ; and A Morning-\nCall taken from 11 faut qidune porte soit\nouverte ou fermee.\n1860.\nMarch 8th. —. .. to Olympic : Uncle\nZachary (0 — adaptation by Oxenford\nof old French farce.\n(i) Another version of VGncle RaP-\ntiste, played under the title of Peter and\nPaul at the Haymarket in 1842. Zachary\nClence, Robson....\nOctober 11 th. — Go to Olympic\nto see a supposed new farce by Morton,\ncalled A Regular Fix (0, but which I\nrecognize as Couche du Soleil of thirty\nyears ago.\n(r) Robson appeared as Mr. Hugh de\nBrass.\n1862.\nFebruary 21st. — To Olympic; see\ncharming piece by Graven, called\nChimney Corner (0.\n(i) Peter Probity, F. Robson.\nNovember 14th.— To Olympic;\nsee Camilla's Husband (x): a good\npiece.\n(i) This was a three-act drama by\nWatts Phillips. Dogbriar, F. Robson.\n. . . (This was the last play in which\nRobson appeared. — C. S.).\n1864.\nAugust 12th. — Hear of F. Rob-\nson's death as having occurred late last\nnight: write the memoir.\nSeptember 28th. — To Strand, and\nsee charming piece by Craven, called\nMilky White's), in which the author\npiays hero admirably.\n(i) H. T. Craven wrote the piece for\nRobson, who was to play Daniel (Milky)\nWhite, a saturnine, disagreeable, deaf\nman, who recovers his hearing suffi-\nciently to lead him to imagine that he\nhas learnt that his daughter is hoping\nfor his death, and turns her out of doors.\n\nyou like ! \" cries the implacable, \" but take hypochon-\ndria and ennui, take gout and the palsy, with you \".\nI should be infinitely rejoiced to hear, when I go\nback d, that Robson is once more a hale and valid\nman. It is the tritest of platitudes to say that he could\nill be spared by the English stage. We never can\nspare a good actor. As well can we spare a good\nbook or a good picture. But there would be much\ncause for gratulation, if Robson were spared, ere his\npowers definitely decline, to visit the United States.\nThe American people ought to see Robson. They\nhave had our tragedians, good, bad, and indifferent.\nThey have filled the pockets of William Macready and\nof Charles Kean with dollars. They have heard our\nmen-singers and our women-singers, — the birds that\ncan sing, and the birds that can't sing, but sing.\nThe most notable of our drolls, Buckstone and Keeley,\nhave been here, and have received a cordial welcome.\nBut Robson has hitherto been lacking on this side the\nAtlantic. That he would be thoroughly appreciated\nby the theatrical public of America I cannot for one\ninstant doubt. It is given to England to produce ec-\ncentrics, but for other nations to understand them better\nthan the English do. The Germans are better critics\nof the satire of Hogarth, the French of the humour of\nSterne, and the Americans of the philosophy of Shake-\nspeare, than we to whose country those illustrious be-\nlong. In Boston, in New York, in Philadelphia, crowd-\ned and enthusiastic audiences would, I venture to fore-\ntell, hang on the utterances of Robson, and expound\nto their own entire satisfaction his most eloquent by-play,\nhis subtlest gestures. It would be idle, in the endea-\nvour to give him something like a palpable aspect to\npeople who have never seen him, to compare him with\nother great actors yet extant, or who have gone before.\nIn his bursts of passion, in his vehement soliloquies, in\nthe soul-harrowing force of his simulated invective, he\nis said to resemble Edmund Kean ; but how are you\nto judge of an actor who in his comic moments cer-\ntainly approaches the image we have formed to our-\nselves of Munden and Dowton, of Bannister and Suett ?\nTo say that he is a Genius, and the Prince of Eccen-\n\n(1) Mr. Sa!a penned this sketch in America, where he is the \"Spe-\ncial Commissioner\" of the London Daily Telegraph. (Publisher's Note).\nIt was published in the 41 Atlantic Monthly Editor."}, {"page_pdf": 35, "page_imprimee": "119", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.35", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1567, "texte": "tries, is perhaps the only way to cut the Gordian knot\nof criticism in his instance.\nLet me add, in conclusion, that Robson, off the\nstage, is one of the mildest, modestest, most unassuming\nof men. Painfully nervous he always was. I remem-\nber, a dozen years since, and when I was personally\nunacquainted with him, writing in some London news-\npaper an eulogistic criticism of one of his performances.\nI learned from friends that he had read the article, and\nhad expressed himself as deeply grateful to me for it.\n1 just knew him by sight; but for months afterwards,\nif I met him in the street, he used to blush crimson,\nand made as sudden a retreat round the nearest corner\nas was possible. He said afterwards that he hadn't\nthe courage to thank me. I brought him to bay at\nlast, and came to know him very well; and then I\ndiscovered how the nervousness, the bashfulness, the\nmauvaise honte, which made him so shy and retiring\nin private, stood him in wonderful stead on the stage.\nThe nervous man became the fretful and capricious\ntyrant of mock tragedy ; the bashful man warmed at\nthe foot-lights with passion and power. The manner\nwhich in society was a drawback and a defect became\nin the pursuit of his art a charm and an excellence.\nWhat new parts may be created for Robson, and how\nhe will acquit himself in them, I cannot presume to\nprophesy ; but it is certain that he has already done\nenough to win for himself in the temple of dramatic fame\na niche all the more to be envied, as its form and pattern\nmust be, like its occupant, unprecedented and original."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c011", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c011", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "97", "page_fin": "97", "image_debut": 9, "image_fin": 9, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.1", "titre_corps": "FOREWORD", "titre_sommaire": "FOREWORD", "signature_source": "J. S", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "debut_caractere": 134, "fin_caractere_exclue": 704, "texte": "FOREWORD\nJ. S.\nThe essay by Mr. George Augustus Sala which is\nhere reprinted, we believe for the first time since\nit was published by H. C. Hotten in 1864, is about\none of the most remarkable geniuses of the British Stage.\nWhy he should have been recognized at all only\nto be supported in a lukewarm manner, is the puzzle.\nDestroy Genius at birth or support it unless the\nNation is impoverished. And what nation is ever so\npoor as that ?\nHere is gathered the most we know of his life.\nA \" Life \" will appear it is to be hoped, before ano-\nther twenty-five years go by O."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c012", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c012", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "97", "page_fin": "106", "image_debut": 9, "image_fin": 18, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.2", "titre_corps": "PREFACE", "titre_sommaire": "PREFACE", "signature_source": "H . C. HOTTEN ; J. C. H", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "debut_caractere": 706, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1587, "texte": "PREFACE\nBY H . C. HOTTEN.\n\nNOT far from the Strand, and near that seedy para-\ndise for players and stage professionals, Maiden-\nlane, Covent-garden, is situated an odd little cluster of\ncourts, alleys, holes and corners, known as Bedford-\nbury (2).\nThis miniature rookery has the usual wonderful\nshops — wonderful for the strange goods they sell —\nwonderful for the strange old people who sit inside the\ndoors like so many human spiders — and doubly won-\nderful by reason of their keeping open without the\nleast appearance of doing any business.\nThere are key shops, with thousands of rusty old\nkeys, some curiously and, indeed, handsomely designed;\n\n(1) We refer our readers to a note sent us by his son, printed among\nEditorial Notes.\n(2) Properly this name only applies to the narrow thoroughfare which\nleads through the heart of the district, from New-street to Chandos-sireet."}, {"page_pdf": 10, "page_imprimee": "98", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.10", "debut_caractere": 2134, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4480, "texte": "furniture shops, with the strangest old tables and chairs ;\nc< sweet-stuff\" shops, with the farthing and halfpenny\nliterature hung on strings in the window panes ; a herb\nshop, where a snuffy old man surrounded by preserved\ntape-worms and stomach wolves, sells his stalks and\nroots for the cure of all human ills.\nWell, in the centre of this little community is a\nlittle square — not exactly a square because the pa-\nved area is three times as long as it is broad, besides\nbeing crooked at both ends, (but this was the way\nthey built their squares formely) — well, in this square,\nin 1836, and when he was fifteen years old, one\nThomas Robson Brownbill, a little boy from Margate,\nwas apprenticed to Mr. Smellie the copper-plate en-\ngraver, and well-known printer of Mr. George Cruik-\nshank's humorous plates.\nMaster Brownbill's friends had found him crazy\nafter the stage as other urchins sometimes are after a\nsea-life. Various professions, less romantic but concei-\nved to be more respectable, were mentioned to him,\nbut, with the exception of the graver's art he would\nnot listen to any one of them. This he thought he\nmight like, so his mother resolved to try him. The\nlad soon became an immense favourite with his master\nand the workmen, and they familiarly nick-named him\n\" Bill \", \" little Bill \", a sort of jocose shortening of\nhis surname, Brownbill — for he was not known as\nRobson, until some years later, when he adopted a\nchristian name as his theatrical title, adding Frederick\nwhich he considered decidedly stylish and quite out of\nthe common ; a custom, not very unusual, I believe, with\nother ladies and gentlemen of his profession. I met\none of the workmen the day after his death, and told\nhim of his old comrade's departure. \" What, little\nBill gone !\" he said. \"AhI he was a merry lad, but\nhe had better-by-half'a stuck to the bench \".\n\" Little Bill \" soon began to exhibit his theatrical\ntastes to the workmen, and his powers of mimicry kept\nthe establishment from morn until night in a continual\nstate of good humour. If a knife grinder, or other\ntravelling oddity entered the court, Bill buttoned up his\ncoat, cocked his hat, and bawled in imitation until the\ntears ran down the men's faces with laughter. The\napprentice always dressed showily, and usually had his\nhair artificially curled in ringlets. His hat was an ex-"}, {"page_pdf": 11, "page_imprimee": "99", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.11", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2320, "texte": "tra size with a twisted brim, and as he wore this some-\nwhat jauntily set upon a rather large sized head, the\nvulgar boys of the court used to call him the \" little\nbig head\nAlas for the uncertainties of parental authority ! Al-\nthough the days were occupied over the graver, the\nnights were almost as regularly spent on the two or\nthree amateur stages which were then to be met with\nin this neighbourhood, and the costume we have just\nmentioned, and the ringlets, were simply the effects of\nthe mind's bent and the evening's recreation. The\nyouth, however, never shirked work for play ; and his\nmaster used to say that there was not a man or boy\nin his shop who was so regular in the morning's atten-\ndance as \" little BrownbillAt this time he lived\nwith his mother — his father had been dead many\nyears — in Henry-street, Vauxhall, so that he had\nsome distance to walk daily.\nHe was bound for seven years, but only stopped\nfour with his master. An unforeseen circumstance hap-\npening, the now skilful engraver and amateur theatrical\nfound himself at nineteen out of his time, and his own\nmaster. Whether it was a promise made to his mother,\nor that he feared to rely entirely on the stage for a\nlivelihood, we do not know, but certain it is that im-\nmediately upon obtaining his liberty he did not go and\nenlist, without more ado, in the dramatic corps of one\nof the London theatres. In his old apprenticeship days,\nhe used to say he would do so directly an opportunity\noffered itself; but this was probably one of those little\nthreats with which sanguine young people are apt to\nthoughtlessly alarm their fidgetty elders.\nHis master gave up business in the old court, and\nremoved to Scotland, and the amateur theatrical, finding\nhimself free, very wisely conceived that a little business\nmight be formed out of the old customers that Mr.\nSmellie had abandoned. Mr. Robson Brownbill now\ntook a shop in Brydges-street, Covent-garden, and here\nhe carried on business as a \" master\" engraver for\ntwelve months. During the whole of this time he con-\ntinued to take part in amateur performances, and a fa-\nvourite song, both with himself and his audiences, was\n\" Lord Lovel\", — generally sung in character. Fi-\nnally, one morning, his neighbours in Brydges-street ob-\nserved, by a piece of paper attached to the shutters of"}, {"page_pdf": 12, "page_imprimee": "100", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.12", "debut_caractere": 2325, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4534, "texte": "Mr. Brownbill's shop, that business had been relinqui-\nshed. The engraver had taken home his tools to keep\nas curiosities, and had accepted the offer of a country\nmanager.\nFrom that time to the present he has been before\na public — one at first small and provincial, but latterly\nlarge and metropolitan — as FREDERICK RoBSON.\n1 have just said that he kept his tools when he\ngave up his business. He used to say to an old friend\nthat he never looked at or handled them without plea-\nsant reminiscences of those early apprentice days passed\nin the quaint little Bedfordbury-square — days unalloy-\ned by the cares of managerial life or mental dejection.\nThese, readers, are our recollections of the appren-\ntice days of this wonderful little man. Since his decease,\na carefully written summary of the principal events in\nhis career has been prepared by one who knew him\nvery well when living. This short biography (the ful-\nlest which has yet appeared) is here given to the rea-\nder as a prologue to the descriptive \" Sketch \" of Mr.\nSala : — \" The death of Mr. F. Robson, at the com-\nparatively early age of 43, though not altogether unex-\npected by those who knew his physical condition, is\na sad event to chronicle. He died on Friday, the\n12th inst., after a long and complicated illness, which\nended in dropsy. His medical adviser — Dr. Fer-\ngussen — had given him up several weeks ago, and\nhis family were, therefore, not unprepared for his\ndecease.\n\" His career as an actor has been very short, but\nvery remarkable. He was born at Margate, in 1821,\nand at one time threatened to become one of those\nunnatural productions — an \" infant prodigy \". When\nvery young, he had several opportunities of seeing Ed-\nmund Kean, before that great actor took his farewell\nbenefit, in 1830.\nHe caught the most striking mannerisms of the\ntragedian, and succeeded in reproducing them with far\nmore than the average skill of a precocious child with\ndramatic instincts.\n\" His first efforts as an actor may be said to have\nbeen made as an infant imitator of Edmund Kean.\nHis friends appear to have striven to wean him from\nthe stage, by apprenticing him to a copper-plate en-\ngraver in the neighbourhood of Covent-garden; but"}, {"page_pdf": 13, "page_imprimee": "101", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.13", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2331, "texte": "the intensely theatrical atmosphere of the district\nrevived his youthful ambition. Like many more\ngreat actors, he paid to make a first appearance, and\nwas kindly told that he had ' mistaken his vocation\nThe once famous amateur theatre in Catherine-street,\nStrand, was the scene of his first real trial performance,\nand he played ' Simon Mealbag ', in the domestic drama\nof Grace Huntley. Undaunted by many adverse opi-\nnions passed upon his raw acting, he persisted in doing\nwhat he felt he could do, and accepted an engage-\nment to act in a room as ' second utility * in the old\noyster-town of Whitstable, in Kent. His position here\nwas not as good as that of a nameless stroller whom\n1 lately saw playing Robert Macaire in a booth on\nthe beach of that very town, but still he liked the\nplace and often passed a day or two there when he\ntook holiday. His theatrical apprenticeship at Whit-\nstable was not lost time, for he acquired, amongst other\nthings, that thorough command of the Kentish dialect\nwhich he afterwards made so effective at the Olympic\nin characters like Daddy Hardacre and the old man\nin the Porter's Knot.\n\"From Whitstable he went to many other small\nplaces, appeared at Uxbridge, got as far as Glasgow, and\nfrom there came to London, where he acted for a very\nshort time at the City of London Theatre. Early in\n1844 he accepted an engagement at the Grecian Sa-\nloon Theatre, in the City-road, appearing in the funny\nold farce of the Illustrious Stranger. His success (I\nhappened to be present at his first performance) was\nimmediate and complete. The Grecian Theatre at this\ntime was under the management of its founder, Mr. T.\nRouse — a man who did more than any other ma-\nnager to improve the representation of the drama at the\nminor theatres. The place was a ' saloon ' — that is\nto say, drinking and smoking went on during the perfor\nrnance, but the pieces put upon the stage were all of\na high class, and the scenery and appointments would\nnot have disgraced the Olympic during the brilliant\nreign of Vestris and Planche. The light operas of\nBoieldieu, Adolphe Adam, Auber, and others, were\nvery creditably given, with principal singers like the\nlate Mr. Frazer, of Covent-garden, and a tolerable band\nand chorus. The admission fees were low, the place\nwas comfortably and even luxuriously fitted up, the"}, {"page_pdf": 14, "page_imprimee": "102", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.14", "debut_caractere": 2184, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4468, "texte": "entertainments were on the most liberal scale, and the\nproprietor sat every night in a box in full view of the\naudience, keeping order with as much dignity as the\nSpeaker of the House of Commons.\n\" At this saloon theatre, Mr. Robson remained for\nmore than five years, playing many of those charac-\nters, such as the Wandering , Boots at the\nSwan, &c., which he afterwards rendered famous at\nthe Olympic. His peculiar and original tragi-comic vein\nwas often shown, though not in burlesque properly so\ncalled ; and as the place, retained some of the features\nof the old tavern 'sing-song' from which it sprang, he\nwas often called upon to exercise his genius as a comic\nsinger. After the plays were over in the theatre, a\n' miscellaneous concert ' was given in one of the large\nsaloons attached to the grounds, and here ' Willikins '\nand the 4 Country Fair ' — which afterwards kept two\nfarces alive at the Olympic for nearly a twelvemonth —\nwere often heard between eleven o'clock and midnight.\n\" When Mr. Robson left the Grecian Theatre, in\n1850, it was to accept a more lucrative engagement\nwhich had been shrewdly offered him by Mr. Henry\nWebb (the chief of the two ' brothers Dromio') who\nwas then, and is still, the lessee of the Queen's Theatre,\nDublin. Mr. Robson played with great success at\nDublin and Belfast for two or three years, until a mis-\nunderstanding arose between him and his audience.\nWhile acting in a drunken scene he pronounced a par-\nticular word in such a way that it sounded like 'priest',\nand this was taken as a studied insult to the Roman\ncatholics. Something like a riot ensued. The next day\na meeting was called by the manager, and explanations\nwere given to delegates from the audience ; but though\nMr. Robson was allowed to appear again, he was\ncoldly received, and acted with evident nervousness.\nHe left for London soon after, and his place was taken\nby Mr. Toole.\n\" In 1855 O, Mr. Robson was engaged by Mr. Far-\nren at the Olympic, and he appeared at Easter in the\nfarce of Catching an Heiress He made very little im-\npression in this part, although his career was now watch-\ned with much interest by a critical few, but his time\narrived in a few weeks later, when the late Francis\n\n(1) Joseph Knight says 1853.\n(2) Playing the part of 44 Tom Twig."}, {"page_pdf": 15, "page_imprimee": "103", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.15", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2332, "texte": "Talfourd's burlesque of Macbeth was produced. In\nthis Mr. Robson played the chief character, and his\ntragi-comic style burst upon the town with all the force\nof an undoubtedly new creation. Never, perhaps, in\nthe history of the stage, and certainly not within the\nmemory of the present generation was such a strange\ncompound seen of passion, humour, pathos, and eccen-\ntricity. In less than three months after this he renew-\ned his triumph by playing 4 Shy lock ' in another bur-\nlesque by the same author ; and this, with 4 Jem Baggs '\nin the Wandering Minstrel T a marvel of realistic\nart, established him at once as a great and original\nEnglish actor. When Mr. Farren gave up the theatre\nand it was taken by Mr. and. Mrs. Alfred Wigan,\nMr. Robson was retained as a most valuable attraction.\nHis first essay in the serious part of Fouche's secretary\nin Plot and Passion was another great success ; and this\nwas followed by the Yellow Dwarf — a ghoul-like imper-\nsonation in a burlesque by Mr. Planche, and the chief\ncharacter in the late Robert Brough's Medea. The\nlatter, as represented by Mr. Robson, was a marvellous\npicture of what we may call tragedy off stilts — su-\nblime in its savage intensity, and life-like and human in\nits common-place features.\n44 Madame Ristori saw it, and was astonished at\nthe genius of an actor who could produce such effects\nwith such materials. When Mr. Alfred Wigan gave\nup the Olympic in 1857, the house was taken by\nMr. Robson, Mr. Emden, and Mr. Bentinck, and for\nseveral years the new management prospered. Mr. Robson\nwas the chief attraction, and he created a number of\nparts — such as Daddy , 4 Pawkins', in\nRetained for the Defence, and the old man in The Porter s\nKnot, which will probably die with him. The terrible force\nof the first, the rich overflowing humour of the second,\nand the homely pathos of the third impersonation will\nlong be remembered. His 4 Wormwood', in The Lot-\ntery Ticket, and Boots at the Swan were equally\ngood. In everything Mr. Robson did — with very few\nexceptions — there was evidence of a deep study of life,\nand an instinctive knowledge of human nature. Mr.\nRobson always thought for himself, and copied no tra-\n\n(1) By Henry Mayhew.\n(2) By Tom Taylor, He played the part of Desmarets J. K.\nHe played also in the 44 Camp \"of Planche at the Olympic. J. K."}, {"page_pdf": 16, "page_imprimee": "104", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.16", "debut_caractere": 2063, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4269, "texte": "ditional stage models. He was not like Liston, nor\nMunden, nor any of the great actors of a past time.\nHe stood alone on. a peculiar piece of ground — half-\nway between tragedy and comedy. No actor who\never trod the boards has given rise to more discussion\nas to his half-hidden capabilities. Many think that in\nspite of his small though neat figure, he could have sca-\nled the highest heights of tragedy ; others think that he\nwas a mere farce actor, and little more. Our own\nimpression is that he wanted nothing but confidence to\ndo anything which fire, impulse, and true genius, can\ndo. He had worked hard and honestly for so many\nyears — as well as he ever worked — without cri-\ntical recognition, that when it came at last he could\nhardly believe in its reality. He was often haunted\nby an idea that there was some delusion in his sue-,\ncess, and that his fall would be as sudden and marked\nas his rise. He was very nervous, and his sufferings\non a ' first night ' were painful to behold. He took\ntoo little rest, and was too much the slave of nervous\nexcitement. Stimulants only increased the evil, and the\nresult was a broken down man at forty :\nCut is the branch that might hade grown full straight\nAnd burned is Apollo's laurel bough.\n\" Mr. Robson showed signs of serious illness more\nthan two years ago, though he appeared with much\nof his old power as a travelling tinker in Mr. Watts\nPhillips's play of Camillas Husband, near the close of\n1862. This was the last new part which he ever re-,\npresented, and soon after this period his performances\nbecame so fitful and uncertain, that practically he had\nretired from the London stage. He leaves a widow\nand family, and a son who is following his father's\nprofession \".\nThe son, I believe, is at Dublin, in the old theatre,\nwhere his father was once the popular favourite.\nAnother writer has made public a few interesting\nreminiscences, which will not be deemed out of place\nhere : —\n45 Sixteen years ago\", he says, \" I went to the\nGrecian Theatre (then known as the Grecian Saloon, and\njust emancipated from the influence of the ' Eagle ' and\nBravo Rouse ), and saw a little man play Jacob Ear--\nwig in Boots at the Swan, in the most astoundingly"}, {"page_pdf": 17, "page_imprimee": "105", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.17", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2284, "texte": "humourous manner. I found from the bills that his\nname was Robson, and I came back and talked to\ngreat critics of west-end theatres about him, but he was\nunknown, and they would not take the trouble to go\nand see him. Next I heard of him at the Olympic,\nunder Mr. Farren's management, where he played Shy-\nlock in a sorry burlesque, and wore three hats and\ndanced in a comic pas de deux with poor clever George\nCooke, who, to represent Antonio as a ' fawning pub-\nlican \\ wore a white apron and a red nose. In Shy-\nlock Mr. Robson first showed some flashes of that won-\nderful grotesque tragi-comic power, which afterwards\ntook the town by storm. Then he endowed with\nwondrous vitality, the awful hero of what had hitherto\nbeen considered a very had farce, called The Wan-\ndering Minstrel, the production of Mr. Henry Mayhew,\nand then and thenceforward all London came to see\nRobson.\nSince his decease most of the London daily and\nweekly journals have devoted a portion of their space\nto a review of the wonderful talents of this strange\ngenius. The similarity of view taken of his powers\nmight at first surprise, until we remember that his crea-\ntions were all of the same order, all equally new and\nmarvellous, and striking the beholder with much the\nsame kind of delightful wonderment. One writer says\nof him : —\n\" Out of materials trivial and unworthy, he could\nelaborate characters that startled you by their weird,\nwild force. In his apparently reckless drollery, there\nwas an, undercurrent of passion whose strength and ra-\npidity were amazing. You saw capering about the\nstage, absurdly clad, now mouthing tumid bombast, now\nchanting some street song, a strange figure — one of\nthe quaintest of buffoons. Nothing more ? Of a sud-\nden, the actor would be in earnest ; the eyes that had\nbeen winking with a knowing vulgarity all at once look-\ned you full in the face, mastered you at a glance;\nthere was a passionate cry, a taunting shout, or a wail\nof utter heartrending misery in the voice which had\njust been trolling a Cockney ditty ; and then, ere your\ntears, so strangely surprised from you, were dry, the\nmime was again prancing or strutting, all the earnestness\ngone out of him, a mountebank, but one of bewildering\nand fantastic freaks, of swift and perplexing changes."}, {"page_pdf": 18, "page_imprimee": "106", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.18", "debut_caractere": 2207, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4477, "texte": "What was this new phenomenon ? Had the man mis-\ntaken his vocation ? You could fancy for a moment, as\nyou watched him, that from those lips there would come\nwith a new force the terrible curse of LEAR, or the\nmiserable pleading of the broken king with his cruel\ndaughters. Presto, and all was over —he was again a\n' low comedian'. Wonderful were these transitions of his \".\nAnother journalist in speaking of the marvellous\nlittle man, very appropriately connects his name with\nthat of a genius who possessed powers equally strange\nand startling, in their fantastic and unique character,\nwith those of the diminutive actor \" who every night\nhad to paint his face and make a crowd laugh or cry,\nas he listed\" : —\n\" We are inclined to believe\", he says, \" that the\nworld might never have known all that was in Frede-\nrick Robson if he had not known Robert Brough.\nThere was a freemasonry of genius between those two\ngifted men — each, alas! cut off before his life-work\nwas half accomplished — which gave the author an\ninsight into the powers of the actor, and afforded to\nhim the hint upon which his own rare faculties enabled\nhim to act without delay. Ostensibly a comic writer,\nand overflowing with rich and racy humour, Robert\nBrough had much of the spirit of Edgar Poe, though\nwithout a tinge of his extravagance. There was a\ntone of serious sentiment underlying his drollest conceits,\nand intensity was interwoven with his grotesque. To\nthe genius of Frederick Robson working upon the ma-\nterial supplied to it by that of Robert Brough, the\nworld was indebted for those incomparable performances\nof Medea and Masaniello, which must linger in the\nmemory of those who witnessed them, as marvels such\nas they can scarcely hope to look upon again \".\nMr. Sala's sketch which follows was written in Ame-\nrica for American readers. The writer's hope, that he\nmay find upon his return the great actor \" once more\na hale and valid man \", will not, alas be realized.\nThe remains of the deceased gentleman were inter-\nred on the 17th inst., at Norwood Cemetary, a spot\nthe actor had chosen for his last resting place some\ntime ago, when the complaint which finally carried him\noff made its first appearance in a violent, but not fatal,\nform.\nPiccadilly, Aug. 20- 1864.\n\nJ. C. H."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c013", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c013", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "107", "page_fin": "119", "image_debut": 19, "image_fin": 35, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.3", "titre_corps": "ROBSON : A SKETCH. LONDON 1864", "titre_sommaire": "ROBSON : A SKETCH. LONDON 1864", "signature_source": "GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 19, "page_imprimee": "107", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.19", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2165, "texte": "ROBSON: A SKETCH.\nLONDON 1864\nBY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA.\n\n. T i .\n|N the whole or London there is not a dirtier, narrow-\nI er, and more disreputable thoroughfare than Wych\nStreet. It runs from the lowest part of Drury Lane\nwhere Nell Gwyn once had her lodgings, and stood at\nher door in very primitive costume to see the milkmaids\ngo a-Maying, and parallel to Holywell Street and the\nStrand, into the churchyard of St. Clements Danes. No\ngood, it was long supposed, could ever come out of\nWych Street. The place had borne an evil name for\ncenturies. Up a horrible little court branching north-\nward from it good old George Cruikshank once show-\ned me the house where Jack Shepherd, the robber\nand prison-breaker, served his apprenticeship to Mr.\nWood, the carpenter; and on a beam in the loft of\nthis house Jack is said to have carved his name. When\nthe pavement of the Strand is under repair, Wych\nStreet becomes, perforce, the principal channel of com-\nmunication between the east and the west end; and\nTheodore Hook used to say that he never passed\nthrough Wych Street in a hackney-coach without being\nblocked up by a hearse and a coal-wagon in the van,\nand a mud-cart and the Lord Mayor's carriage in the\nrear. Wych Street is among the highways we Eng-\nlish are ashamed to show to foreigners. We have\nthreatened to pull it down bodily, any time these\ntwo hundred years, and a portion of the sou-\nthern side, on which the old Lyons inn abutted,\nhas indeed been razed, preparatory to the erection of\na grand metropolitan hotel on the American system; but\nthe funds appear not to be forthcoming; the scheme\nlanguishes; and, on the other side of the street, another\nlegal hostelry, New inn, still flourishes in weedy damp-\nness, immovable in the strength of vested interests. It\nis full of quaint old Tudor houses, with tall gables,\ncarved porches, and lattice-casements; but the picturesque\nappearance cf these tenements compensates but ill for\ntheir being mainly dens of vice and depravity, in-\nhabited by the vilest offscourings of the enormous city.\nNext to Napoli senza sole, Wych Street, Drury Lane, is,\nmorally and physically, about the shadiest street I know."}, {"page_pdf": 20, "page_imprimee": "108", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.20", "debut_caractere": 2266, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4554, "texte": "In Wych Streets stands, nevertheless, an oasis in\nthe midst of a desert, a pretty and commodious little\ntheatre, called the . The entertainments here\nprovided have earned, for brilliance and elegance, so\nwell-deserved a repute, that the Olympic Theatre has\nbecome one of the most favourite resorts of the British\naristocracy. The Brahminical classes appear oblivious of\nthe yellow streak of caste, when they come hither. On\nfour or five nights in every week during the season,\nDrury Lane is rendered well-nigh impassible by splen- -\ndid equipages which have conveyed dukes and marqui-\nses and members of Parliament to the Olympic. Fre-\nquently, but prior to the lamented death of Prince Al-\nbert, you might observe, if you passed through Wych\nStreet in the forenoon, a little platform, covered with\nfaded red cloth, and shaded by a dingy, striped awn-\ning, extending from one of the entrance-doors of the\nOlympic to the edge of the sidewalk. The initiated\nbecame at once aware that Her Most Gracious Majes-\nty intended to visit the Olympic Theatre that very\nevening. The Queen of England goes to theatres no -\nmore; but the Prince of Wales and his pretty young wife,\nthe stout, good-tempered Duke of Cambridge, and his sis-\nter, the bonny Princess Mary, are still constant visi-\ntors to Wych Street. So gorgeous is often the assem-\nblage in this murkiest of streets, that you are remin-\nded of the days when the French noblesse, in all the\npride of hoops and hair-powder, deigned to flock to the\nlowly wine-shop of Ramponneau.\nMy business, however, is less with the Olympic\nTheatre, as it at present exists, than with its immediate\npredecessor. About fifteen years ago, there stood in\nWych Street a queer, low-browed little building with\na rough wooden portico before it, — not unlike such\na portico as I have recently seen in front of a dilapi-\ndated inn at Culpepper, Virginia, — and with little\nblinking windows, very much resembling the port-holes\nof a man-of-war. According to tradition, the place had,\nindeed, a kind of naval origin. Old King George III.,\nwho, when he was not mad, or meddling with politics,\nwas really a good-natured kind of man, once made\nPhilip Astley, the riding-master, and proprietor of the\ncircus in South Lambeth, a present of a dismantled\n\n(I) See page 99."}, {"page_pdf": 21, "page_imprimee": "109", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.21", "debut_caractere": 2090, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4425, "texte": "seventy-four gun-ship captured from the French. With\nthese timbers, some lath and plaster, a few bricks, and\na little money, Astley ran up a theatre dedicated to\nthe performance of interludes and burlettas, — that is,\nof pieces in which the dialogue was not spoken, but\nsung, in order to avoid interference with the patent-\nrights of Drury Lane and Covent Garden. In our days,\nthis edifice was known as the Olympic. When I knew\nthis theatre first, it had fallen into a state of seemingly\nhopeless 'decadence. Nobody succeeded there. To\nlease the Olympic Theatre was to court bankruptcy\nand invite collapse. The charming Vestris had been\nits tenant for a while. There Liston and Wrench had\ndelighted the town with their most excellent fooling.\n1 here many of Planche's most sparkling burlesques had\nbeen produced. There a perfect boudoir of a green-\nroom had been fitted up by Bartolozzi's beautiful and\nwitty daughter;, and there Hook and Jerrold, Haynes\nBayiey and A Beckett had uttered their wittiest\nsayings. But the destiny of the Olympic was indomi-\ntable. There was nae luck about the house; and Eliza\nVestris went bankrupt at last. Management after ma-\nnagement tried its fortunes in the doomed little house,\nbut without success. Desperate adventurers seized upon\nit as a last resource, or chose it as a place wherein to\nconsummate their ruin. The Olympic was contiguous\nto the Insolvent Debtors' Court, in Portugal Street, and\nfrom the Paint-pots of the Olympic scene-room to the\nwhitewash of the commercial tribunal there was but one\nstep.\nIt must have been in 1848 that the famous come-\ndian, William barren, having realized a handsome for-\ntune as an actor, essayed to lose a considerable portion\nof his wealth by becoming a manager. He succeeded\nin the last-named enterprise quite as completely as he\nhad done in the other: I mean, that he lost a large\nsum of money in the Olympic Theatre. He played all\nkinds of pieces; among others, he gave the public two very\nhumourous burlesques, founded on Shakespeare's plays\nof \" Macbeth \" and \" The Merchant of Venice \". The\nauthors were two clever young Oxford men: Frank\nTalfourd, the son of the poet-judge, — father and son\nare, alas! both dead, — and William Hale, the son\nof the well-known Archdeacon and Master of the Char-\nter-House. Shakespearian burlesques were no novelty"}, {"page_pdf": 22, "page_imprimee": "110", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.22", "debut_caractere": 2153, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4376, "texte": "to the town. We had had enough and to spare of\nthem. W. J. Hammond, the original Sam IVeller in\nthe dramatized version of \" Pickwick \", had made peo-\nple laugh in \" Macbeth Travestie and \" Othello ac-\ncording to Act of Parliament . The Olympic bur-\nlesques were slightly funnier, and not nearly so\ncoarse as their fore-runners; but they were still of\nno striking salience. Poorly mounted, feebly play-\ned, — save in one particular, — they drew but\nthin houses. Gradually, however, you began to hear *\nat clubs and in critical coteries — at the Albion and\nthe Garrick and the Cafe de 1'Europe, at Evans's and\nat Kilpack's, at the Reunion in Maiden Lane and at\nRules's oyster-room, where poor Albert Smith used to\nreign supreme — rumours about a new actor. I tie\nnew man was playing Macbeth and Shy lock h* Tal-„\nfourd and Hale's parodies. He was a little stunted\nfellow, not very well-favoured, not very young. No-\nbody — among the bodies who were anybody — had\never heard of him before. Whence he came, or what\nhe was, none knew; but everybody came at last to -\ncare. For this little stunted creature, with his hoarse\nvoice and nervous gestures and grotesque delivery, his\nsnarls, his leers, his hunchings of the shoulders, his con-\ntortions of the limbs, his gleaming of the\nand his grindings of the teeth, was a genius. He\nbecame town-talk. He speedily grew famous. He\nhas been an English, I might almost say a European,\nI might almost say a world-wide celebrity ever since ;\nand his name was FREDERICK ROBSON.\nEventually it was known, when the town grew in-\nquisitive and the critics were compelled to ferret out\nhis antecedents, that the new actor had already attained\nmiddle age, — that he had been vegetating for years\nin that obscurest and most miserable of all dramatic _\npositions, the low comedian of a country theatre, —\nthat he had come timidly to London and accepted at\na low salary the post of buffoon at a half-theatre half-\nsaloon in the City Road, called indifferently the \" Gre-\ncian \" O and the \" Eagle \", where he had danced and\ntumbled, and sung comic songs, and delivered the dis-\nmal waggeries set down for him, without any marked\nsuccess, and almost without notice. He was a quiet,\n\n(1) See page 97."}, {"page_pdf": 27, "page_imprimee": "111", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.27", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2378, "texte": "unassuming little man, this Robson, seemingly without\nvanity and without ambition. He had a wife and fa-\nll. mily to maintain, and drew his twenty-five or thirty\nshillings weekly with perfect patience and resignation,\nA weary period, however, elapsed between his ap-\npearence at the Olympic and his realization of finan-\np cial success. The critics and the connoisseurs talked\nabout him a long time before the public could be per-\nsuaded to go and see him, or the manager to raise his\n-salary. That doomed house with the wooden portico\nwas in the way. At last the wretched remnant of the\nFrench seventy-four caught fire and was burned to the\nground. Its ill-luck was consistent to the last. A poor\nactor, named Bender, had engaged the Olympic for a\nbenefit. He was to pay twenty pounds for the use of\nthe house. He had just sold nineteen pounds' worth\nof tickets, and trusted to the casual receipts at the door\nfor his profits. At a few minutes before six o'clock,\nhaving to play in the first piece, he proceeded to the\ntheatre, and entered his dressing-room. By half-past\n• six the whole house was in a blaze. Bender, half un-\ndressed, had only time to save himself; and his coat,\n* with the nineteen pounds in the pocket, fell a prey to\nthe flames. After this, will you tell me that there is\nnot such a thing as ill-luck ?\nThe Olympic arose \" like a phoenix from its ashes \".\nTo use language less poetical, a wealthy tradesman —\na cheesemonger, I think — found the capital to build\nup a new theatre. The second edifice was elegant,\nalmost splendid ; but in the commencement it seem-\ned fated to undergo as evil fortune as its precursor.\n1 cannot exactly remember whether it was in the old\nor the new Olympic — but I think it was in the new\none — that the notorious Walter Watts ran a brief\nwand sumptuous career as manager. He produced many\npieces, some of them his own, in a most luxurious\nmanner. He was a man about town, a viveur, a dandy;\nand it turned out one morning that Walter Watts had\nbeen, all along, a clerk in the Globe Insurance Office,\nat a salary of a hundred and fifty pounds a year; and\nthat he had swindled his employers out of enormous\nsums of money. He was tried, nominally for stealing\n\" a piece of paper, value one penny \", being a check\n• which he had abstracted ; but it was understood that\nhis defalcations were little short of ninety thousand pounds"}, {"page_pdf": 28, "page_imprimee": "112", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.28", "debut_caractere": 840, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3097, "texte": "sterling. Watts was convicted, and sentenced to ten\nyears transportation. The poor wretch was not of the\nheroically villanous mould in which the dashing crimi-\nnals who came after him, Robson and Redpath, were\ncast. He was troubled with a conscience. He had\ndrunk himself into delirium tremens; and starting from\nhis pallet one night in a remorseful frenzy, he hanged *\nhimself in the jail.\nIt was during the management of Alfred Wigan at\nthe New Olympic that Frederick Robson began to be\nheard of again. An old, and not a very clever farce,\nby one of the Brothers Mayhew, entitled \" The Wan-\ndering Minstrel\", had been revived. In this farce,\nRobson was engaged to play the part of Baggs,\nan itinerant vocalist and flageolet-player, who, in tatter-\ned attire, roams about from town to town, making the\nair hideous with his performances. The part was a\npaltry one, and Robson, who had been engaged mainly\nat the instance of the manager's wife, a very shrewd\nand appreciative lady, who had persisted in declaring\nthat the ex-low-comedian of the Grecian had \" some-\nthing in him eked it out by singing an absurd ditty\ncalled \" Vilikins and his Dinah\". The words and\nthe air of \" Vilikins \" were, if not literally as old as\nthe hills, considerably older than the age of Queen.\nElizabeth. The story told in the ballad, of a father's\ncruelty, a daughter's anguish, a sweetheart's despair,\nand the ultimate suicide of both the lovers, is, albeit\ncouched in uncouth and grotesque language, as pathe-\ntic as the tragedy of \"Romeo aud Juliet\". Robson\ngave every stanza a nonsensical refrain of \" Right too-\nral lol looral, right tooral lol lay At times, when\nhis audience was convulsed with merriment, he would\ncome to a halt, and gravely observe, \" This is not a\ncomic song'' ; but London was soon unanimous thaL\nsuch exquisite comicality had not been heard for many\nalong year. \"Vilikins and his Dinah\" created a\nrore. My countrymen are always mad about some-\nthing; and Englishmen and Englishwomen all agreed to\ngo crazy about \" Vilikins \". \" Right tooral lol looral \"\nwas on every lip. Robson's portrait as Jem Baggs was\nin every shop-window. A newspaper began an editorial\nwith the first line of \"Vilikins\". —\n\" It's of a liquor-merchant who in London did\ndwell"}, {"page_pdf": 29, "page_imprimee": "113", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.29", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2347, "texte": "A Judge of Assize absolutely fined the High She-\nriff of a county one hundred pounds for the mingled\n_ contempt shown in neglecting to provide him with an\nescort of javelin-men and introducing the irrepressible\n\" Right tooral lol looral \" into a speech delivered at the\nopening of circuit. Nor was the song all that was\nwonderful in Jem Baggs. His \" Make-up \" was su-\nperb. The comic genius of Robson asserted itself in\nan inimitable lagging gait, an unequalled snivel, a\ncoat and pantaloons every patch on and every rent in\nwhich were artistic, and a hat inconceivably battered,\ncrunched, and bulged out of normal, and into preter-\nnatural shape.\nNew triumphs awaited him. In the burlesque of\n\" 1he Yellow Dwarf\", he showed a mastery of the\ngrotesque which approached the terrible. Years before,\nin Macbeth, he had personated a red-headed, fire-eating,\nwhisky-drinking Scotchman, — and in Shylock, a servile,\nfawning, obsequious, yet, when emergency arose, a pas-\nsionate and vindictive Jew. In the Yellow Dwarf he\nwas the jaundiced embodiment of a spirit of Oriental\nevil : crafty, malevolent, greedy, insatiate, — full of\nmockery, mimicry, lubricity, and spite, — an Afrit, a\nDjinn, a Ghoul, a spawn of Sheitan. How that mon-\nstrous orange-tawny head grinned and wagged ! How\nthose flaps of ears were projected forwards, like unto\nthose of a dog ! How balefully these atrabilious eyes\nglistened ! You laughed, and yet you shuddered. He\nspoke in mere doggerel and slang. He sang trumpery\nsongs to negro melodies. He danced the Lancashire\n- clog-hornpipe ; he rattled out puns and conundrums ; yet\ndid he contrive to infuse into all this mummery and buf-\nfoonery, into this salmagundi of the incongruous and\nthe outre, an umistakable tragic element, — an ele-\nment of depth and strength and passion, and almost of\nsublimity. The mountebank became inspired. The Jack\nPudding suddenly drew the cothurnus over his clogs.\nYou were awe-stricken by the intensity, the vehemence\nhe threw into the mean balderdash of the burlesque-\nmonger. These qualities were even more apparent in\nhis subsequent personation of Medea, in Robert Brough's\nparody of the Franco-Italian tragedy. The love, the\nhate, the scorn, of the abandoned wife of Jason, the\ndiabolic loathing in which she holds Creusa, the tige-\nrish affection with which she regards the children whom"}, {"page_pdf": 30, "page_imprimee": "114", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.30", "debut_caractere": 2022, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4386, "texte": "she is afterwards to slay, — all these were portrayed\nby Robson, through the medium, be it always remem-\nbered, of doggerel and slang, with astonishing force and\nvigour. The original Medea, the great Ristori herself,\ncame to see Robson, and was delighted with and\namazed at him. She scarcely understood two words -\nof English, but the actor's genius struck her home ■\nthrough the bull's-hide target of an unknown tongue. \" Uo-\nmo straordinario ! \" she went away saying.\nI have anticipated the order of his successes, but\nat this distance of time and place I can keep no chro- ,\nnological count of them. Robson has always alterna-\nted the serio-comic burlesque with pure farce, and after\nJem Baggs his brightest hits have been in the deaf\nostler in \" Boots at the Swan \" and the discharged cri-\nminal in \" Retained for the Defence \". In the burle-\nsque of \" Masaniello \", he had an opportunity — which-\nsome thought would prove a magnificent one to him —\nof showing the grotesque side of insanity ; but, for some\nreason or other, the part seemed distasteful to him.\nIt may have been repugnant to his eminently sensitve\nspirit to exhibit the ludicrous aspect of the most dread-\nful of human infirmities. A peste, fame, bello, et de-\nmentia libera nos, Domine! Perhaps the piece itself\nwas weak. At all events, \"Masaniello\" had but a\nbrief run. A drunken man, a jealous man, a deaf man, a fool;\na vagabond, a demon, a tyrant, Robson could marvellously\ndepict: in the crazy Neapolitan fisherman he either fai-\nled or was unwilling to excel. I had been for a long\nperiod extremely solicitous to see Robson undertake the\npart of Sir Giles Overreach in \"A New Way to pay\nOld Debts \". You know that Sir Giles, after the dis-\ncovery of the obliterated deed, goes stark staring mad.\nI should have wished to see him assume Edmund Kean's\nown character in the real play itself ; but Robson was\nnervous of venturing on a purely \" legitimate \" role. I\nwas half persuaded to write a burlesque on \"A New\nWay to pay Old Debts and Robson had promised\nto do his very best with Sir Giles ; but a feeling, half\nof laziness, and half of reverence for the fine old drama,\ncame over me, and I never got farther than the first-\nscene.\nBy this time some of the foremost dramatists in\nLondon thought they could discern in Robson latent\ncharacteristics of a nature far more elevated than those"}, {"page_pdf": 31, "page_imprimee": "115", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.31", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2387, "texte": "which his previous performances had brought into play.\nIt was decided by those who had a right to render\nan authoritative verdict, that he would shine best in\nthat which we call the \" domestic drama \". Here it\nwas thought his broad fun, rustic waggery, and curious\nmastery of provincial dialect might admirably contrast\nwith the melodramatic intensity, of which in so eminent\na degree he was the master. Hence the dramas, writ-\nten expressly and deliberately to his measure and capa-\ncity, of \" Daddy Hardacre \", \" 1he Porter's Knot\",\nand \" The Chimney-Corner\". When I say written,\nI mean, of course, translated. Our foremost dramatists\nhave not yet ceased to borrow from the French; but,\nlike the gypsies, they so skilfully mutilate the children\nthey have stolen, that the theft becomes almost impos-\nsible to detect. Not one person in five hundred, for\ninstance, would discover at first sight that a play so\napparently English in conception and structure as the\n\" Ticket-of-Leave Man\" is, in reality, a translation\nfrom the French.\nThe success achieved by Robson in the dramas I\nhave named was extended, and was genuine. In Daddy\nHardacre, a skilful adaptation of the usurer in Balzac's\n\" Eugenie Grandet \", it was tremendous. It made me more\nthan ever wishful to see him in the griping, ruthless\nOverreach, foiled at last in his wicked ambition and\ndriven to frenzy by the destruction of the document by\nwhich he thought to satisfy his lust of gain. Moliere's\nAvare I thought he would have acted wonderfully ; Ben\nJonson's Volpone, in \" The Fox , he would surely\nhave understood, and powerfully rendered. In the de-\nvoted father of \" The Porter's Knot \" he was likewise\nmost excellent: quiet, unaffected, unobtrusive, never for-\ncing sentiment upon you, never obtaining tears by false\npretences, but throughout solid, sterling, natural, admi-\nrable. I came at last, however, to the conviction, that,\nmarked as was the distinction gained by this good ac-\ntor in parts such as these, and as the lighthouse-keeper\n—- the character originally sustained in private by Charles\nDickens — in Wilkie Collins's play, domestic drama\nwas not his forte; or, rather, that it was not his for-\ntissimo. In fantastic burlesque, in the comic-terrible,\nhe was unrivalled and inimitable. In the domestic\ndrama he could hardly be surpassed but he might be ap-\nproached. Webster, Emery, Addison, could play"}, {"page_pdf": 32, "page_imprimee": "116", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.32", "debut_caractere": 2021, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4368, "texte": "Daddy Hardacre, or the father in \" The Porter's\nKnot \" ; but none but himself could at once awe and con-\nvulse in Medea and the Yellow Dwarf. These do-\nmestic dramas interested, however, as much by their\nsubject as by the excellence of his acting. Moreover, the\npublic are apt sometimes to grow weary of burlesque,\n— their eternal grimacing and word-torturing and\nnegro-singing and dancing. Themes for parody become\nexhausted, and, without long surcease, would not bear\nrepetition. You may grow puns, like tobacco, until the\nsoil is utterly worn out. The burlesque writers,\ntoo, exhibited signs of weariness and feebleness. Plan-\nche retired into the Heralds' College. The cleverest of\nthe Broughs died. His surviving brother was stupid.\nTalfourd went to the law before he found an early\ngrave. Hale went to India. The younger generation\nwere scarcely fit to write pantomimes, and it was not\nalways Christmas. Besides, Robson had become a ma-\nnager, and thought, perhaps, that weightier parts became\nhim. In co-partnership with Mr. Emdem, he had suc-\nceeded Alfred Wigan as lessee of the Olympic, and\nthere 1 hope he has realized a fortune. But whenever\nhis brief vacations occurred, and actor-like he proceeded\nto turn them into gold by devoting to performances in\ncountry-theatres those days and nights which should pro-\nperly have been given to rest and peace, he proved\nfaithful to his old loves, and Jem Baggs and Boots at\nthe Swan, Medea and the Yellow Dwarf, continued to\nbe favourite parts.\nThe popularity attained in England by this most\nremarkable of modern actors has never, since the public\nwere first aware of his qualities, decreased. Robson\nis always sure to draw. The nights of his playing,\nor of his non-playing, at the Olympic, are as sure a\ngauge of the receipts as the rising and falling of the\nmercury in the thermometer are of the variations of the\ntemperature. A month's absense of Robson from Lon-\ndon always brought about an alarming depletion in the\nOlympic treasury. Unhappily, these absenses have of\nlate years become more irequent, and more and more\nprolonged. The health of the great tragi-comedian has\ngradually failed him. 1 have been for a long period\nwithout news from him ; but I much fear that the hey-\nday of his health and strength is past. The errors which\nmade Edmund Kean, in the prime of life, a shattered"}, {"page_pdf": 33, "page_imprimee": "117", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.33", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2350, "texte": "wreck, cannot be brought home to Frederick Robson.\nRumours, the wildest and the wickedest, have been\ncirculated about him, as about every other public man;\nbut, to the best of my knowledge and belief, they are\nwholly destitute of foundation. Don Basile, in Beau-\nmarchais's play, might have added some very pregnant\nadvice to his memorable counsel, \" Calomniez, -\nniez, il en resultera toujours quelque chose \". He should\nhave taught the world — if the world wants teaching —\nhow to calumniate. The following recipe will be found\nI think, infallible. If your enemy be a man of stu-\ndious and retired habits, hint that he has gone mad ;\nif you see him alone at a theatre or at church, report\nthat he is separated from his wife; and in any case,\ndeclare that he drinks. He can't disprove it. If he\ndrinks water out-of-doors, he may drink like a fish at\nhome. If he walks straight on the street, he may reel\nin the parlour.\nThus, scores of times, the gossip-mongers of\nEnglish provincial papers — the legion of \" our own\ncorrespondents , who are a nuisance and a curse to\nreputable society, wherever that society is to be found\n— have attributed the vacillating health and the inter-\nmittent retirements from the stage of the great actor to\nan over-fondness for brandy-and-water. The sorrowful\nsecret of all this is, I apprehend, that poor Robson has\nfor years been overworking himself, — and that lat-\nterly prosperity has laid as heavy a tax upon his time\nand energy as necessity imposed upon them when he\nwas young. Dame Fortune, whether she smile, or\nwhether she frown, never ceases to be a despot. Over\nDives and over Lazarus she equally tyrannizes. In\nwealth and in poverty does she exact the pound of\nflesh or the pound of soul. There are seasons in a\nman s life when Fortune with a radiant savageness cries\nout to him, \" Confound you ! you shall make fifty thou-\nsand a year ; and she drives him onward to the goal\nquite as remorselessly as ever slave-owner drove negro\ninto a rice-ground. The whip that is made of golden\nwire hurts quite as much, I opine, as the cowhide.\nAnd when, at last, the fortunate man cries out, \" 1 am\nrich, I have enough, Sat me lusistis, ludite nunc alios,\nI will work and fret myself no more, 1 will retire on\nmy dividends, and sit me down under my own fig-tree \",\n— Fortune dismisses him with a sneer : \" Retire, if"}, {"page_pdf": 34, "page_imprimee": "118", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.34", "debut_caractere": 2032, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4448, "texte": "you like ! \" cries the implacable, \" but take hypochon-\ndria and ennui, take gout and the palsy, with you \".\nI should be infinitely rejoiced to hear, when I go\nback d, that Robson is once more a hale and valid\nman. It is the tritest of platitudes to say that he could\nill be spared by the English stage. We never can\nspare a good actor. As well can we spare a good\nbook or a good picture. But there would be much\ncause for gratulation, if Robson were spared, ere his\npowers definitely decline, to visit the United States.\nThe American people ought to see Robson. They\nhave had our tragedians, good, bad, and indifferent.\nThey have filled the pockets of William Macready and\nof Charles Kean with dollars. They have heard our\nmen-singers and our women-singers, — the birds that\ncan sing, and the birds that can't sing, but sing.\nThe most notable of our drolls, Buckstone and Keeley,\nhave been here, and have received a cordial welcome.\nBut Robson has hitherto been lacking on this side the\nAtlantic. That he would be thoroughly appreciated\nby the theatrical public of America I cannot for one\ninstant doubt. It is given to England to produce ec-\ncentrics, but for other nations to understand them better\nthan the English do. The Germans are better critics\nof the satire of Hogarth, the French of the humour of\nSterne, and the Americans of the philosophy of Shake-\nspeare, than we to whose country those illustrious be-\nlong. In Boston, in New York, in Philadelphia, crowd-\ned and enthusiastic audiences would, I venture to fore-\ntell, hang on the utterances of Robson, and expound\nto their own entire satisfaction his most eloquent by-play,\nhis subtlest gestures. It would be idle, in the endea-\nvour to give him something like a palpable aspect to\npeople who have never seen him, to compare him with\nother great actors yet extant, or who have gone before.\nIn his bursts of passion, in his vehement soliloquies, in\nthe soul-harrowing force of his simulated invective, he\nis said to resemble Edmund Kean ; but how are you\nto judge of an actor who in his comic moments cer-\ntainly approaches the image we have formed to our-\nselves of Munden and Dowton, of Bannister and Suett ?\nTo say that he is a Genius, and the Prince of Eccen-\n\n(1) Mr. Sa!a penned this sketch in America, where he is the \"Spe-\ncial Commissioner\" of the London Daily Telegraph. (Publisher's Note).\nIt was published in the 41 Atlantic Monthly Editor."}, {"page_pdf": 35, "page_imprimee": "119", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.35", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1567, "texte": "tries, is perhaps the only way to cut the Gordian knot\nof criticism in his instance.\nLet me add, in conclusion, that Robson, off the\nstage, is one of the mildest, modestest, most unassuming\nof men. Painfully nervous he always was. I remem-\nber, a dozen years since, and when I was personally\nunacquainted with him, writing in some London news-\npaper an eulogistic criticism of one of his performances.\nI learned from friends that he had read the article, and\nhad expressed himself as deeply grateful to me for it.\n1 just knew him by sight; but for months afterwards,\nif I met him in the street, he used to blush crimson,\nand made as sudden a retreat round the nearest corner\nas was possible. He said afterwards that he hadn't\nthe courage to thank me. I brought him to bay at\nlast, and came to know him very well; and then I\ndiscovered how the nervousness, the bashfulness, the\nmauvaise honte, which made him so shy and retiring\nin private, stood him in wonderful stead on the stage.\nThe nervous man became the fretful and capricious\ntyrant of mock tragedy ; the bashful man warmed at\nthe foot-lights with passion and power. The manner\nwhich in society was a drawback and a defect became\nin the pursuit of his art a charm and an excellence.\nWhat new parts may be created for Robson, and how\nhe will acquit himself in them, I cannot presume to\nprophesy ; but it is certain that he has already done\nenough to win for himself in the temple of dramatic fame\na niche all the more to be envied, as its form and pattern\nmust be, like its occupant, unprecedented and original."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c014", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c014", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 23, "image_fin": 23, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.3.1", "titre_corps": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 23, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.23", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 39, "texte": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON.\nPlate 15."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c015", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c015", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 25, "image_fin": 25, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.3.2", "titre_corps": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 25, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.25", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 39, "texte": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON.\nPlate 16."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c016", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c016", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "97", "page_fin": "100", "image_debut": 9, "image_fin": 12, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.4", "titre_corps": "HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES & EXTRACTS", "titre_sommaire": "HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES & EXTRACTS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "debut_caractere": 1589, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1634, "texte": "HISTORICAL AND\nBIOGRAPHICAL\nNOTES & EXTRACTS."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c017", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c017", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "97", "page_fin": "97", "image_debut": 9, "image_fin": 9, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.4.1", "titre_corps": "THE GRECIAN SALA : FORMERLY THE EAGLE. THE SCENE OF ONE OF ROBSON'S EARLY ENGAGEMENTS", "titre_sommaire": "THE GRECIAN SALA : FORMERLY THE EAGLE. THE SCENE OF ONE OF ROBSON'S EARLY ENGAGEMENTS", "signature_source": "J. S", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "debut_caractere": 1636, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2245, "texte": "THE GRECIAN SALA.\nFORMERLY THE EAGLE.\nTHE SCENE OF ONE OF ROBSON'S\nEARLY ENGAGEMENTS.\nJ. S.\nONCE \" Ihe Shepherd and Shep-\nherdess \" Alehouse stood on the\nsite of the Eagle Tavern in the City\nRoad : Thomas Rouse built the Tavern\ncirca 1825 (rebuilt 1835) with its\nGrecian Saloon to come later. The\ntavern grounds and Theatre were in\n1882 sold to General Booth and were\noccupied by the Salvation Army and\ndemolished in 1901.\nOn HorwoocTs Plan of London, re-\nproduced in Volume XII of \" The\nMask ' we find the \" Shepherd and\nShepherdess \".clearly marked on Plate 3\nat the corner of Shepherd's Walk and\nCity Road."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c018", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c018", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "97", "page_fin": "97", "image_debut": 9, "image_fin": 9, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.4.2", "titre_corps": "[Sans titre]", "titre_sommaire": "[Sans titre]", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "debut_caractere": 2247, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2878, "texte": "IT was first opened by a man named\nThomas Rouse, in 1832. Rouse,\nor \" bravo Rouse as he was called\non account of his being always hailed\nby his patrons with that cry, was a\nnotable man in his time ; he aspired\nto a much superior style of entertain-\nment to that usually given at the cheap\ntheatres. Some of the lighter French ope-\nras, by Auber, Boieldieu, and Adolphe\nAdam, were first heard in the humble\nprecincts of the City Road, and ren-\ndered with all the efficiency a good\nband, a good chorus, and capable per-\nformers could impart. Mr. Sims Reeves,\nin the very early part of his career,\nwas engaged here as a chorus singer."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c019", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c019", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "97", "page_fin": "98", "image_debut": 9, "image_fin": 10, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.4.3", "titre_corps": "[Sans titre]", "titre_sommaire": "[Sans titre]", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "debut_caractere": 2880, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3047, "texte": "ROUSE lost about £ 2000 a year\nby attempting to improve the\nmusical taste of his patrons, but as\nthe tavern brought in about £ 5000,\nthe debit and credit accounts were"}, {"page_pdf": 10, "page_imprimee": "98", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.10", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1599, "texte": "very well balanced. The Eagle was\nlikewise celebrated for its buffo sing-\ning. Chief among these artists were\nHenry Howell and Robert Glindon.\nThe latter wrote his own songs, and\n\" Biddy thi Basket Woman\", the\n\" Literary Dustman \", and several\nothers were very celebrated in their\nday.\nThe theatre was erected in the\ngardens where, during the summer\nmonths, there were dancing and sing-\ning, al fresco.\nIt was in 1851 that Conquest suc-\nceeded Rouse as the manager of the\nGrecian Saloon. The theatre had a\nhuge area, within a few feet of that\nof Drury Lane; the ground floor for-\nmed an immense pit, and at the back\nwas a circle.\nThe new management began with\na revival of The Midsummer Night*s\nDream, and legitimate tragedy and\ncomedy kept the stage for two or\nthree years to the great loss of the spe-\nculator.\nBy-and-bye the house was rebuilt;\nthe ground lowered some eighteen\nfeet, and two tiers of boxes and a\ngallery formed. After the alterations\nthe Grecian would hold 3,400 per-\nsons. Ballets, under the direction of\nMrs. Conquest, who was a very fine\ndancer, supported by her pupils, be-\ncame the great feature of the theatre.\nThere were a dancingroom and va-\nrious entertainments in the grounds, as\nwell, to add to the attraction of the\nplace, and the gardens were opened\non Sundays for sacred music.\nFrom the time Mr. George Con-\nquest took an active share in the ma-\nnagement, which was about 1857,\npantomime and strong melodrama reign-\ned paramount. As a daring gym-\nnast Mr. Conquest has never had a\nsuperior, and the Grecian pantomime\nbecame one of the things of the\nChristmas season."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c020", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c020", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "98", "page_fin": "98", "image_debut": 10, "image_fin": 10, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.4.4", "titre_corps": "[Sans titre]", "titre_sommaire": "[Sans titre]", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 10, "page_imprimee": "98", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.10", "debut_caractere": 1601, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2132, "texte": "MANY well-known actors graduated\nat the old Grecian Theatre. Most\nillustrious of all Mr. Sims Reeves,\npreviously mentioned, and Frederick\nRobson ; the latter was the low co-\nmedian from 1844 to 1849 at a sa-\nlary beginning at thirty shillings a week,\nand played without exciting any at-\ntention, except among the immediate\npatrons of the house, more than one\nof those parts that afterwards drew all\nLondon to the Olympic.\nThe London Stage, Its His-\ntory and Traditions from\n1576-1888 by H. Barton Baker.\nVol. 2, {1889) pp. 254-257."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c021", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c021", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "99", "page_fin": "100", "image_debut": 11, "image_fin": 12, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.4.5", "titre_corps": "THE OLYMPIC THEATRE", "titre_sommaire": "THE OLYMPIC THEATRE", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 11, "page_imprimee": "99", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.11", "debut_caractere": 2322, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4574, "texte": "THE OLYMPIC THEATRE.\nTHE SCENE OF ROBSON'S\nTRIUMPHS.\nROBSON... for some months previous\nto his engagement at the Olympic\nhad been acting in Dublin, where we\nmay mention, en passant, he was succeed-\ned by Mr. J. L. Toole. He made no\nmark, however, until he appeared as\nShylock in Frank Talfourd's burlesque\nupon The Merchant of Venice, on\nJuly 4th in the same year. The next\nmorning John Oxenford, the critic of\nthe Times, pronounced him to be the\ngreatest actor that had been seen upon\nthe London stage since Edmund\nKean.\nOn the 17th of the following Oc-\ntober the dramatic sceptre was taken\nup by Alfred Wigan. The opening\nbiii was The Camp at the Olympic,\nand Plot and Passion, with Mrs. Stir-\nling, Wiganr Emery, and Robson in\nthe cast. We may note that the\nstalls were now raised to five shillings.\nUp to this time Robson, in spite of\nhis success as Shylock, was so little\nthought of that, it is said, but for\nMrs. Wigan, who could perceive\nsomething of the little man's potentia-\nlities, he would not have been re-en-\ngaged. Yet it was Robson's genius\nalone that saved Wigan from going the\nway of his predecessors.\nA wonderful impersonation and a\nwonderful song in one of the trashiest\nfarces {The Wandering Minstrel) ever\nwritten, was Robson's first success un-\nder the new regime. It was more\nthan a success, it was a furore. Every-\nbody was singing 44 Too roo la!, too,\nroo la!, too ral li da It was in-\ntroduced upon the most extraordinary\noccasions, even by a counsel in his\naddress to the jury. Jem Baggs was\nwhat Paul Pry had been to an ear-\nlier generation, and Villikins and his\nDinah was the ballad par excellence,\nfrom the Belgravian drawing-room to\nthe St. Giles's beershop. This was\nfollowed by that wonderful series of\nburlesques, the greatest of which was\nMedea, and those domestic dramas\nof which Daddy Hardacre aud The\nPorter's Knot were the type, until the\nOlympic became what the Lyceum is\nnow—the most fashionable theatre in\nLondon; night after night the string of\ncoroneted carriages would reach al-\nmost the entire length of Drury Lane\n— and it must be remembered that\ndramatic entertainments were not fa-\nshionable in those days, the tide did\nnot even begin to turn until several\nyears later.\nPoor Robson 1 his career was as"}, {"page_pdf": 12, "page_imprimee": "100", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.12", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2323, "texte": "brief as it was brilliant, and its bril-\nliance was dulled long before the\nend.\nWho that saw him when in full\npossession of his powers can ever\nforget that strange-looking little man,\nwith the small body and the big\nhead, who played upon his audience\nas though they had been the keys of\na piano, now convulsing them with\nlaughter as he perpetrated some out-\nrageous drollery, now hushing them\ninto awe-struck silence with an electri-\ncal burst of passion or pathos, or hold-\ning them midway between terror\nand laughter as he performed some\nweirdly grotesque dance ? The im-\npression he made at such moments was\nthat of a man overwrought by excite-\nment to the verge of madness; the\nwild, gleaming eyes, the nervous twitch-\nings cf the marvellously plastic fea-\ntures, the utter abandon to the feel-\ning of the moment, whether it were\ntragic or grotesque, the instantaneous\ntransition from the tragedian to the\nclown, which was no stage trick but\nan inspiration, an irrepressible impulse,\nwere all so creepy, so uncanny as to\nsuggest incipient insanity, He was\nmorbidly timid and nervous, he could\nnever realise the great position he had\nattained, and was ever haunted by a\nfear that his fall would be as sudden\nas haG been his rise ; success had a\ndelirious effect upon him, and to dea-\nden the stage fright, which he could\nnever overcome, he resorted to stimu-\nlants—with the usual result.\nRobson had been famous scarcely\nseven years when his powers began to\nfail, and his terror of facing the au-\ndience became so great that while\nwaiting for his cue he would gnaw\nftis arms until they bled, and cry out\npiteously, \" 1 dare not go on, I dare\nnot ! until the prompter had at times\nabsolutely to thrust him before the\nfootlights.\nRobson's last original part was Dog-\nbriar, in Watts Phillips's drama, Ca-\nmilla's Husband, produced at the end\nof 1862 ; but by this time he was\nonly the shadow of his former self.\nMelter Moss, in 7he Ticket-of-Leave\nMan, was written for him, but his\nfaculties were so utterly gone that af-\nter a few rehearsals another actor,\nGeorge Vincent, had to be engaged\nfor the part, and on February 12th,\n1864, before the run of that notable\nplay came to an end, Frederick Rob-\nson had breathed his last.\nThe London Stage, Its His-\ntory and Traditions from\n1 S88by H.BartonBaker,\n1889, vol, 2, 28-32."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c022", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c022", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "101", "page_fin": "101", "image_debut": 13, "image_fin": 13, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.5", "titre_corps": "SOME NOTES ON ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "SOME NOTES ON ROBSON", "signature_source": "JOSEPH KNIGHT", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 13, "page_imprimee": "101", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.13", "debut_caractere": 2333, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2629, "texte": "SOME NOTES ON ROBSON\nBY JOSEPH KNIGHT\n(i).\nENGAGED by W. Farren to re-\nplace, at the Olympic in Lon-\ndon, Henry Compton (1805-1877),\nhe appeared for the first time at that\nhouse on 28 March 1853 as Tom\nTwig in the farce of 4 4 Catching an\nHeiress \".\n(i) In the Dictionary of National Bio-\ngraphy."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c023", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c023", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "101", "page_fin": "101", "image_debut": 13, "image_fin": 13, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.6", "titre_corps": "SOME OF HIS ROLES", "titre_sommaire": "SOME OF HIS ROLES", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 13, "page_imprimee": "101", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.13", "debut_caractere": 2631, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3829, "texte": "SOME OF HIS ROLES.\n■■ ■!—MB——W——C———M—,nWHITff-i n I,. tl|>|\nJune 1854 in 44 Hush Money\",\nA a revived farce by Dance, he played\nJaspar Touchwood; and in Palgrave\nSimpson's 44 Heads or Tails \" he was\nthe first Quaile. On 17 October, he\nwas the first Job Wort in Tom Tay-\nlor's 44 Blighted Being \", and at Christ-\nmas obtained one of his most conspi-\ncuous successes in Planches 44 Yeilow\nDwarf\". In January 1855 he was\nSowerby in 44 Tit for Tat \", an adap-\ntation by F. Talfourd of 44 Les Maris\nme font rire Amongst other per-\nformances may be mentioned the 44 Dis-\ncreet Princess \" April 1856, in which\nRobson s Prince Richcraft was painful\nin intensity, and Gustavus Adolphus\nFiiz-Mortimer in 4< A Fascinating In-\ndividual \" II June. In Brough's 44 Me-\ndea \", 14 July, Robson's Medea was\none of his finest burlesque creations.\nHis Jones, in Talfourd's 44 Jones the\nAvenger \" (4 Le Massacre d'un In-\nnocent1) was seen on 24 November.\nZephyr, in 44 Young and Handsome \"\nfollowed in January 1857. His Daddy\nHardacre, in an adaptation so named\nof 44 La Fille de 1'Avare \", 26 March\n1857, was one of his earliest essays in\ndomestic drama. On 2 July he was\nMasaniello in Brough's burlesque of\nthat name."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c024", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c024", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "101", "page_fin": "102", "image_debut": 13, "image_fin": 14, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.7", "titre_corps": "PARTNERSHIP WITH EMDEN AT THE OLYMPIC", "titre_sommaire": "PARTNERSHIP WITH EMDEN AT THE OLYMPIC", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 13, "page_imprimee": "101", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.13", "debut_caractere": 3831, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4375, "texte": "PARTNERSHIP WITH EMDEN\nAT THE OLYMPIC.\nIN August 1857, in partnership with\nEmden, he undertook the manage-\nment of the Olympic, speaking, on\nthe opening night, an address written\nby Robert Brough, and appearing\nboth as Aaron Gurnock in Wilkie Col-\nlins's 44 Lighthouse \" and as Masa-\nniello. On the first production of the\n\" Lighthouse \" by amateurs, at Tavis-\ntock House, Robson's part had been\nplayed by Charles Dickens. 44 The\nSubterfuge \", an adaptation of 44 Livre\ntroisi&me chapitre premier was also\ngiven. After playing a country engage-"}, {"page_pdf": 14, "page_imprimee": "102", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.14", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1722, "texte": "ment he reappeared at the Olympic\nin the 44 Lighthouse\", and was seen\nin Brough's 44 Doge of Duralto, or the\nEnchanted Isle *\\\nIn June 1858 he was the first Pe-\nter Potts in Tom Taylor's 44 Going to\nthe Bad\", and on 13 October the\nfirst Hans Grimm in Wilkie Collins's\n44 Red Vial On 2 October he\ncreated one of his greatest characters\nas Sampson Burr in the 44 Porter's\nKnot This piece by Oxenford was\nfounded to some extent on 44 Les\nCrochets du p£re Martin \" of Carmon\nand Grange.\nAt Christmas he played Mazeppa\nin an extravaganza so named. Paw-\nkins, in Oxenford's 44 Retained for the\nDefence \" (L'Avocat d'un Grec') was\nseen on 25 May 1859, and Reuben\nGoldsched in Tom Taylor's 44 Paya-\nble on Demand, on 11 July. Za-\nchary Clench in Oxenford's 44 Uncle\nZachary \" (L'OncIe Baptisle \") was\ngiven on 8 March 1860, and Hugh\nde Brass in Morton's 44 Regular Fix\"\non 1 1 October. On 21 February\n1861 there was produced H. T. Cra-\nven's 44 Chimney Corner\" in which\nRobson's Peter Probity was another\ntriumph in domestic drama. Dogbriar\nin Watts Phillips's 44 Camilla's Hus-\nhand \" was given on 14 November\n1862. This was the last play in\nwhich Robson appeared.\nIn addition to the parts named the\nfollowing deserve mention: Boots in\n44 Boots at the Swan \", Poor Pilli-\ncoddy, Mr. Griggs in Morton's 44 Tic-\nklish Times\", Alfred the Great in\nRobert Brough's burlesque so named,\nB. B. in a farce so called, Timour\nthe Tartar in a burlesque by Oxen-\nford and Shirley Brooks, Wormwood\nin the 44 Lottery Ticket\", and Chris-\ntopher Croke in 44 Sporting Events\nAlthough ceasing to act, he remained\na lessee of the Olympic until his death,\nwhich took place unexpectedly on\n12th August 1864. He was married,\nand two sons became actors."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c025", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c025", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "102", "page_fin": "103", "image_debut": 14, "image_fin": 15, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.8", "titre_corps": "A UNIQUE POSITION", "titre_sommaire": "A UNIQUE POSITION", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 14, "page_imprimee": "102", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.14", "debut_caractere": 1724, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2182, "texte": "A UNIQUE POSITION.\nDURING his short career Hobson\nheld a position almost if not\nquite unique.\nWith so much passion and inten-\nsity did he charge burlesque that the\nconviction was wide-spread that he\nwould prove a tragedian of highest mark.\nA report prevails that he once, in the\ncountry, played Shylock in the 44 Mer-\nchant of Venice \" without success,\nbut this wants confirmation. A state-\nment made in print that he played\nit in London is inaccurate, It is"}, {"page_pdf": 15, "page_imprimee": "103", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.15", "debut_caractere": 2334, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3743, "texte": "none the less true that he con-\nveyed in burlesque the best idea of\nthe electrical flashes of Kean in tra-\ngedy, and that there were moments in\nhis Macbeth and his Shylock when\nthe absolute sense of terror—the feel-\ning of blood-curdling—seemed at hand,\nif not present. He may almost have\nbeen said to have brought pathos and\ndrollery into association closer than\nhad ever been witnessed on the stage.\nNor in parts such as Peter Probity,\nSampson Burr, and the like belonging\nto domestic drama, has he known an\nequal. In farce, too, he was unsur-\npassable, It is impossible to imagine\nanything more risible than was, for\ninstance, his Slush in Oxenford's 44 A\nLegal Impediment In this he played\na lawyer's bemused outdoor clerk, who,\nvisiting a gentleman, is mistaken for an\nunknown son-in-law-elect expected to\narrive in disguise ; and the manner in\nwhich he 4 introduced into the draw-\ning-room of his astonished host all\nthe amenities, refinements, and social\ncustoms of the private parlour at the\nSwan with Two Necks * will not be\nforgotten by those fortunate enough to\nhave seen it. In his later days, how-\never, in farce and burlesque, he took,\nunder various influences, serious liber-\nties with his audience and his fellow-\nactors. So great a favourite was he\nwith the public that procedings were\ncondoned which in the case of any\nother actor would have incurred se-\nvere and well merited condemnations."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c026", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c026", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "103", "page_fin": "104", "image_debut": 15, "image_fin": 16, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.9", "titre_corps": "PORTRAITS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION", "titre_sommaire": "PORTRAITS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION", "signature_source": "Joseph Knight", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 15, "page_imprimee": "103", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.15", "debut_caractere": 3745, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4501, "texte": "PORTRAITS AND SOURCES\nOF INFORMATION.\n\nROBSOW was small in figure, al-\nmost to insignificance, and was,\nit is said, of a singularly retiring dis-\nposition.\nIn Vol. V. of the \" Extravagan-\nzas \" of J. R. Planche are two litho-\ngraphed portraits of Robson, one after\na photograph by W. Keath, and the\nother after a grotesque statuette of\nRobson as the Yellow Dwarf.\nThe cover of Sala's scarce Memoir\n(1864) had a design of Robson as\nJem Baggs (0 in the M Wandering Mins-\ntrel \" of Henry Mayhew.\nOTHER sources of information are :\nThe Sunday Times, 21 Aug.\n1864 and various years. Theatrical\nTimes 111, 365; Hollingshead's 44 My\nLifetime ; Scott and Howard's E. L.\nBlanchard (2). History of the Theatre\n\n(0 Reproduced on page 113.\n(2) Quoted 011 page 115 119."}, {"page_pdf": 16, "page_imprimee": "104", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.16", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 146, "texte": "Royal, Dublin, 1870; Morley's Jour-\nnal of a London Playgoer; Clark\nRussell's Representative Actors ; Daily\nNews 26 December 18^2.\n\nJoseph Knight."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c027", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c027", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "104", "page_fin": "104", "image_debut": 16, "image_fin": 16, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.10", "titre_corps": "SAMUEL BUTLER ON ROBSON : IN \"THE WAY OF ALL FLESH\"", "titre_sommaire": "SAMUEL BUTLER ON ROBSON : IN \"THE WAY OF ALL FLESH\"", "signature_source": "H. M. Walbrook", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 16, "page_imprimee": "104", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.16", "debut_caractere": 148, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1041, "texte": "SAMUEL BUTLER ON ROBSON.\nIN \"THE WAY OF ALL FLESH\".\n\"A Playgoer's Wanderings\nby H. M. Walbrook.\n\" IN a later and very different novel,\nA Samuel Butler's * The Way of all\nFlesh \\ there is a picture of another\nvanished London playhouse, and of\ntwo famous players of the \"sixties. It\noccurs in a passage describing Ernest\nPontifex's visit to the old Olympic\nTheatre in Wych Street, to see Rob-\nson and Mrs Keeley in a burlesque of\nMacbeth. Here is a glimpse of the\npiece and its players ;\n\" In the scene before the murder,\nMacbeth had said he could not kill\nDuncan when he saw his boots upon\nthe landing. Lady Macbeth put a\nstop to his hesitation by whipping him\nup under her arm, and carrying him\noff the stage kicking and screaming \".\nWhereat (writes Butler who was\ndoubtless recalling an experience of his\nown) Ernest Pontifex, who had only\nlately come out of prison, 4 laughed\ntill he cried '"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c028", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c028", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "104", "page_fin": "105", "image_debut": 16, "image_fin": 17, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.11", "titre_corps": "HENRY MORLEY (1) GOES TO SEE ROBSON. o", "titre_sommaire": "HENRY MORLEY (1) GOES TO SEE ROBSON. o", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 16, "page_imprimee": "104", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.16", "debut_caractere": 1043, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2061, "texte": "HENRY MORLEY (D GOES TO\no SEE ROBSON. o\nOCTOBER 22. 1853. Olympic\nTheatre.,,. The success of the\nnight was undoubtedly the assumption\nof a serious part by the burlesque ac-\ntor, Mr Robson. That there would\nbe other and higher things to report\nof a performer who, while other peo-\nple were burlesquing reality, could put\nsuch a startling reality into burlesque,\nwas not to be doubted. But one\nhardly expected it so soon. The part\nhe plays in \" Plot and Passion (a\ndrama of which the central figure is\nFouche, its characters being the agents\nor objects of his villainy, and its ca-\ntastrophe his disgrace) is that of a\nmean double-faced fawning, punning\ntreacherous tool, in whom the sordid\npassions have nevertheless not wholly\nextinguished others that place him fi-\nnally at the mercy of his victims. Here\nthe actor's opportunity is that of a\nconstant and quick transition within\ntne limited range of the emotions\nexpressed ; and from meanness to ma-\nlice, from cringing humility to the most\n\n(1) Lorn 1822, died 1894,"}, {"page_pdf": 17, "page_imprimee": "105", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.17", "debut_caractere": 2286, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3598, "texte": "malignant hate, from a cat-like watch-\nfulness to occasional bursts of passion\nthat seemed to defy control, Mr Rob-\nson passed with a keen power and\nready self-possession that never missed\nthe effect intended to be produced\n41 Mr Robson's great\nquality is the downright earnestness by\nwhich he makes others feel what he\nvery evidently feels himself. He has\ndefects of voice and person of the\ngravest kind, but some part of that\nwhich made 44 Prichard genteel and\nGarrick six feet high \" has descended\nto him. The sort of character in\nwhich he is likely to excel may always\nlie within the narrowest range, but by\nthe strength and intensity he puts into\nit he will never fail to attract an au-\ndience. Pie wants finish, refinement,\nrelief—fifty things which will come with\nexperience and study, if he has a\nproper regard for his calling and for\nhimself; but already, with none of\nthese things, he is a genuine actor, and\neveryone feels it. The drama had been\nbut a short while opened on Monday\nnight when the general interest fixed\nitself on that ill-dressed, meagre, dwar-\nfish figure, and, whoever else might\noccupy the scene, the eye still sought\nhim out. For the present, therefore,\nthe little man is undoubtedly the great\nfact at the Olympic * \\\n\" The Journal of a London\nPlaygoer '* by Henry Alor-\nlej\\ 1S66."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c029", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c029", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "105", "page_fin": "105", "image_debut": 17, "image_fin": 17, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.12", "titre_corps": "HENRY CRABB ROBINSON IN HIS EIGHTY-FIRST YEAR GOES TO SEE ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "HENRY CRABB ROBINSON IN HIS EIGHTY-FIRST YEAR GOES TO SEE ROBSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 17, "page_imprimee": "105", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.17", "debut_caractere": 3600, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4175, "texte": "HENRY CRABB ROBINSON IN\nHIS EIGHTY-FIRST YEAR\nGOES TO SEE ROBSON.\n\"CEPTEMBER 9. 1856. I dined at\nhome, and ihen went to the theatre,\nmerely to see Robson; and that 1 did\nto my perfect satisfaction. His variety\nof power is beyond all my expecta-\ntion. I could not at first recognize\nhim, in the florid smooth faced Baron.\n1he green-eyed monster, jealousy, is\nadmirably represented by him. His\nexpression is marvellous. Afterwards\nI saw him in a parody of 44 Medea\nA gentleman who sat near me in the\npit stalls lold me that his burlesque imi-\ntation of Ristori was excellent \"."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c030", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c030", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "105", "page_fin": "106", "image_debut": 17, "image_fin": 18, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.13", "titre_corps": "AND AGAIN AT EIGHTY-FOUR", "titre_sommaire": "AND AGAIN AT EIGHTY-FOUR", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 17, "page_imprimee": "105", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.17", "debut_caractere": 4177, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4371, "texte": "AND AGAIN AT EIGHTY-FOUR.\n\nJULY 8th. 1859. — I walked to\nthe Olympic Theatre, where I had\nmore pleasure than I generally have.\nThe first petite comedie, 44 Nine Points\nof the Law \" But it was to"}, {"page_pdf": 18, "page_imprimee": "106", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.18", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1176, "texte": "see Robson I went. He played in\ntwo pieces — \" The Porter's Knot \"\nin which the porter, who rises in life,\nis reduced to poverty by the misconduct\nof his son; and in the second act,\nafter six years appears as a porter.\nHis exhibition of passion in his paternal\naffliction is admirable — quite unique.\nBut this is far surpassed by his appea-\nrance in *' Retained for the Defence\na satiricle exposure of purious sentiment.\nA foolish philanthropist is willing to\ngive his daughter to an advocate for\nhis generous defence of persecuted in-\nnocence and he invites the acquitted\nfelon to an evening party, in order to\nredress his wrongs and restore h's\nsocial position. Now, this hero is\nRobson. Such a brute surely was\nnever conceived ; nothing that Liston\never performed was so farcical and\nridiculous. Of course,nothing can be\nconceived more stupid and absurd than\nthe farce; its sole merit is the exhi-\nbition it produces of Robson. But one\nmust be content to forego all questions\nabout sense or probability. His gri-\nmaces on eating hice at a swarry,\nand the way in which he olds his um-\nbrellt and vipes his nose,defy all cri-\nticism.\n\nVol. II. \"Henry Crabb\nRobinson's Diary\"."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c031", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c031", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "106", "page_fin": "107", "image_debut": 18, "image_fin": 19, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.14", "titre_corps": "HENRY MORLEY AGAIN", "titre_sommaire": "HENRY MORLEY AGAIN", "signature_source": "Henry Morley", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 18, "page_imprimee": "106", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.18", "debut_caractere": 1178, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2205, "texte": "HENRY MORLEY AGAIN.\n\nDECEMBER 12. 1857. — The\nplace of Boots at the Swan,\nheretofore occupied by Mr Keeley, has\nbeen taken, and will for a long time\nbe kept, by Mr. Robson. Mr Keeley\nwas a true Boots; Mr Robson also\nis a true Boots. To the same order\nof Boots each actor refers his part\nmost clearly, but not to the same genus\nof that order. Mr Keeley was not\nonly deaf but humourously stolid; Mr\nRobson although deaf, is humourously\nwide-awake. He is the Boots who is\nbrisk, and alive to all the humour of\nthe street, who would be preternally\nknowing if he could but hear what\npeople say. In word and look and\naction he is more the gamin than the\nsimpleton. The extravagance of a most\nlaughable farce is heightened by him\nto the utmost, and there is not a long\nface to be seen in the house while he\nis busy on the stage\nJUNE 18. 1864 The play-\nbill does, indeed, append to the\nname of the piece a note, saying,\n*• This play is founded on an incident\nsaid to have occured to Garrick, but\nwhich has no pretension to biographical"}, {"page_pdf": 19, "page_imprimee": "107", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.19", "debut_caractere": 2167, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2567, "texte": "accuracy **; euphemism for \" This play\nis called David Garrick, but has nothing\non earth to do with Garrick But\nwhy should English actors deal so\nlightly with the memory of their great\nchief, that, for the sake of so poor and\nfalse an effect as the placarding of\nSOUTHERN as GARRICK they\nshould falsify and confuse the memory\nof Garrick's life ? \"\n\n\"The Journal of a\nLondon Playgoer\"\nby Henry Morley."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c032", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c032", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "107", "page_fin": "108", "image_debut": 19, "image_fin": 20, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.15", "titre_corps": "FRANK ARCHER'S RECOLLECTIONS", "titre_sommaire": "FRANK ARCHER'S RECOLLECTIONS", "signature_source": "Frank Archer", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 19, "page_imprimee": "107", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.19", "debut_caractere": 2569, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4341, "texte": "FRANK ARCHER'S\nRECOLLECTIONS.\n\nROBSON I thought the most won-\nderful actor I had ever seen.\nHis acting of Samson Burr in M The\nPorter's Knot \" I enjoyed more than\nonce. It was a treat of the highest\nkind. I am sorry that I have so few\nmemoriis of this great artist, His\nM Shylock \" and \" Medea \" burlesques,\nand the parts he played in \" Payable\non Demand \" Daddy Hardacre \"#\n\" The Chimney Corner and \" Plot\nand Passion I regret that I missed.\nI have the clearest remembrance of\nsome of his farce acting. His Jacob\nEarwig in \" Boots at the Swan\nTrotter Southdown in \"To oblige\nBenson and the weird, demoniacal\nperformance in u The Lottery Ticket \"\nwere inimitable. Faint remembrances\nalso arise of his acting in two other\nburlesques, \" Mazeppa \" and M The\nKing of Merrows In the former I\nremember him bound to a gigantic rock-\ninghorse.\nI do not think that the genius of\nRobson was in anyway exaggerated.\nHis gifts were peculiarly his own. He\nhad a certain vein of seriousness, and\na dignity that is rarely associated with\nwhat is called a \" Low Comedian \".\nHe certainly, too, had a face that\nsuited serious drama, though, in spite\nof the intensity he displayed, it is\ndoubtful whether he would have suc-\nceeded in any leading Shakespearian\npart. His figure for this would not\nhave been in his favour, even had he\nbeen gifted with what may be called\nthe mental weight necessary. Whether\nhe would have shone in some of\nShakespeare's clowns, or in some of\nthe more exacting characters in the\nold comedies, who shall say? Ma-\ncready—from hearsay only, as he had\nnever seen him — believed he would.\nI knew nothing of him personally,\nthough I thought it a great thing on\none occasion to speak to him. The\nway in which it came about is asso-\nciated with an instance of the vanity"}, {"page_pdf": 20, "page_imprimee": "108", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.20", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1368, "texte": "of the amateur that it would be hard\nto beat. In 1862 an amateur perfor-\nmance for a charity — the Lancashire\nDistress Fund, in fact — took place\nat the Princess's Theatre. Though I\ntook no part in it, some of those who\ndid were friends of mine. One of\nthe attractions was •• The- Porter's\nKnot \" in which a friend of Robson's\nappeared in the little man's own part\nof Samson Burr, and induced him\nlater on the same evening to give his\nperformance of Jacob Earwig, the deaf\nwaiter in \" The Boots at the Swan\"!\nIt was on this particular night when I\nwas hanging about the entrances that\nRobson made some remark to me\nabout the house and its enthusiasm, etc.\nHis dresser was following him about\nwith a tumbler, which was painful to\nsee he clutched at nervously, gulping\ndown the contents before making his\nentrance. He had accustomed himself\nto take a stimulant to dispel the in-\ntense nervousness from which he suf-\nfered. It was eventually fatal. At\nthis performance he was tempted to\nexaggerate, and indulge in antics beyond\nall reason. He was then coming to\nthe end of his tether; and when, in\n1864, at the age of forty-three, Rob-\nson died, the stage lost a great actor.\nIt may not be generally known, by\nthe way, that once in his pre-political\ndays Mr. Chamberlain submitted a\nplay to Robson — then manager of\nthe Olympic \".\n\n\"An Actor's Notebooks\"\nby Frank Archer."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c033", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c033", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "108", "page_fin": "108", "image_debut": 20, "image_fin": 20, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.16", "titre_corps": "HENRY IRVING ON ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "HENRY IRVING ON ROBSON", "signature_source": "Seymour Hicks", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 20, "page_imprimee": "108", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.20", "debut_caractere": 1370, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2264, "texte": "HENRY IRVING ON ROBSON.\nFrom \"Seymour Hicks-\nTwenty-Four Years of an\nActor Life \"by Himself\nHENRY Irving asked me to come\nto supper at the Garrick Club.\nI don't remember, ever before or\nsince, feeling so excited or elated. I\ncame eaily, and found my3elf alone\nwith the mighty tragedian waiting for\nMr. Toole to arrive.... I remember he\ntold me that the greatest actor he had\never seen in his life was Edmund Phelps.\nI have heard it said that Henry\nIrving never saw Phelps act, but I\nhad it from his first hand that he did.\nOn that evening, too, he spoke of\nRobson. He said, •• Yes, Robson—er-\nRobson—a good actor, but net great—no,\nnot great—yes, yes, he was great! He\nwas great enough to know that he\ncould be only great for three minutes!\nThe stuff they talk about his being\nable to have played tragedy, had he\nwanted to, is wrong. Three minutes\nof it—yes—but the whole evening—oh,\ndear no! \""}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c034", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c034", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "109", "page_fin": "109", "image_debut": 21, "image_fin": 21, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.17", "titre_corps": "[Sans titre]", "titre_sommaire": "[Sans titre]", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 21, "page_imprimee": "109", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.21", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 134, "texte": "BETWEEN I860 and 1866 Irving\nhad played under Robson; but\nwhat he played and where, his Bio-\ngrapher Austin Brereton does not tell us."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c035", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c035", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "109", "page_fin": "109", "image_debut": 21, "image_fin": 21, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.18", "titre_corps": "BANCROFT AND ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "BANCROFT AND ROBSON", "signature_source": "Squire Bancroft", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 21, "page_imprimee": "109", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.21", "debut_caractere": 136, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1541, "texte": "BANCROFT AND ROBSON.\nSir Squire Bancroft in \" Mr.\nand Mrs. Bancroft on and\noff the Stage\".\n. . . . having a few spare days I\nspent them in London. ... I was\nalso presented to the great-little Frederick\nRobson, whose son had recently joined\nthe Birminghan Company, and to\nwhom I had been able to show some\ntrifling kindness.\nWhen the boy took me to see his\nfather, I remember, while we were\nlooking at some framed theatrical en-\ngravings, Robson stopping before one\nof them and saying 44 That man was\none of the cleverest and most natural\ncomedians 1 ever saw\". It was the\nportrait of Pearce, the Christy Minstrel\nand original singer of 4 Hoop-de-doo-\ndenda \\ The health of the great actor\nwas already broken, for Robson died\nnot very long afterwards, when only\nlittle over forty years of age. No\nwords of mine could do justice to my\nremembrance of this actor and genius,\nwho is said to have resembled Ed-\nmund Kean in his wondrous bursts of\npassion, while in his comic moments he\nrecalled memories of the greatest co-\nmedians of the past. Off the stage\nRobson was one of the mildest and\nmost unassuming of creatures in the\nworld. The very nervousness which\nmade him so shy and reserved in\nprivate life, perhaps, stood him in\nwonderful stead directly he trod the\nstage: he then became at will the hero\nof domestic drama, the mock tyrant of\nburlesque, or the most amusing carica-\nture in the world of farce!"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c036", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c036", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "109", "page_fin": "111", "image_debut": 21, "image_fin": 27, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.19", "titre_corps": "ROBSON AND J. L. TOOLE", "titre_sommaire": "ROBSON AND J. L. TOOLE", "signature_source": "J. L. Toole ; Joseph Hatton", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 21, "page_imprimee": "109", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.21", "debut_caractere": 1543, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2088, "texte": "ROBSON AND J. L. TOOLE.\n\n\" T accepted an engagement of two\n1 pounds a week, and remained in\nDublin for the season. It was at this\ntime that I made the acquaintance of\nRobson, as I have previously mentioned \\\n44 V/OU were speaking of Robson\n1 and Keeley \\ said Toole. 4 They\nboth played 4 Jerry \" in The Thumping\nLegacy. It is a cockney who goes to\nCorsica: and the other man says, 4 What\ndo you here? I will tell you. It is now\nfour hundred years since*. Keeley (0 used\n\n(i) It is noteworthy that in Keeley's\nMemoirs no mention of Robson occurs."}, {"page_pdf": 22, "page_imprimee": "110", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.22", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2151, "texte": "to say to him in a very quiet way,\n4 Don't you think we had better take\na chair? ' Robscn was all excitement\nand in tragic tones exclaimed: 4 Don't\nyou think we had better be seated?\nKeeley was a peculiar little fellow;\nvery short, bald head, comical face;\nspoke in a serious kind of lone.\nVery little chap. When he appeared\nas a witness at Bow Street, there was\na seat in the witness box. I hey\nthought he was sitting down. The\nmagistrate said, 4 Please to stand up,\nMr. Keeley.' 4 I am standing up/\nsaid Keeley, in his melancholy manner.\nMR. TOOLE had removed to Orme\nSquare from a not less cosy ha-\nbitation situated on the brow of Ha-\nvers lock Hill, where he revelled in a\nback garden sufficiently large to grow\nflowers, and to have the suburban\ndistinction of a summer-house and a\ngrass-plot. I remember his telling me,\nin that very garden, that Robson fre-\nquently visited him there, on Sunday\nmornings, and that he had strongly\nadvised his fellow-actor to take a\nhouse with a garden. 4He was fid-\ngetty and restless ', Toole had said,\n4 sometimes on the stage, I fancied,\nbut always off, and I noticed that\nafter we had sat in the summer-house\nfor a time, with an occasional prowl\non the grass, a sniff at a gillyflower,\nor a bit of London Pride, he would\nsettle down, like a man who is resting,\ngrow quiet and reflective, and we\nwould have a calm and enjoyable\nchat. I know nothing so soothing as\na garden, nothing that calms the nerves\nso much as pottering about among\nflower-beds, especially when you have\nhad a hand in their cultivation, if only\nto the extent of ordering the plants\nfrom the florists \".\nWE were speaking of Robson/ I\nsaid. 4 You knew him very\nwell? '\n4 Yes * he (Toole) replied.\n4 And admired him as an actor ?\n4 Tremendously/ he replied, with\nmuch energy of manner. 4 I used to\nsee a great deal of him in Dublin,\nlong before he came to London He\nwas a popular comedian in Dublin\nwhen I received my first engagement\nthere. He was at the Royal, I was\nat the other theatre. He was a\nspecial favourite in Boots at the Swan.\nWhatever the manager at one theatre\nput up, the other did, and I was\nplaying Boots at the Swan at the"}, {"page_pdf": 27, "page_imprimee": "111", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.27", "debut_caractere": 2380, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3230, "texte": "same time as Robson. I got to know\nhim very well. I used to go and\nhave tea with him, and he was very\nkind to me, often gave me hints, and\nlook an interest in whatever I did. I\nwas with him when he received an\noffer from old Farren to go to London.\nHe had played at the Grecian before\nhe went to Dublin, but never at the\nwest end of London. Farren's offer\nwas for the Olympic, and I went to\nthe station with him and saw him off.\nHe had a wonderful talent, and was\na very remarkable actor. There were\nflashes in his mock-tragedy that were\nmagnificent, overpowering. I sometimes\nthought he lacked repose; not that I\nwould venture to criticize him even to\nthat he was so great a genius.\nI think if he had done a little\ngardening it would have done him good ,\n\nFrom \"Reminiscences of J.\nL. Toole \"related by himself\nand chronicled by Joseph\nHatton, 1889."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c037", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c037", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "111", "page_fin": "111", "image_debut": 27, "image_fin": 27, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.20", "titre_corps": "THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER", "titre_sommaire": "THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER", "signature_source": "J. C. Hotten", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 27, "page_imprimee": "111", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.27", "debut_caractere": 3232, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3627, "texte": "THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER\nSee \"life of Charles Dickens\";\nJ. C. Hotten. p. 160.\nAN over-partial and insufficiently\ndiscriminating 4 friend * is quoted\nas saying ; 44 —Those who saw the\ncharacter of the lighthouse keeper in\nMr. Wilkie Collins's drama as por-\ntrayed first by Mr. Dickens and then\nby Mr, Robson, were enabled to\njudge of the wonderful superiority of\nthe rendering given by the former #\\"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c038", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c038", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "111", "page_fin": "111", "image_debut": 27, "image_fin": 27, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.21", "titre_corps": "THE WANDERING MINSTREL", "titre_sommaire": "THE WANDERING MINSTREL", "signature_source": "A. W. à Beckett", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 27, "page_imprimee": "111", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.27", "debut_caractere": 3629, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4072, "texte": "THE WANDERING MINSTREL.\nA. W. à Beckett in \"The à\nBecketts\" of 'Punch'. 1903,\np. 50.\n** The Wandering Minstrel in\nwhich later on Robson scored so hea-\nvily, was produced at the Fitzroy.\nHenry Mayhew wrote under the nom\nde plume of \" Ralph Rigmarole,\nEsqre No doubt this disguise was\nassumed to disarm Henry Mayhews\nfather, who was a highly respectable\nsolicitor, like my grandfather, and who\nmight have joined in the crusade\nagainst \" the boys"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c039", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c039", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "111", "page_fin": "111", "image_debut": 27, "image_fin": 27, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.22", "titre_corps": "VILIKINS AND HIS DINAH", "titre_sommaire": "VILIKINS AND HIS DINAH", "signature_source": "Blanchard Jerrold ; Windus", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 27, "page_imprimee": "111", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.27", "debut_caractere": 4074, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4299, "texte": "VIL1KINS AND HIS DINAH.\nLife of George Cruikshank\nby Btanchard Jerrold. Chatto\n& Windus, 1882. Vol. 2. p. 26.\n\" ' Vilikins and his Dinah' was\na popular street chanson years before\nit was immortalised by Robson in Jem\nBaggs \"."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c040", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c040", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "112", "page_fin": "113", "image_debut": 28, "image_fin": 29, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.23", "titre_corps": "THE WANDERING MINSTREL : THE AFFECTING AND PATHETIC LEGEND OF VILIKINS AND HIS DINAH", "titre_sommaire": "THE WANDERING MINSTREL : THE AFFECTING AND PATHETIC LEGEND OF VILIKINS AND HIS DINAH", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 28, "page_imprimee": "112", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.28", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 838, "texte": "THE WANDERING\nMINSTREL\nTHE AFFECTING AND\nPATHETIC LEGEND OF\nVILIKINS AND HIS DINAH.\n\nOh! 'tis of a rich merchant,\nIn London did dwell,\nHe had but one daughter,\nAn uncommon nice young gal I\nHer name it was Dinah —\nScarce sixteen years old,\nShe had a large fortune\nIn silver and gold.\nSinging—Too—ral—loo, &c.\nAs Dinah vas a valking,\nIn the garden vun day,\nHer papa came to her,\nAnd thus to her did say : —\nGo and dress yourself, Dinah,\nIn gor—ge—ous array,\nAnd I'll get you a husband,\nBoth vally—ant and gay !\nSinging —? Too —ral—loo, &c.\nOh, papa ! oh, papa !\nI've not made up my mind,\nTo marry just yet,\nI do not feel inclined,\nAnd all my large fortune\nI'll gladly give o'er,\nIf you'll let me stay single\nA year or two more.\nSinging — Too—ral—loo, etc.\n\n(1) Name of the Play, Olympic Thea-\ntre, London. 1853. May 24.\n(2) See also p. 111."}, {"page_pdf": 29, "page_imprimee": "113", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.29", "debut_caractere": 2349, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3281, "texte": "Go boldest daughter,\nThe parient replied,\nIf you don't consent to be\nThis here young man's bride,\nI'll give your large fortune\nTo the nearest o' kin,\nAnd you shan't have the benefit,\nOf one single pin.\nSinging — Too—ral —loo, &c.\nAs Vilikins vas a valking,\nThe garden around,\nHe spied his dear Dinah,\nLying dead upon the ground,\nA cup of cold pison\nIt lied by her side,\nAnd a billy dux, stating\n#Twas by pison she died !\nSinging — Too—ral—loo &c.\nThen he kissed her cold corpus,\nA thousand times o'er,\nHe called her his dear Dinah—\nAlthough she was no more!\nHe swallowed the pison,\nLike a lover so brave —\nAnd Vilikins and his Dinah,\nLies a buried in one grave !\nSinging — Too—ral—loo &c.\nMORAL.\nNow all you young vimmens,\nTake a varning and nor\nNever by no means\nDisobey your guv'nor,\nAnd all you young fellers\nMind who you claps your eyes on,\nThink of Vilikins and his Dinah,\nAnd the cup of cold pison.\nSinging — Too —ral—loo, &c."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c042", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c042", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "113", "page_fin": "113", "image_debut": 29, "image_fin": 29, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.23.2", "titre_corps": "ROBSON AS JEM BAGGS", "titre_sommaire": "ROBSON AS JEM BAGGS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 29, "page_imprimee": "113", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.29", "debut_caractere": 3283, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3303, "texte": "ROBSON AS JEM BAGGS."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c043", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c043", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "114", "page_fin": "114", "image_debut": 30, "image_fin": 30, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.24", "titre_corps": "MADOX BROWN AND ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "MADOX BROWN AND ROBSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 30, "page_imprimee": "114", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.30", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 252, "texte": "MADOX BROWN AND ROBSON.\nPræraphaelite Diaries and\nLetters. Edited by William\nMichael Rossetti. 1900.\n1855. December 12th— ....To\nthe Olympic. English Theatricals doo-\nced slow, however ; place felt heada-\nchy. Robson tremendous, but getting\nspoiled..,."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c044", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c044", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "114", "page_fin": "114", "image_debut": 30, "image_fin": 30, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.25", "titre_corps": "A CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATE", "titre_sommaire": "A CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATE", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 30, "page_imprimee": "114", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.30", "debut_caractere": 254, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2020, "texte": "A CONTEMPORARY\no ESTIMATE. o\nI only knew one English actor who,\nto my mind, had in him the true\ngerm and kernel of a Devrient (*) —\nthe late Frederick Robson.\nI remember his truly marvellous\nperformance of the part of 4 Medea *\nin Robert Brough's burlesque. Before\nthe piece began, I went behind the\nscenes with the author, where we found\nRobson in a slate of extreme nervous-\nness, as it had been credibly reported\nthat the lady tragedian, whom he was\nabout to imitate (not to travesty, mind,\nfor there truly was nothing cf the\nbuffoon pure and simple in Fre-\nderick Robson), Madame Ristori, was\nactually in the theatre. Well, with\nthis overpowering oppression upon\nhim, he contrived to achieve a glo-\nrious success. His 4 Medea * was a\ntruly grand tragic figure, gracefully\ndraped in a light veil of burlesque,\nShe who had created the intensely\ntragic character of ill-starred 4 Medea *\nwas so deeply impressed by the little\nman's wonderful tragi-comic reproduc-\ntion of her own creation — which she\nhad been led to believe by a 4 kind\nfriend * of Robson's would turn out a\nfarcical caricature — that she could not\nrefrain from then and there presenting\nto the great artist the flattering tribute\nof her gratification and admiration.\nShe came round accordingly at once,\nescorted by that most courteous of\ngentlemen and most urbane of noble-\nmen, Earl Granville, who joined the\nlady in overwhelming the shy man\nwith well-merited compliments. When\nwe had Robson to oursel ves again, he\ncried like a child — partly with plea-\nsure, partly with distress at his nervous\nawkwardness, which he said 4 must\nhave made me look like a fool \\\nFrom {tReminiscences of an Old Bohe-\nmian Vol. 2. p% 200. 1882.\n(i) Louis Devrient the tragedian;\ndied 1832 aged forty-eight. Editor."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c045", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c045", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "115", "page_fin": "118", "image_debut": 31, "image_fin": 34, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.9.26", "titre_corps": "E. L. BLANCHARD AND F. ROBSON : BEING EXTRACTS FROM BLANCHARD'S DIARY WITH NOTES", "titre_sommaire": "E. L. BLANCHARD AND F. ROBSON : BEING EXTRACTS FROM BLANCHARD'S DIARY WITH NOTES", "signature_source": "CECIL HOWARD", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 31, "page_imprimee": "115", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.31", "debut_caractere": 2389, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4364, "texte": "E. L. BLANCHARD AND\nF. ROBSON\nBEING EXTRACTS FROM BLANCHARD'S\nDIARY WITH NOTES\nBY CECIL HOWARD.\n0) .\n1853.\nApril 27th. — Drop in at Olympic;\nsee TalfourcTs burlesque of Macbeth.\nRobson very clever,\nDecember 7th. — Davidson, music\npublisher, calls to obtain another por-\ntion of \" Villikins and his Dinah \"(0.\nDecember 13th. — Go to Adelphi.\nSee the ice scene in Thirst for Gold;\nwonderful effect. Then to Olympic.\nRobson great in 4 Villikins \\ At\nWrekin hear he is about thirty-six,\nand of weak health, poor fellow!\n(1) Written by this same Blanchard\nwhen a boy for private theatricals.\n1854.\nMarch 8th. — Look in at Olympic;\nsee charming little piece of To Oblige\nBenson (*).\n(1) Adapted by Taylor from Un Ser-\nvice a Blanchard, and first played Monday,\nMarch 6th, 1854. Emery, Benson ; Mrs.\nStirling, Mrs. Trotter Southdown; Miss\nWyndham, Mrs. Benson ; Robson, Trot-\nter Southdown.\nJune 13th. — To town to see\nHush Money (*) at Olympic; Robson's\nacting wonderful, but piece bad.\n(1) A revival of a farce by Dance,\nfirst played under the Vestris manage-\nment here, by Liston, Keeley, Frank\nMatthews, and Mrs. Orger. F. Robson\nnow played Jaspar Touchwood; Mrs.\nWigan, Sally; Emery, Tom Tillex.\nOctober 17th. —To Olympic; see\nF. Robson in wonderful performance\nof Job Wort in A Blighted Being.\nDecember 27sji. —Go to town ;\nsee Yellow Dwarf 0) a burlesque by\nat the Olympic; not his best,\nbut neatly written and carefully got up.\n(1) F. Robson in the title ?6le, one of\nhis great parts.\n1855.\nMarch 1 6th. — Olympic : Lucky\nFriday, AlfredWigan; and The Yellow\nDwarf and the King of the Gold\nMines; F. Robson (dwarf, one of his\nbest characters)....\nJune 11th. — At night to Olympic;\nsee Gar rick Fever revival (F. Robson,\nEmery, Danvers, White Rivers, Mrs.\nFitzalan, Miss Stephens, Miss Ternan).\nOctober 20th. — To Olympic, first\nnight of season, School for Scandal,\n\nFrom The Life and Reminiscences of\nE. L. Blanchard, By Clement Scott and\nCecil Howard. Hutchinson & Co. 1891."}, {"page_pdf": 32, "page_imprimee": "116", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.32", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2019, "texte": "and new farce by Coyne called Catching\na Mermaid (F. Robson, Luffins a\nShowman).\n1856.\nApril 2nd. — See at night first time\nRobson all through in Discreet Prin-\ncess (*) wonderful and painfully intense\nperformance.\n(i) The Discreet Princess; or, The\nThree Glass Distaffs. Prince Richcraft,\nF. Robson.\nJune 11th, — Go to Olympic; see\nfarce, Fascinating Individual• Robson\nin it; net very good piece.\nJuly 3rd. — At night to Olympic;\nsee the Duological Farce, first night;\nA Coniugal Lesson (J), was very good....\n(l) Played by Mrs Stirling and F.\nRobson.\nNovember 24th. — Go to Olympic:\nWives as they tcere and Talfourd's\nJones the Avenger (0.\n(i) Adaptation from Le massacre <Vun\nInnocent by Frank Talfourd. Robson\nvery good as Jones, and J. Rogers made\na hit as Shrilly Pipes\n1857.\nJanuary 22nd. — Look in at Olym-\npic ; see Young and Handsome (0;\nvery neatly written, but not equal to\nthe former extravaganzas of Planch^.\n(i) F. Robson played Zephyr.\nMarch 26th. — See new play of\nDaddy Hardacre (0 at Olympic, an\nadaptation by Palgrave Simpson of\nLa Fille de VAvare; Robson very good.\n(i) Robson played the title role, that\nof a miser.\nJuly 2nd, — Olympic at mght;\nBrough's new burlesque of Masa-\nniello 0) first time, very good, and goes\noff briskly.\n(l) Robson in the title role, in which\nthe author had given him some of the\nmost excrutiating puns, but in which\ncharacter this great actor displayed those\ntragi-comic powers for which he was so\nnoted.\nAugust 10th, — With C. C. B. to\nOlympic, which opens under Robson's\nand Emden's management.\nAugust ! 1 th, — At night to Olym-\npic and the Lighthouse I1); delighted\nwith it; most effectively got up.\n(ii — an address written by Robert\nBrough was spoken by Mr. Robson ; and\nWilkie Collins's Lighthouse done at Ta-\nvistock Blouse two years previously by\namateurs, made up the bill with Masa-\nniello. . . . Mr. Vining spoke the origi-\nnal prologue in front of the act-drop,\nwhich was an exact reproduction of\nStanfieid's original picture representing\nthe lighthouse."}, {"page_pdf": 33, "page_imprimee": "117", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.33", "debut_caractere": 2352, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4271, "texte": "November 19th. —To Olympic ;\nRobson s reappearance after provincial\nengagement (0,\n(i) He resumed his old character in\nThe Lighthouse.\nDecember 26th. — Go to Olym-\npic (1).\n(i) The Doge of Duralto, or the En-\nchanted Eyes, a fairy extravaganza by\nRobert Brough, with Miss Hughes, Miss\nWyndham, Robson, G. Cooke, and H.\nWigan in the cast to be noted.\n1858.\nJune 5th. — To Olympic; see and\nwrite about for Era Tom Taylor's\nnew comedy, Going to the Badi1).\n(i) Peter Potts, F. Robson ; . . . F.\nRobson's benefit.\nJuly 3rd. — Work till night. Then\nto Drury, Don Pasauale and TVoua-\ntore; Covent Garden, Mario and\nMartha ; Her Majesty's, Somnambula;\nEmden's benefit at Olympic (0. Back\nto write all.\n(i) A Handsome Husband and Hush\nMoney. Robson, Jaspar Touchwood; and\nMrs Emden, Sally. The Wandering\nMinstrel made up the programme.\nOctober 13 th. —At night to Olym-\npic ; see Wilkie Coliins's extraordinary\ndrama of Red Vial (0.\n(i) This was a very strong melodrama.\nIn it Mrs. Stirling played the part of\nthe Widow Bergmann ; Miss Marston,\nMinna ; Walter Gordon, Karl; and Rob-\nson was great as a half-witted fellow,\nHans Grimm.\nDecember 2nd. — Go to Olympic;\nfirst night of The Porter's Knot 0) ;\na charming piece, exquisitely acted by\nRobson and the rest. 3rd. Write no-\ntice of Olympic for Era, from which\n£ 2.\n(i) The character of Sampson Burr\nwill always be associated in one's me-\nmory as one of F. Robson's greatest\nperformances.\nDecember 27th. — ,...to Olympic,\nsee Mazeppa(i).\n(i) By H. J. Byron. Mazeppa, F.\nRobson ; ... it was a piece o the wil-\ndest extravagance.\n1859.\nMay 25 th. —To town. Olympic\nand good farce, Retained for the De-\nfence.\n(i) By John Oxen ford, taken from\nVAvocat d'un Gvec. Pav. kin's, Robson.\nJuly 11th. — Go to Olympic, see\nPayable on Demand W, Tom Taylor's\nnew piece ; clever, but won't be a long\nattraction.\n(i) Leading incident the same as that\nin The Jew of Frankfurt. Action of the"}, {"page_pdf": 34, "page_imprimee": "118", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.34", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2030, "texte": "play supposed to take place in 1792, and\nin its course some twenty-three years are\nsupposed to pass away. Reuben Gold-\nsched, Robson.\nAugust 10 th. — Last night of\nOlympic season (0. Go for hour to\nRobson; hear his speech.\n(1) The programme consisted of A\nDoubtful Victory, Payable on Demand,\nand Retained for the Defence. Robson's\nspeech consisted a good deal of a run-\nning and punning commentary of the.\nvarious pieces that had been produced\nunder the joint management of himself\nand Mr. Emden.\nSeptember 24th. — Olympic (0 and\nPrincess's reopen for season.\n(1) The Olympic re-opened again,\nunder the management of Robson and\nEmden, with Payable on Demand; Re-\ntained for the Defenee ; and A Morning-\nCall taken from 11 faut qidune porte soit\nouverte ou fermee.\n1860.\nMarch 8th. —. .. to Olympic : Uncle\nZachary (0 — adaptation by Oxenford\nof old French farce.\n(i) Another version of VGncle RaP-\ntiste, played under the title of Peter and\nPaul at the Haymarket in 1842. Zachary\nClence, Robson....\nOctober 11 th. — Go to Olympic\nto see a supposed new farce by Morton,\ncalled A Regular Fix (0, but which I\nrecognize as Couche du Soleil of thirty\nyears ago.\n(r) Robson appeared as Mr. Hugh de\nBrass.\n1862.\nFebruary 21st. — To Olympic; see\ncharming piece by Graven, called\nChimney Corner (0.\n(i) Peter Probity, F. Robson.\nNovember 14th.— To Olympic;\nsee Camilla's Husband (x): a good\npiece.\n(i) This was a three-act drama by\nWatts Phillips. Dogbriar, F. Robson.\n. . . (This was the last play in which\nRobson appeared. — C. S.).\n1864.\nAugust 12th. — Hear of F. Rob-\nson's death as having occurred late last\nnight: write the memoir.\nSeptember 28th. — To Strand, and\nsee charming piece by Craven, called\nMilky White's), in which the author\npiays hero admirably.\n(i) H. T. Craven wrote the piece for\nRobson, who was to play Daniel (Milky)\nWhite, a saturnine, disagreeable, deaf\nman, who recovers his hearing suffi-\nciently to lead him to imagine that he\nhas learnt that his daughter is hoping\nfor his death, and turns her out of doors."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c046", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c046", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "119", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 35, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10", "titre_corps": "BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES OF SOME OF ROBSON'S ASSOCIATES", "titre_sommaire": "BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES OF SOME OF ROBSON'S ASSOCIATES", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 35, "page_imprimee": "119", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.35", "debut_caractere": 1569, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4792, "texte": "BIOGRAPHICAL\nNOTES\nOF SOME OF ROBSON'S\nASSOCIATES\n\nJ. R. PL ANCHE.\nJAMES ROBINSON PLANCH£ 1796-\n1880, Somerset Herald, antiquarian\nand dramatist. Born Old Burlington St.\nPiccadilly, London. Son of a watch-\nmaker who was descended from a\nHuguenot refugee.\nIn 1810 he was articled to a book-\nseller ; at an early age he developed a\ntaste for the stage, and, as an ama-\nteur, acted at the Berwick St., Pan-\neras St,, Catherine St. and Wilton\nSt. private theatres.\nAt 22 he wrote a burlesque 44 Amo-\nroso, King of Little Britain\" which\nwas produced with success at Drury\nLane April 21 1818. Many other of\nhis pieces were produced.\nIn 1823 on the revival of 44 King\nJohn \" at Drury Lane by Charles\nKemble, after making histo-\nrical researches, designed the dresses\nand superintended the production of\nthe drama gratuitously. This was the\nfirst occasion of an historical drama\nbeing brought out with dresses of the\nperiod of its action.\n1826-7 he was manager of the mu-\nsical arrangements at Vauxhall Gar-\ndens : 1830 manager of the Adelphi\nfor his friend Samuel James Arnold.\nWas associated from 1831 with Mme\nVestris and the Olympic, and later\nwith Covent Garden.\nAmong his literary works are his\n44 History of British Costume \" 1834,\nand 44 Suggestions for establishing an\nEnglish Art Theatre *'1879.\n\nGEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA.\nGEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA, 1828-\n1896, author of this account of\nRobson, was a well known journalist,\nand writer. His grandfather, Claudio\nSebastiano Sala, a citizen of Rome,\ncame to England about 1776 to aisist\n\n(I)\nJOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN.\nPUBLISHER OF SALA'S MEMOIR\no OF ROBSON. o\nTOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN, 1832-\nJ 1873). Originally named John William\nHotten, publisher, was born at 45 St.\nJohn's Square, Clerkenwell, London,\n12 Sept. 1832.\nAt the age of fourteen Hotten was\nplaced with John Petheram, bookseller,\n71 Chancery Lane, where he acquired\na taste for rare and curious books.\nIn 1848 he went with his brother to\nAmerica and stayed there some years.\nHe returned to England in 1856 and\ncommenced business as a bookseller\nand publisher in a small shop, 151 a\nPiccadilly. In 1859 he produced the\nfirst edition of his Dictionary of Modern\nSlang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (reis-\nsued 1874).\nHotten* s steady perseverance soon\nplaced him among the best-known\npublishers and he took larger premises\nat 74-5 Piccadilly. In 1866 the\npublication of Mr. A. C. Swinburne's\n44 Poems and Ballads\" excited a pru-\ndish remonstrance on the score of\nindecency, and Moxon the publisher\nwithdrew the work from circulation.\nHotten boldly offered himself as the\npoet's publisher, and issued the volume\nin dispute as well as Mr* Swinburne's\nreply to his critics.\nHotten was the first to introduce\ninto England the humorous works of\nAmerican writers, like Mr. J. R. Lowell's\n44 Biglow Papers \" (1864), Artemus\nWard, his Book.\nHe died 4 Maitland Park Villas,\nHaversiock Hill, Hampstead, June 14,\n1873 and was buried in Highgate\ncemeiary.\nHotten was the author of slight\nbiographies of Thackery, 1864 (under\nthe name of Theodore Taylor) and\nDickens (1870, 1873); the 44 History\nof Signboards \" (with Jacob Larwood)\n1867. Literary Copyrights 1871, etc. etc.\n(i) Extracts from the \" Dictionary of\nNational Biography \" and oiher sources."}, {"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5349, "texte": "his godfather Sir John Gallini in arran-\nging ballets in the King's Theatre and\nthe Hay market.\nAn elder brother of George's became\na member of Macready's Company at\nthe Princess's Theatre.\nHis mother was a singer and mu-\nsician and supported her children by\nher public work.\n\nFRANCIS TALFOURD.\nFRANCIS TALFOURD, 1828-1862.\nHis first piece \"Macbeth Travestie\"\nwas originally produced at Henley-on-\nThames during the regatta on June 1 7,\n1847, and was afterwards brought out\nat the Strand Theatre on Jan. 10,\n1848 and at the Olympic on April\n25, 1853.\nAt the Olympic he brought out\n44 Ganem, the Slave of Love \" on\nMay 31, 1852, and \" Shylock, or the\nMerchant of Venice preserved \" on\nJuly 4, 1855. In this burlesque Tho-\nmas Frederick Robson gave his very\nremarkable tragi-comic representation of\nthe Jew.\nHe died at Mentone March 9, 1862.\n\nJOHN OXENFORD.\nJOHN OXENFORD (1812-1877) was a\ndramatic author, critic and trans-\nlator.\nBorn in Camberwell, he was al-\nmost self-educated, yet made himself\nwell acquainted with German, Italian,\nFrench and Spanish literature in the\noriginals.\nHe made many translations, inclu-\nding Moliere's \" Tartuffe\", and Ecker-\nmann's 44 Conversations with Goethe \"\n(London 1850) and wrote many plays,\nsome of which were translated into\nGerman and Dutch. He also wrore\nmany librettos. He was dramatic cri-\ntic of the 44 Times \" from 1850 for\nmore than a quarter of a century.\n\nROBERT BROUGH.\nROBERT BARNABAS BROUGH, was\nborn in London April 10 th 1828.\nA burlesque on the subject of the\n44 Tempest , written in conjunction\nwith his brother William and entitled\nThe Enchanted Isle produced at\nthe Amphitheatre in Liverpool was\nthe first dramntic essay of the bro-\nthers. It was seen and approved by\nBenjamin Webster, who, 20 Novem-\nber 1848 transferred it to the Adel-\nphi. This led to the establishment of\nthe brothers Brough in London, where\nthey became constant and well-known\ncontributors to the press.\nAlone or in conjunction with his\nbrother Robert wrote a series of bur-\nlesques which were played at the Adel-\nphi, Lyceum, Olympic and other\ntheatres.\nHis best-known burlesques in con-\njunction with his brother are : 44 Ca-\nmaralzaman and Badoura \", 44 The\nSphynx \" and 44 Ivanhoe \", and of\nthose he wrote alone 44 Medea \" to\nwhich the performance of Robson gave\nmuch celebrity, 44 Masanieilo \" and\n44 the Siege of Troy\nHe died at Manchester June 26\n1860, leaving a widow and three\nchildren, two of whom went on the\nstage. Three of his brothers, William,\nJohn Cargill Brough, a writer, and\nLionel Brough the comedian, are well\nknown.\n\nJ. PALGRAVE SIMPSON.\nJOHN PALGRAVE SIMPSON 1807-\n1887, dramatist and novelist, was\nborn at Norwich June 13. He \"pro-\n44 duced in London and the provinces,\n44 upwards of sixty dramatic pieces,\n44 including comedies, melodramas, far-\n44 ces, operas, and extravaganzas\nHis 44 Daddy Hardacre \", in two acts,\nwas given at the Olympic May 26 1857.\n\nWATTS PHILLIPS.\nWATTS PHILLIPS 1825-1874,\nDramatist and designer, was\nof Irish extraction.\nHe became a pupil, it is said the\nonly pupil, of George Cruickshank.\nHe wrote the \" Dead Heart \" produ-\nced at the Adelphi Nov. 10 1859\nwith Webster, Mr. Toole, David\nFisher and Mrs Alfred Mellon in the\nprincipal parts, and revived by Sir\nHenry Irving at the Lyceum in 1889\nwhen Mr Gordon Craig made his\nfirst appearance as Arthur St. Valery.\nHis piece, 44 Camilla's Hushand \"\ngiven at the Olympic Dec. 14, 1862\nis noteworthy as the last piece in which\nRobson, who played Dogbriar, ap-\npeared.\n\nSHIRLEY BROOKS.\nCHARLES SHIRLEY BROOKS.\n(1816-74) was Editor of 44 Punch \"\nand son of William Brooks, architect.\n44 In association with John Oxenford \"\n44 writes Mr'G. A. Boase \", 44 he sup-\n44 plied to the Olympic 26th Decem-\nber 1861 an extravaganza which\n44 had the sensational heading 44 Ti-\n44 mour the Tartar, or the Iron Master\n44 of Samarkand the explanatory let-\n44 icrpress significantly stating that a\n44 trifling lapse between the year 136!\n44 and the year 1861 occasionally oc-\ntt »»\n• curs .\n\nHENRY MAYHEW\nHENRY MAYHEW, 1812-1887.\nAuthor, son of a London at-\ntorney, Educated at Westminster. He\nbegan his career as a dramatist with\n44 The Wandering Minstrel \" at the\nRoyal Fitzroy Theatre, 16 January\n1834, a one-act farce in which was\nintroduced the well-known cockney\nsong 44 Villikins and his Dinah\nHe wrote many other plays.\nIn December 1847 his 41 Plum Pud-\nding Pantomime \" wa3 brought out at\nthe Olympic.\n\nCHARLES DANCE\nCHARLES DANCE, 1794-1863.\nAlone or in collaboration with\nJ. R. Planche or ethers he wrote many\npieces, chiefly of the lightest descrip-\ntion, which were produced at the\nOlympic theatre or other theatres.\n\nWILLIAM FARREN\nWILLIAM FARREN, 1786-1861.\nActor. Born in London May 13.\nHis father had been a tradesman who\nthen became an actcr of some reputa-\ntion chiefly in tragedy.\nAmple details may be found in the\nDictionary of National Biography.\n\nHENRY COMPTON\nHENRY, COMPTON, 1805-1877.\nComedian, whose real name was\nCharies Mackenzie.\nIn 1847 he was at the Olympic\nwhere he remained three years. When\nit was burnt he migrated to the Strand.\n\nWILKIE COLLINS\nWILLIAM WILKIE. COLLINS, 1824-\n1889. Novelist and playwright.\n\nTOM TAYLOR\nTOM TAYLOR. Born October 19,\n1817, died 1$80. Dramatist and\nedi{. or of 44 Punch . he was fond of\ntheatrical life in all its aspects, and was\na devoted friend of the Terry family."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c047", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c047", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "119", "page_fin": "119", "image_debut": 35, "image_fin": 35, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.1", "titre_corps": "JOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN", "titre_sommaire": "JOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 35, "page_imprimee": "119", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.35", "debut_caractere": 3098, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4792, "texte": "(I)\nJOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN.\nPUBLISHER OF SALA'S MEMOIR\no OF ROBSON. o\nTOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN, 1832-\nJ 1873). Originally named John William\nHotten, publisher, was born at 45 St.\nJohn's Square, Clerkenwell, London,\n12 Sept. 1832.\nAt the age of fourteen Hotten was\nplaced with John Petheram, bookseller,\n71 Chancery Lane, where he acquired\na taste for rare and curious books.\nIn 1848 he went with his brother to\nAmerica and stayed there some years.\nHe returned to England in 1856 and\ncommenced business as a bookseller\nand publisher in a small shop, 151 a\nPiccadilly. In 1859 he produced the\nfirst edition of his Dictionary of Modern\nSlang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (reis-\nsued 1874).\nHotten* s steady perseverance soon\nplaced him among the best-known\npublishers and he took larger premises\nat 74-5 Piccadilly. In 1866 the\npublication of Mr. A. C. Swinburne's\n44 Poems and Ballads\" excited a pru-\ndish remonstrance on the score of\nindecency, and Moxon the publisher\nwithdrew the work from circulation.\nHotten boldly offered himself as the\npoet's publisher, and issued the volume\nin dispute as well as Mr* Swinburne's\nreply to his critics.\nHotten was the first to introduce\ninto England the humorous works of\nAmerican writers, like Mr. J. R. Lowell's\n44 Biglow Papers \" (1864), Artemus\nWard, his Book.\nHe died 4 Maitland Park Villas,\nHaversiock Hill, Hampstead, June 14,\n1873 and was buried in Highgate\ncemeiary.\nHotten was the author of slight\nbiographies of Thackery, 1864 (under\nthe name of Theodore Taylor) and\nDickens (1870, 1873); the 44 History\nof Signboards \" (with Jacob Larwood)\n1867. Literary Copyrights 1871, etc. etc.\n(i) Extracts from the \" Dictionary of\nNational Biography \" and oiher sources."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c048", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c048", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "119", "page_fin": "119", "image_debut": 35, "image_fin": 35, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.2", "titre_corps": "J. R. PLANCHE", "titre_sommaire": "J. R. PLANCHE", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 35, "page_imprimee": "119", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.35", "debut_caractere": 1620, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2866, "texte": "J. R. PL ANCHE.\nJAMES ROBINSON PLANCH£ 1796-\n1880, Somerset Herald, antiquarian\nand dramatist. Born Old Burlington St.\nPiccadilly, London. Son of a watch-\nmaker who was descended from a\nHuguenot refugee.\nIn 1810 he was articled to a book-\nseller ; at an early age he developed a\ntaste for the stage, and, as an ama-\nteur, acted at the Berwick St., Pan-\neras St,, Catherine St. and Wilton\nSt. private theatres.\nAt 22 he wrote a burlesque 44 Amo-\nroso, King of Little Britain\" which\nwas produced with success at Drury\nLane April 21 1818. Many other of\nhis pieces were produced.\nIn 1823 on the revival of 44 King\nJohn \" at Drury Lane by Charles\nKemble, after making histo-\nrical researches, designed the dresses\nand superintended the production of\nthe drama gratuitously. This was the\nfirst occasion of an historical drama\nbeing brought out with dresses of the\nperiod of its action.\n1826-7 he was manager of the mu-\nsical arrangements at Vauxhall Gar-\ndens : 1830 manager of the Adelphi\nfor his friend Samuel James Arnold.\nWas associated from 1831 with Mme\nVestris and the Olympic, and later\nwith Covent Garden.\nAmong his literary works are his\n44 History of British Costume \" 1834,\nand 44 Suggestions for establishing an\nEnglish Art Theatre *'1879."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c049", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c049", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "119", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 35, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.3", "titre_corps": "GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA", "titre_sommaire": "GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 35, "page_imprimee": "119", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.35", "debut_caractere": 2868, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3096, "texte": "GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA.\nGEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA, 1828-\n1896, author of this account of\nRobson, was a well known journalist,\nand writer. His grandfather, Claudio\nSebastiano Sala, a citizen of Rome,\ncame to England about 1776 to aisist"}, {"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 275, "texte": "his godfather Sir John Gallini in arran-\nging ballets in the King's Theatre and\nthe Hay market.\nAn elder brother of George's became\na member of Macready's Company at\nthe Princess's Theatre.\nHis mother was a singer and mu-\nsician and supported her children by\nher public work."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c050", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c050", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.4", "titre_corps": "FRANCIS TALFOURD", "titre_sommaire": "FRANCIS TALFOURD", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 277, "fin_caractere_exclue": 839, "texte": "FRANCIS TALFOURD.\nFRANCIS TALFOURD, 1828-1862.\nHis first piece \"Macbeth Travestie\"\nwas originally produced at Henley-on-\nThames during the regatta on June 1 7,\n1847, and was afterwards brought out\nat the Strand Theatre on Jan. 10,\n1848 and at the Olympic on April\n25, 1853.\nAt the Olympic he brought out\n44 Ganem, the Slave of Love \" on\nMay 31, 1852, and \" Shylock, or the\nMerchant of Venice preserved \" on\nJuly 4, 1855. In this burlesque Tho-\nmas Frederick Robson gave his very\nremarkable tragi-comic representation of\nthe Jew.\nHe died at Mentone March 9, 1862."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c051", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c051", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.5", "titre_corps": "JOHN OXENFORD", "titre_sommaire": "JOHN OXENFORD", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 841, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1404, "texte": "JOHN OXENFORD.\nJOHN OXENFORD (1812-1877) was a\ndramatic author, critic and trans-\nlator.\nBorn in Camberwell, he was al-\nmost self-educated, yet made himself\nwell acquainted with German, Italian,\nFrench and Spanish literature in the\noriginals.\nHe made many translations, inclu-\nding Moliere's \" Tartuffe\", and Ecker-\nmann's 44 Conversations with Goethe \"\n(London 1850) and wrote many plays,\nsome of which were translated into\nGerman and Dutch. He also wrore\nmany librettos. He was dramatic cri-\ntic of the 44 Times \" from 1850 for\nmore than a quarter of a century."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c052", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c052", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.6", "titre_corps": "ROBERT BROUGH", "titre_sommaire": "ROBERT BROUGH", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 1406, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2568, "texte": "ROBERT BROUGH.\nROBERT BARNABAS BROUGH, was\nborn in London April 10 th 1828.\nA burlesque on the subject of the\n44 Tempest , written in conjunction\nwith his brother William and entitled\nThe Enchanted Isle produced at\nthe Amphitheatre in Liverpool was\nthe first dramntic essay of the bro-\nthers. It was seen and approved by\nBenjamin Webster, who, 20 Novem-\nber 1848 transferred it to the Adel-\nphi. This led to the establishment of\nthe brothers Brough in London, where\nthey became constant and well-known\ncontributors to the press.\nAlone or in conjunction with his\nbrother Robert wrote a series of bur-\nlesques which were played at the Adel-\nphi, Lyceum, Olympic and other\ntheatres.\nHis best-known burlesques in con-\njunction with his brother are : 44 Ca-\nmaralzaman and Badoura \", 44 The\nSphynx \" and 44 Ivanhoe \", and of\nthose he wrote alone 44 Medea \" to\nwhich the performance of Robson gave\nmuch celebrity, 44 Masanieilo \" and\n44 the Siege of Troy\nHe died at Manchester June 26\n1860, leaving a widow and three\nchildren, two of whom went on the\nstage. Three of his brothers, William,\nJohn Cargill Brough, a writer, and\nLionel Brough the comedian, are well\nknown."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c053", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c053", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.7", "titre_corps": "J. PALGRAVE SIMPSON", "titre_sommaire": "J. PALGRAVE SIMPSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 2570, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2911, "texte": "J. PALGRAVE SIMPSON.\nJOHN PALGRAVE SIMPSON 1807-\n1887, dramatist and novelist, was\nborn at Norwich June 13. He \"pro-\n44 duced in London and the provinces,\n44 upwards of sixty dramatic pieces,\n44 including comedies, melodramas, far-\n44 ces, operas, and extravaganzas\nHis 44 Daddy Hardacre \", in two acts,\nwas given at the Olympic May 26 1857."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c054", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c054", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.8", "titre_corps": "WATTS PHILLIPS", "titre_sommaire": "WATTS PHILLIPS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 2913, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3497, "texte": "WATTS PHILLIPS.\nWATTS PHILLIPS 1825-1874,\nDramatist and designer, was\nof Irish extraction.\nHe became a pupil, it is said the\nonly pupil, of George Cruickshank.\nHe wrote the \" Dead Heart \" produ-\nced at the Adelphi Nov. 10 1859\nwith Webster, Mr. Toole, David\nFisher and Mrs Alfred Mellon in the\nprincipal parts, and revived by Sir\nHenry Irving at the Lyceum in 1889\nwhen Mr Gordon Craig made his\nfirst appearance as Arthur St. Valery.\nHis piece, 44 Camilla's Hushand \"\ngiven at the Olympic Dec. 14, 1862\nis noteworthy as the last piece in which\nRobson, who played Dogbriar, ap-\npeared."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c055", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c055", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.9", "titre_corps": "SHIRLEY BROOKS", "titre_sommaire": "SHIRLEY BROOKS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 3499, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4004, "texte": "SHIRLEY BROOKS.\nCHARLES SHIRLEY BROOKS.\n(1816-74) was Editor of 44 Punch \"\nand son of William Brooks, architect.\n44 In association with John Oxenford \"\n44 writes Mr'G. A. Boase \", 44 he sup-\n44 plied to the Olympic 26th Decem-\nber 1861 an extravaganza which\n44 had the sensational heading 44 Ti-\n44 mour the Tartar, or the Iron Master\n44 of Samarkand the explanatory let-\n44 icrpress significantly stating that a\n44 trifling lapse between the year 136!\n44 and the year 1861 occasionally oc-\ntt »»\n• curs ."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c056", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c056", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.10", "titre_corps": "HENRY MAYHEW", "titre_sommaire": "HENRY MAYHEW", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 4006, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4424, "texte": "HENRY MAYHEW\nHENRY MAYHEW, 1812-1887.\nAuthor, son of a London at-\ntorney, Educated at Westminster. He\nbegan his career as a dramatist with\n44 The Wandering Minstrel \" at the\nRoyal Fitzroy Theatre, 16 January\n1834, a one-act farce in which was\nintroduced the well-known cockney\nsong 44 Villikins and his Dinah\nHe wrote many other plays.\nIn December 1847 his 41 Plum Pud-\nding Pantomime \" wa3 brought out at\nthe Olympic."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c057", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c057", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.11", "titre_corps": "CHARLES DANCE", "titre_sommaire": "CHARLES DANCE", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 4426, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4643, "texte": "CHARLES DANCE\nCHARLES DANCE, 1794-1863.\nAlone or in collaboration with\nJ. R. Planche or ethers he wrote many\npieces, chiefly of the lightest descrip-\ntion, which were produced at the\nOlympic theatre or other theatres."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c058", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c058", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.12", "titre_corps": "WILLIAM FARREN", "titre_sommaire": "WILLIAM FARREN", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 4645, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4882, "texte": "WILLIAM FARREN\nWILLIAM FARREN, 1786-1861.\nActor. Born in London May 13.\nHis father had been a tradesman who\nthen became an actcr of some reputa-\ntion chiefly in tragedy.\nAmple details may be found in the\nDictionary of National Biography."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c059", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c059", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.13", "titre_corps": "HENRY COMPTON", "titre_sommaire": "HENRY COMPTON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 4884, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5079, "texte": "HENRY COMPTON\nHENRY, COMPTON, 1805-1877.\nComedian, whose real name was\nCharies Mackenzie.\nIn 1847 he was at the Olympic\nwhere he remained three years. When\nit was burnt he migrated to the Strand."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c060", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c060", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.14", "titre_corps": "WILKIE COLLINS", "titre_sommaire": "WILKIE COLLINS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 5081, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5157, "texte": "WILKIE COLLINS\nWILLIAM WILKIE. COLLINS, 1824-\n1889. Novelist and playwright."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c061", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c061", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "120", "page_fin": "120", "image_debut": 36, "image_fin": 36, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.10.15", "titre_corps": "TOM TAYLOR", "titre_sommaire": "TOM TAYLOR", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "debut_caractere": 5159, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5349, "texte": "TOM TAYLOR\nTOM TAYLOR. Born October 19,\n1817, died 1$80. Dramatist and\nedi{. or of 44 Punch . he was fond of\ntheatrical life in all its aspects, and was\na devoted friend of the Terry family."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c063", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c063", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "121", "page_fin": "124", "image_debut": 37, "image_fin": 40, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.11", "titre_corps": "FROM A PARLAMENTARY REPORT 1866 : WITH REFERENCES TO FREDERICK ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "FROM A PARLAMENTARY REPORT 1866 : WITH REFERENCES TO FREDERICK ROBSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 37, "page_imprimee": "121", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.37", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3206, "texte": "FROM A PARLAMENTARY\nREPORT 1866.\nWITH REFERENCES TO FREDERICK ROBSON.\n\n| N 1866 Mr. Benjamin Webster, Mr. Buck-\n£ stone, Mr. Dion Boucicault, Mr. Wigan\nand Mr. Holingshead, all famous theatre ma-\nnagers or journalists of the time, appeared\nbefore a Select Committee in the House of\nCommons to testify for or against certain\nproposed reforms. In the course of the\nexamination Mr. Robson's name came to be\nmentioned several times.\nWhat was said serves towards a clearer\nunderstanding of his career and is worth\nreprinting. It is to our knowledge the first\ntime that it has been printed since the\nexamination yielded its report in 1866.\nThe Committee consisted of:\nLord Ernest Bruce . . Mr Locke\nSir Arthur Buller . . Mr O'Beirne\nLord Eustace Cecil. . Mr PotOell\nMr Clive Mr Selwin\nMr Du Cane. . . . Colonel Sturt\nMr Goschen .... Mr Walpole\nWITH THE RIGHT HONOURABLE\nGEORGE JOACHIM GOSCHEN, IN\nTHE CHAIR.\nApr. 27th 1866.\nBENJAMIN WEBSTER, ESQ «> called;\n2892. Chairman.) You are Lessee of the\nAdelphi Theatre, are you not? — No;\nsole proprietor and manager ....\n2980. Do you recollect the late Mr Robson?\n— Yes.\n2981. Where did he commence his career?\n— i have heard that Mr Robson commen-\nced his career at the Grecian; then he went\nto Dublin to refine himself, and he became\nan actor.\n2982. Was he not an actor at the Grecian?\n— Not a great actor; he learned his pro-\nfession more when he went to Dublin.\n2983. But still his success had gone to that\nextent at the Grecian that he obtained an\nengagement in Dublin? — Yes, at a small\nsalary; not more, I believe, than he had\nat the Grecian.\n2984. But did he not learn to act at the\nGrecian, in the first instance? — I do not\nknow. The first knowledge that I had of\nhim was at the Grecian, but I should think\nthat he had acted before.\n2985. How long was heat the Grecian? —\nI do not know, but I should think that he\nhad acted before he went there.\n2986. But he was there for a considerable\ntime, was he not? — I am told so.\n2987. And then he went to Dublin? — Yes.\n2988. And then he became one of the most\nsuccessful actors who ever appeared on\nthe stage? — Yes; he was seen by the\nlate Mr Farren, who engaged him for the\nOlympic.\n2989. Probably if Mr barren had taken the\ntrouble to go to the Grecian he would\nhave taken him from there? — I cannot\nspeak upon probabilities.\n2990. We can, at all events, in a great\nmeasure attribute the enjoyment which we\nhave obtained from the acting of Mr Robson\nto his having been an actor at the Grecian?\n— All actors have commenced in a humble\nway. I began in a barn, and Elliston and\nKemble did the same; in fact Elliston looked\non barns as the hot-beds of genius.\n2991. You would not give the Music halls\nthe chance of being the hot-beds of ge-\nnius? — I think talent there would retro-\ngrade ; but a barn is another thing; the\ngentlemen and the ladies of the neigh-\nbourhood patronise them.\n2992. Do not ladies and gentlemen go to\nmusic halls? — I should not term them\nso; I think they are very doubtful people....\nand so on.\nJOHN BALDWIN BUCKSTONE/2'\nESQ, CALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nApr. 27th. 1866.\n3361. Mr Locke.) You are proprietor, I\nbelieve, of the Haymarket Theatre? — I\nam lessee.\n\n(l) 1797-1882.\n(2) I8O2-I879«"}, {"page_pdf": 38, "page_imprimee": "122", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.38", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3747, "texte": "3362. And manager? — Yes.\n3363. Have you been so for a great many\nyears ? — This is my fourteenth year\n3428. You knew the late Mr Robson, 1\nsuppose? — Yes.\n3429. He performed at the Grecian, did he\nnot? — I never saw him there, but I be-\nlieve he did.\n3430. He performed at the Grecian for a\ngood many years ? — That was 15 or 16\nyears ago, I think.\n3431. Mr Webster has stated that at the\nGrecian Theatre, at the time Mr Robson\nperformed there, there were no refresh-\nments supplied in the auditorium? — I be-\nlieve there was a sort of bench where you\ncould put your glass. Mr Rouse was the\nproprietor. ♦ . . .\n3436. Can you say how long Mr Robson\nperformed there during the time that they\nhad those refreshments in a similar way to\nthe music halls? — My impression is that\nit was not very long; perhaps a couple of\nyears. Mr Robson went from there to the\nDublin Theatre Royal, where he improved\nin his profession and where the elder\nMr William Farren engaged him for the\nOlympic when Mr Farren was Lessee.\n3437. But, however, he commenced his\ncareer at the Grecian Saloon? — He com-\nmenced his career at the Grecian Saloon\nand various other little places.\n3438. Places of that description? — Yes;\nplaces of that description.\n1439. At all events that did not prevent him\nfrom being a very eminent actor ? — Yes;\nbut that was an exception.\n3440. But exceptions prove the rule some-\ntimes? — No; this exception proves that\nthere cannot be any rule.\n3441. There being no rule, why not let\npeople do as they like ? — Not to the degra-\ndation of the drama; why should they do so?\n3442. But Mr Robson went there, and he\ndid not degrade the drama? — But you\nmust understand that he did not obtain\nthis reputation at the Grecian; he was\nobliged to leave and go to a theatre, and\nat that theatre he earned a reputation which\nbrought him to London.\n3443. Now at those theatres in Dublin they\nsmoke, do they not? — No.\n3444. At some of them they smoke? — Not\nat the Theatre Royal.\n3445. They are rather noisy there, are they\nnot? At the Theatre Royal I never found\nthem so, and I was there three weeks last\nautumn. I had a very aristocratic audience\nevery night, and there was no disturbance.\n3446. What is the name of the other theatre\nin Dublin? — There Is a minor Theatre\ncalled The Queens.\n3447. Do they smoke there? — I never went\nthere except once, about seven or eight\nyears ago.\n3448. Was the Theatre Royal the only\nplace where Mr Robson went? No he\nwent to the Queen's Theatre after he had\nmade his reputation in London,\nDION BOUCICAULT, ESQ./3)\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nApr. 30th. 1866.\n4023. Mr I believe that at present\nyou are not manager of any theatre? — I\nam not at present manager of any theatre.\n4024. What theatres have you been manager\nof in London? — I have been manager of\nDrury Lane for a short period, and of the\nAdelphi in connection with Mr Webster,\nand I have also shared the profits in other\ntheatres without being titular manager, in\nconsequence of my always charging in that\nway for my pieces; I receive one half of the\nnet profits.\n4025. Chairman) As an author, I presume?\n- Yes, as an author.\n4026. Mr Lock&) You are a dramatic\nauthor? — Yes\n4239. Do you recollect Mr Robson coming\nout of the \" Grecian \"? — Yes.\n4240. Did he come out there originally? —\nYes he was a waiter there.\n4241. He performed there did he not? —\nHe learned his art there.\n4242. It is not correct to say he learned his\nart in Dublin is it ? — He did not; he\nwas a great actor before he went there; I\nrecommended Mr Charles Kean to take\nhim before he went there, or certainly\nduring his first season.\n4243. Can you mention the name of any other\nactor who commenced his career in the \" Gre-\ncian \"or a similar place?— No, I cannot*\n\n(3) lS20 (?) - 189O."}, {"page_pdf": 39, "page_imprimee": "123", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.39", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3475, "texte": "HORACE WIGAN, ESQ.\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nMay. 4th. 1866.\n4564. Chairman) You are manager of the\nOlympic Theatre, I believe? — Yes.\n4565. And a dramatic author? — Yes.\n4566. Have you written many pieces? — I\nhave had about a dozen successful pieces\nproduced in London.\n4567. Has the Censorship of the Lord\nChamberlain given you any trouble? —\nNone whatever.\n4568. Have you had any passages in your\nplays changed or modified? — No.\n4569. Do you think that the censorship acts\nin the way of hindering the efforts of dra-\nmatic authors? — No; on the contrary, I\nthink it is extremely beneficial. Etc: . . . .\n4694. At the Eagle Tavern is where Mr\nRobson came out, is it not? — No, it\nis a mistake to say that he came out\nthere.\n4695. Where did he come out ? — He was\na very experienced actor before he went\nthere. The Eagle was not a saloon when\nhe acted there; the first license for that\nsaloon was in November 1843, and Mr\nRobson did not appear there until 1844.\nI can give a list of the places that he\nplayed at. The first place that he acted\nat was a minor Theatre in Catherine-\nstreet, Strand; the second was the Bower;\nhe was then in the Kent circuit, the Bedford\ncircuit, the Oxford circuit, the St. Alban's\ncircuit, Jackman's Company, Tonbridge\nWells, Chester's Company, Rogers's Com-\npany, the Standard Theatre, and the Gre-\ncian Saloon. Then he went to Dublin to\nthe Queen's Theatre, and then to the\nRoyal Theatre; then he came to Mr Far-\nren, and then to me. I was very intimate\nwith him. He was never a waiter; it is\nquite a mistake to say that he was ; he\nwas an engraver's apprentice in Bedford-\nCourt, Covent Garden, and he used to go\nto that minor theatre which I have referred\nto in Catherine-street, Strand.\n4696. He went to the Grecian, and likewise\nto the Bower? — Yes when they were\ntheatres; at least the Grecian was a\ntheatre.\n4697. There was smoking, eating and drink-\ning going on, was there not? — No, not\nwhen he was there.\n4698. Not at the Eagle? — No. The first\nlicense was in November 1843; the tables\nhad been removed in 1844. The tables\nhad been put outside the theatre.\n4699. The tables were round about outside?\n— Yes, formerly there was a slab to put\nthe glass on, and that was carried out.\nMr Robson was not the production of\nmusic halls at all; he was a regularly\neducated actor, who had to go through all\nthe misery of the early part of an actor's\ncareer.\nH. J. TURNER, ESQ.,\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nMay. 7 th. 1866.\n5044. Chairman.) You are a Theatrical\nAgent are you not? — I am.\n5045. Can you tell the Committee what\nbusiness that involves? — Receiving from\nmanagers their instructions with regard to\nwhat actors or actresses they require, and\nfurnishing them with them.\n5046. The managers let you know what\nkind of actors and actresses they require?\n— They do.\n5047. You act between the two? — Yes. . . .\n5072. It is considered infra dig. for an\nactor to go to a music hall ? — Certainly;\nthe theatres are never recruited from music\nhalls.\n5073. It has been stated that Mr Robson\ncame from the Grecian Saloon? — The\nGrecian Saloon was a theatre at the time\nMr Robson was there.\n5074. You know of no other cases? — No;\nbut Mr Robsons's is scarcely a case in\npoint.\nJOHN HOLLINGSHEAD, ESQ.,(5>\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nMay 7th 1866.\n5214. Mr Locke) What are you by profes-\nsion? — I am an Author and Journalist,\nand a member of the Dramatic Authors'\nSociety\n5300. Now with regard to actors who have\n\n(4) l8l8 (?) • I885.\n(5) 1827-1904."}, {"page_pdf": 40, "page_imprimee": "124", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.40", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3057, "texte": "come out at music halls; do you know\nany actors who have commenced their\ncareer at a music hall ? — It is difficult to\nsay where an actor has commenced his\ncareer; he may have performed in a tent\nor a barn, which some people think is\nmore elevating than a music hall. I re-\nmember Mr Robson's appearance at the\nGrecian; I lived in the neighbourhood\nand went there frequently; 1 make no\nmistake about the Grecian Saloon, what 1\ncall the Saloon; it is a building which\nwas no Theatre, but a music hall in 1844,\nwhen Mr Robson went there, and it did\nnot cease to be a music hall until 1848;\nthat is in evidence before the Committee\nby the Lord Chamberlain's statement: and\nduring those four years Mr Robson perfor-\nmed in an atmosphere of tobacco smoke ;\nand before audiences who sat before ledges\nin front of each seat (there was no table)\non which the drink was placed. He per-\nformed most of the familiar characters that\nmade him popular at the Olympic, and\nsang nearly all the comic songs which\nmade the fortune of that house; it was to\nall intents and purposes, a music hall.\nMiss Carlotta Leclercq, and Miss Stevens\n(now at the Olympic, I think), and Mr\nFlexmore were there; and I believe that\nMr Sims Reeves was in the chorus.\n5301. Among the smoke? — Yes; the per-\nformances were very perfect, and of a\nrefined character; I was young at the time;\nthey had little cperas and burlettas; it was\nnot much like a theatre, it was more of a\nsuburban comic opera house; people went\nthere from all parts of the town. A piece\nof Mr Shirley Brooks was put on the stage\nthere, which Mr Keeley had made a hit\nin at the Lyceum Theatre; they went\ndown there to see it, and their impression\nwas that Mr Robson was better in it than\nMr Keeley, and that it was better per-\nformed. I think it had been withdrawn\nat the Lyceum.\n5302. But Mr Keeley had done it at the\nLyceum previously to Mr Robson doing\nit at the Grecian? — Yes: I do not know\nwhether the fact is of much value, but it\nis a fact; I am speaking from my own\nknowledge.\n5303. The Grecian was to all intents and\npurposes a music hall, was it? — Yes, I\nsaw Mr Robson about three times a-week\nduring the whole of those four j'ears, when\nit was essentially a music hall: it was\ncalled a saloon, but with all the conditions -\nof smoking, eating, and drinking in the\nauditorium.\n5304. And at that time many persons pre- -\nferred Mr Robson's performance to Mr\nKeeley's, in the same character? — Yes.\n5305. That was before Mr Robson went\nto Dublin? — Yes, before he went to\nDublin.\n5356. 1 hen it cannot be correct to say that\nhe never learned to be a good actor until\nhe went to Dublin? — I know that at a\ntheatre people cannot smoke; but I should\nhardly say the audience at the Queen's\nTheatre in Dublin was of the quietest.'\nThe lowest price at the Grecian was 6\nand the lowest price at the Queen's was\n3d. There was no smoking, eating, and\ndrinking at the Queen's but the audience\nwas rather a rough Irish audience.\n5387. You saw Mr Robson full of art before\nhe went to Dublin? — Yes, full of art at\nthe Grecian."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c064", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c064", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "124", "page_fin": "124", "image_debut": 40, "image_fin": 40, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.11.1", "titre_corps": "A SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIRCKI", "titre_sommaire": "A SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIRCKI", "signature_source": "DANIEL CHODOWIRCKI", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 40, "page_imprimee": "124", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.40", "debut_caractere": 3059, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3094, "texte": "A SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIRCKI."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c065", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c065", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "125", "page_fin": "125", "image_debut": 41, "image_fin": 41, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.12", "titre_corps": "FREDERICK ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "FREDERICK ROBSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 41, "page_imprimee": "125", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.41", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 104, "texte": "FREDERICK ROBSON.\nReproduced from,the Reminiscences of J. L. Toole published by Messrs Hurst & Blackett."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c065a", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c065a", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 43, "image_fin": 43, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.13", "titre_corps": "ROBSON IN TWO OF HIS ROLES", "titre_sommaire": "ROBSON IN TWO OF HIS ROLES", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 43, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.43", "debut_caractere": 85, "fin_caractere_exclue": 94, "texte": "Plate 17."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c066", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c066", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 43, "image_fin": 43, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.13.1", "titre_corps": "IN BOOTS AT THE INN", "titre_sommaire": "IN BOOTS AT THE INN", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 43, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.43", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 20, "texte": "IN BOOTS AT THE INN."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c067", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c067", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 43, "image_fin": 43, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.13.2", "titre_corps": "AS DADDY HARDACRE", "titre_sommaire": "AS DADDY HARDACRE", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 43, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.43", "debut_caractere": 22, "fin_caractere_exclue": 68, "texte": "AS DADDY HARDACRE.\nROBSON IN TWO OF HIS ROLES."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c068", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c068", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 45, "image_fin": 45, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.14", "titre_corps": "ELLEN TERRY WITH MARION TERRY HER SISTER", "titre_sommaire": "ELLEN TERRY WITH MARION TERRY HER SISTER", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 45, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.45", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 458, "texte": "ELLEN TERRY WITH MARION TERRY HER SISTER,\nin 1911, seated in the old school desk (a little wooden affair with wooden seat\nand with two flap-lids for sloping writing places) made for her children\nEdith and Edward.\nA Note on the back of the picture in Ellen Terry's handwriting reads:\n\"For my book but it never appeared in her book. The print is excessively\nrare, not reproduced befor e and by no means a clear print; but very pretty\nof both sisters.\nPlate 18."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c069", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c069", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "127", "page_fin": "129", "image_debut": 47, "image_fin": 49, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.15", "titre_corps": "STAGE DESIGNS IN LONDON : THE EXHIBITION OF GORDON CRAIG'S DESIGN'S FOR IBSEN'S \"PRETENDERS\"", "titre_sommaire": "STAGE DESIGNS IN LONDON : THE EXHIBITION OF GORDON CRAIG'S DESIGN'S FOR IBSEN'S \"PRETENDERS\"", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 47, "page_imprimee": "127", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.47", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3480, "texte": "STAGE DESIGNS\nIN LONDON,\nTHE EXHIBITION OF\nGORDON CRAIG'S\nDESIGN'S FOR IBSEN'S\n\"PRETENDERS\".\n\nSIR GERALD DU MAURIER\nO OPENS THE EXHIBITION. O\nAn Exhibition of Stage Designs by Gordon\nCraig for \" The Pretenders \" by Ibsen,\nas produced at the State Theatre, Copenhagen,\nNovember 17th 1926, with Etchings and other\nDrawings, was opened at the St. George's\nGalleries, Hanover Square, London on June\n26th by Sir Gerald Du Maurier who spoke\nwith considerable force and grace on the\ncondition of the English Stage.\nSir Gerald said in part: —\n\" In my opinion the literal art of the\ntheatre no longer exists on the London stage \".\nAfter humbly dismissing himself from con-\nsideration as no more than a \" dinner-jacket\ncomedian \", Sir Gerald continued :\n\" When Craig came to me the other day\nand said \" Let us get together \", I almost\nblushed, as I know the modern conditions\nand commercial demands of the stage. You\ncannot get a theatre under £ 500 a week; a\nyoung actor after quite moderate success im-\nmediately asks for £60 a week. When I\nfirst went on the stage playing and understudying\nleading parts I was given £ 2 a week in the\nprovinces, and £ 8 a week in America.\n\" What Craig wants me to do, and what\nall of us should do, is to get a big theatre\nwhere he can produce plays and show his\ngenius. But who is to do this, and where\nis the money to come from? The State will\nnot help us, and it has to be done by some\nmillionaire who loves and understands the\ntheatre, and it is to be hoped that all of us\nhere gathered before these scenes will soon\nmeet this man \".\n\" There could hardly be a more striking\ninstance, continued Sir Gerald, than Mr. Craig\nof the truth of the saying that a prophet is\nnot without honour except among his own\npeople. Sir Gerald enlarged upon the fact\nthat in England, and in England alone of all\nthe countries which have claims to count,\nartistically speaking, Craig is recognised at\nfar less than his true value. In Moscow, in\nFlorence (and, indeed, all over Italy), and\nin Germany, his name is a household word.\n\" It was forty years ago when I first saw\nhim \", said Sir Gerald. \"He was then\nplaying with his mother, Ellen Terry, and he\nwas taking the part of a young man on his\nway to the scaffold. She tickled him under\nthe arm, and he roared with laughter, so much\nthat the audience said \" Sh! \". (I-\n\nAT THE ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION.\nTHE collection of drawings later passed\nfrom the St. George's Gallery and were\nhung in one of the lovely Adams rooms at\nthe Architectural Association in Bedford\nSquare.\nThe Exhibition was visited by some\nthousands of visitors.\nThe Catalogue contained a Foreword by\nMr. Ashley Dukes, which is printed below.\n\nPREFACE TO THE CATALOGUE\nBY ASHLEY DUKES.\nEDWARD Gordon Craig is an actor, a man\nof the theatre, and a dramatic artist.\nEdward Gordon Craig is also the founder of\n\" The Mask\" and writer of books on the\nart of the theatre. These two Edward\nGordon Craigs, who are one and the same,\nare surely enough to go on with. Who would\nsuppose that there is a third Edward Gordon\nCraig, a would-be producer of plays, who\nhates actors like the devil and whose sole\nambition is to bury them under stacks of stage\nscenery, mountain-high, designed and painted\nby himself at a cost so outrageous that Mr.\nShubert himself could not afford to engage\n\n(i) We reprint this report of Sir Gerald's speech from\nthe \" Daily Telegraph\" of June 27th, from which we also\nreprint Mr. H. M. Walbrock's Notes upon the Designs exhi-\nbited."}, {"page_pdf": 48, "page_imprimee": "128", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.48", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4150, "texte": "his services, and under artistic conditions so\nextravagant that no one can possibly work\nwith him? Yet the legend of this third\nEdward Gordon Craig was invented at least\ntwenty years ago, and it has been industriously\nkept alive by people who cannot understand\nthe other two, or prefer not to understand\nthem.\nYou would suppose that by this time\nthe dramatic critics, at least, would have\nfound out the truth about this legend. But\nthe dramatic critics see so many plays that\nthey have no time left even for reading books\nabout the theatre (I know this, for I was\nfifteen years a dramatic critic), and also they\nhave had no recent opportunity of judging Mr.\nCraig's work as a dramatic artist, his pro-\nductions having been made in other coun-\ntries and not in England. So the dramatic\ncritics are hardly to be blamed if they accept\nthe legend of the third Mr. Craig as one of\nthe conventions of their trade.\nMeanwhile, the first and second Edward\nGordon Craigs have been going quietly about\ntheir business as artists and writers and thin-\nkers for the theatre. 1 do not mean by\n\" thinkers \" people v/ho argue about sex or\nreligion or politics on the stage in the guise\nof playwrights, but people who examine the\nfoundations of dramatic performance — who\nperceive, for example, that dramatic literature\ndoes not include the whole of drama, and\nthat the presentation of a play should not be\nregarded as a sort of accretion to the literary\nwork. Such people are especially needed at\nthe present time, when the intellectual theatre\nis perishing of its own superfluity of ideas,\nand theatrical art enjoys some hope of resto-\nration.\nOne of the two Mr. Craigs, who has\nproduced plays by Ibsen as well as plays by\nShakespeare, was lately invited to make a\ntheatrical production. Ibsen's \" The Preten-\nders \", which had been first performed at\nChristiania in 1864, was seen at the Royal\nTheatre, Copenhagen in 1871, when the\ntragic actor, Emil Poulsen, distinguished\nhimself in the part of Bishop Nicholas. In\n1926 the sons of Emil Poulsen, Adam and\nJohannes, resolved to celebrate the twenty-\nfifth anniversary of their own work on the\nDanish stage by a gala performance of the\nsame play. The directors of the State Thea-\ntre invited Mr. Craig to direct successfully\nthe new production, and the designs now\nshown in London were realised on that stage\n(November 17th, 1926). They represent in\ntheir present form the practical accompani-\nment of thirty days' rehearsals, carried on\nwhile the ordinary routine of the State Re-\npertory Theatre was in progress. An\naddress was presented by the artists of the\ntheatre to their visitor in these charming\nterms:\nThe artists of the Royal Danish Theatre\nwho under your leadership have performed\n\" The Pretenders hy Henrik Ihsen, hereby\nwish to salute you as their master and to\nthank y°u f°r the enrichment wh'ch your\nmind and imagination have brought to the\ncommon task of dramatic performance on this\noccasion. In Stanislavsky s Words, We trust\nthat you may have perseverance to fulfil your\nmission of beauty.\nThe Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen.\nNovember, 1926.\n€J The etchings shown in the present\nexhibition are dedicated \"To Old Bach\"\nby way of emphasising the idea in which\nthey originated. They represent Mr. Craig's\nbelief that when the patrons of the theatre\nare willing, the artists of the theatre will be\nable to create a medium of their own — an\nart which will be to vision what music is to\nsound.\nPerhaps it is now plain that there is only\none Edward Gordon Craig.\n\nNOTES ON THE DESIGNS\nBY H. M. WALBROOK.\nMR. Edward Gordon Craig has come to\nLondon, bringing his sheaves with him.\nIn other words, his designs for the decoration\nof the recent revival of Ibsen's tragedy,\n\" The Pretenders \", at the famous old Royal\nTheatre, Copenhagen — the theatre of the\ngreat Ludwig von Holberg of long ago —\nare now on view at the St. George's Gallery,\nHanover Square, where every student of\ntheatrical decorative art should make a point\nof seeing them.\n\" The Pretenders \"is a very long and\nvery grand tragedy. Henry Irving once had\nserious thoughts of producing it and playing\nthe part of the doomed Duke Skule. Had"}, {"page_pdf": 49, "page_imprimee": "129", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.49", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3398, "texte": "he done so he would probably have given\none of the grandest of his performances, and\nthe play would have become as familiar\n-in England as \"The Master Builder\". As\nit happened, however, its only production in\nthis country took place in the Haymarket in\nFebruary 1913, when, in spite of some me-\nmorable acting by Mr. William Haviland in\nthe part of the diabolical old Bishop Nicholas,\nan intellectual impersonation by Mr. Laurence\nIrving as the Duke Skule, and a very tender\nand poetical Margrete by Miss Netta West-\ncott, the play had only a short run. Now\nthat I have seen Mr. Gordon Craig's designs\nfor its decoration, and also listened to his\nimpressions of the acting of Johannes Poulsen,\nand the rest of the Copenhagen cast, I can\nonly groan at having missed this Danish pro-\nduction.\nMr. Craig's pictures, as they hang in their\nframes on the gallery walls, are of the sort\nthat the playgoer should delight in. Needless\nto say, his vision of the thirteenth-century\nsaga is a poet's as well as a painter's.\nSoaring towers and lofty chambers, sweeping\nprocessions, spears and banners, splashes of\nsplendid- colour, figures ghostly and ghastly as\nwell as heroic, battle, murder, and stormy\nskies — in short, every element in Ibsen's\ncolossal tragedy — are presented.\nThere is, of course, far more in these\ndesigns than their poetry and drama — and\nhere, like Agag, I shall have to tread deli-\ncately, for it is an element in such work that\nI can only dimly apprehend, though I think\nI realise its importance. It is a technical, a\n- scientific something — the touch, shall I say,\nof the mathematician, the engineer. Again and\nagain the visitor finds himself in the presence\nof a problem; and here, as on the aesthetic\nside, the exhibition will cast its spell. It is, of\ncourse, an old story that brain, equally with\nbeauty figures in all Mr. Gordon Craig's work\nfor the theatre; and it is that combination on a\nhigh level that has ensured him his renown\non the Continent. It is easy to realise as\none looks at these designs, with their mea-\nsurements and their pencilled notes, how\n.complete must have been their effect on the\nstage, not of grandeur only, but of simplicity;\nand surely that is the crowning touch in all\nsuch work.\nIt is strange indeed that we see so little\nof this artist's work in the London theatre.\nMr. Dukes makes a subtle reference to\nthis in his introduction. He quotes, with\ndue irony, a weird legend to the effect that\nto engage Mr. Gordon Craig as a producer\nis to risk an expenditure of millions! Wri-\nting with some knowledge of such legends, I\nshould say that probably this is the silliest\nthat ever emerged from the mind of man.\nThere is not a hint of any sort of extrava-\ngance in these designs; and, grand as it was,\n1 feel sure that the Copenhagen production\n- . L O I\nof \" The Pretenders \" did not cost a quarter\nas much as many a London production of\ninfinitely less moment has cost during the\npast ten years. After all, it is not, as a\nrule, brain that brings about bankruptcy, but\nthe lack of it; and, like most real poets, Mr.\nGordon Craig, 1 venture to surmise, is also\none of the most practical of men. Let Lon-\ndon's Theatres \"see to it!\"\n\nA FORTHCOMING VOLUME.\nTHE Oxford University Press is at work\non a volume by Mr. Craig entitled \"A\nProduction \", and this will contain facsimiles\nof the designs for \" The Pretenders\" in\nblack and white and in colour."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c071", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c071", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "127", "page_fin": "127", "image_debut": 47, "image_fin": 47, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.15.2", "titre_corps": "SIR GERALD DU MAURIER OPENS THE EXHIBITION", "titre_sommaire": "SIR GERALD DU MAURIER OPENS THE EXHIBITION", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 47, "page_imprimee": "127", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.47", "debut_caractere": 94, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2330, "texte": "SIR GERALD DU MAURIER\nO OPENS THE EXHIBITION. O\nAn Exhibition of Stage Designs by Gordon\nCraig for \" The Pretenders \" by Ibsen,\nas produced at the State Theatre, Copenhagen,\nNovember 17th 1926, with Etchings and other\nDrawings, was opened at the St. George's\nGalleries, Hanover Square, London on June\n26th by Sir Gerald Du Maurier who spoke\nwith considerable force and grace on the\ncondition of the English Stage.\nSir Gerald said in part: —\n\" In my opinion the literal art of the\ntheatre no longer exists on the London stage \".\nAfter humbly dismissing himself from con-\nsideration as no more than a \" dinner-jacket\ncomedian \", Sir Gerald continued :\n\" When Craig came to me the other day\nand said \" Let us get together \", I almost\nblushed, as I know the modern conditions\nand commercial demands of the stage. You\ncannot get a theatre under £ 500 a week; a\nyoung actor after quite moderate success im-\nmediately asks for £60 a week. When I\nfirst went on the stage playing and understudying\nleading parts I was given £ 2 a week in the\nprovinces, and £ 8 a week in America.\n\" What Craig wants me to do, and what\nall of us should do, is to get a big theatre\nwhere he can produce plays and show his\ngenius. But who is to do this, and where\nis the money to come from? The State will\nnot help us, and it has to be done by some\nmillionaire who loves and understands the\ntheatre, and it is to be hoped that all of us\nhere gathered before these scenes will soon\nmeet this man \".\n\" There could hardly be a more striking\ninstance, continued Sir Gerald, than Mr. Craig\nof the truth of the saying that a prophet is\nnot without honour except among his own\npeople. Sir Gerald enlarged upon the fact\nthat in England, and in England alone of all\nthe countries which have claims to count,\nartistically speaking, Craig is recognised at\nfar less than his true value. In Moscow, in\nFlorence (and, indeed, all over Italy), and\nin Germany, his name is a household word.\n\" It was forty years ago when I first saw\nhim \", said Sir Gerald. \"He was then\nplaying with his mother, Ellen Terry, and he\nwas taking the part of a young man on his\nway to the scaffold. She tickled him under\nthe arm, and he roared with laughter, so much\nthat the audience said \" Sh! \". (I-"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c072", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c072", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "127", "page_fin": "127", "image_debut": 47, "image_fin": 47, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.15.3", "titre_corps": "AT THE ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION", "titre_sommaire": "AT THE ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 47, "page_imprimee": "127", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.47", "debut_caractere": 2332, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2672, "texte": "AT THE ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION.\nTHE collection of drawings later passed\nfrom the St. George's Gallery and were\nhung in one of the lovely Adams rooms at\nthe Architectural Association in Bedford\nSquare.\nThe Exhibition was visited by some\nthousands of visitors.\nThe Catalogue contained a Foreword by\nMr. Ashley Dukes, which is printed below."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c073", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c073", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "127", "page_fin": "128", "image_debut": 47, "image_fin": 48, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.15.4", "titre_corps": "PREFACE TO THE CATALOGUE", "titre_sommaire": "PREFACE TO THE CATALOGUE", "signature_source": "ASHLEY DUKES", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 47, "page_imprimee": "127", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.47", "debut_caractere": 2674, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3480, "texte": "PREFACE TO THE CATALOGUE\nBY ASHLEY DUKES.\nEDWARD Gordon Craig is an actor, a man\nof the theatre, and a dramatic artist.\nEdward Gordon Craig is also the founder of\n\" The Mask\" and writer of books on the\nart of the theatre. These two Edward\nGordon Craigs, who are one and the same,\nare surely enough to go on with. Who would\nsuppose that there is a third Edward Gordon\nCraig, a would-be producer of plays, who\nhates actors like the devil and whose sole\nambition is to bury them under stacks of stage\nscenery, mountain-high, designed and painted\nby himself at a cost so outrageous that Mr.\nShubert himself could not afford to engage\n\n(i) We reprint this report of Sir Gerald's speech from\nthe \" Daily Telegraph\" of June 27th, from which we also\nreprint Mr. H. M. Walbrock's Notes upon the Designs exhi-\nbited."}, {"page_pdf": 48, "page_imprimee": "128", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.48", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3512, "texte": "his services, and under artistic conditions so\nextravagant that no one can possibly work\nwith him? Yet the legend of this third\nEdward Gordon Craig was invented at least\ntwenty years ago, and it has been industriously\nkept alive by people who cannot understand\nthe other two, or prefer not to understand\nthem.\nYou would suppose that by this time\nthe dramatic critics, at least, would have\nfound out the truth about this legend. But\nthe dramatic critics see so many plays that\nthey have no time left even for reading books\nabout the theatre (I know this, for I was\nfifteen years a dramatic critic), and also they\nhave had no recent opportunity of judging Mr.\nCraig's work as a dramatic artist, his pro-\nductions having been made in other coun-\ntries and not in England. So the dramatic\ncritics are hardly to be blamed if they accept\nthe legend of the third Mr. Craig as one of\nthe conventions of their trade.\nMeanwhile, the first and second Edward\nGordon Craigs have been going quietly about\ntheir business as artists and writers and thin-\nkers for the theatre. 1 do not mean by\n\" thinkers \" people v/ho argue about sex or\nreligion or politics on the stage in the guise\nof playwrights, but people who examine the\nfoundations of dramatic performance — who\nperceive, for example, that dramatic literature\ndoes not include the whole of drama, and\nthat the presentation of a play should not be\nregarded as a sort of accretion to the literary\nwork. Such people are especially needed at\nthe present time, when the intellectual theatre\nis perishing of its own superfluity of ideas,\nand theatrical art enjoys some hope of resto-\nration.\nOne of the two Mr. Craigs, who has\nproduced plays by Ibsen as well as plays by\nShakespeare, was lately invited to make a\ntheatrical production. Ibsen's \" The Preten-\nders \", which had been first performed at\nChristiania in 1864, was seen at the Royal\nTheatre, Copenhagen in 1871, when the\ntragic actor, Emil Poulsen, distinguished\nhimself in the part of Bishop Nicholas. In\n1926 the sons of Emil Poulsen, Adam and\nJohannes, resolved to celebrate the twenty-\nfifth anniversary of their own work on the\nDanish stage by a gala performance of the\nsame play. The directors of the State Thea-\ntre invited Mr. Craig to direct successfully\nthe new production, and the designs now\nshown in London were realised on that stage\n(November 17th, 1926). They represent in\ntheir present form the practical accompani-\nment of thirty days' rehearsals, carried on\nwhile the ordinary routine of the State Re-\npertory Theatre was in progress. An\naddress was presented by the artists of the\ntheatre to their visitor in these charming\nterms:\nThe artists of the Royal Danish Theatre\nwho under your leadership have performed\n\" The Pretenders hy Henrik Ihsen, hereby\nwish to salute you as their master and to\nthank y°u f°r the enrichment wh'ch your\nmind and imagination have brought to the\ncommon task of dramatic performance on this\noccasion. In Stanislavsky s Words, We trust\nthat you may have perseverance to fulfil your\nmission of beauty.\nThe Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen.\nNovember, 1926.\n€J The etchings shown in the present\nexhibition are dedicated \"To Old Bach\"\nby way of emphasising the idea in which\nthey originated. They represent Mr. Craig's\nbelief that when the patrons of the theatre\nare willing, the artists of the theatre will be\nable to create a medium of their own — an\nart which will be to vision what music is to\nsound.\nPerhaps it is now plain that there is only\none Edward Gordon Craig."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c074", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c074", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "128", "page_fin": "129", "image_debut": 48, "image_fin": 49, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.15.5", "titre_corps": "NOTES ON THE DESIGNS", "titre_sommaire": "NOTES ON THE DESIGNS", "signature_source": "H. M. WALBROOK", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 48, "page_imprimee": "128", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.48", "debut_caractere": 3514, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4150, "texte": "NOTES ON THE DESIGNS\nBY H. M. WALBROOK.\nMR. Edward Gordon Craig has come to\nLondon, bringing his sheaves with him.\nIn other words, his designs for the decoration\nof the recent revival of Ibsen's tragedy,\n\" The Pretenders \", at the famous old Royal\nTheatre, Copenhagen — the theatre of the\ngreat Ludwig von Holberg of long ago —\nare now on view at the St. George's Gallery,\nHanover Square, where every student of\ntheatrical decorative art should make a point\nof seeing them.\n\" The Pretenders \"is a very long and\nvery grand tragedy. Henry Irving once had\nserious thoughts of producing it and playing\nthe part of the doomed Duke Skule. Had"}, {"page_pdf": 49, "page_imprimee": "129", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.49", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3181, "texte": "he done so he would probably have given\none of the grandest of his performances, and\nthe play would have become as familiar\n-in England as \"The Master Builder\". As\nit happened, however, its only production in\nthis country took place in the Haymarket in\nFebruary 1913, when, in spite of some me-\nmorable acting by Mr. William Haviland in\nthe part of the diabolical old Bishop Nicholas,\nan intellectual impersonation by Mr. Laurence\nIrving as the Duke Skule, and a very tender\nand poetical Margrete by Miss Netta West-\ncott, the play had only a short run. Now\nthat I have seen Mr. Gordon Craig's designs\nfor its decoration, and also listened to his\nimpressions of the acting of Johannes Poulsen,\nand the rest of the Copenhagen cast, I can\nonly groan at having missed this Danish pro-\nduction.\nMr. Craig's pictures, as they hang in their\nframes on the gallery walls, are of the sort\nthat the playgoer should delight in. Needless\nto say, his vision of the thirteenth-century\nsaga is a poet's as well as a painter's.\nSoaring towers and lofty chambers, sweeping\nprocessions, spears and banners, splashes of\nsplendid- colour, figures ghostly and ghastly as\nwell as heroic, battle, murder, and stormy\nskies — in short, every element in Ibsen's\ncolossal tragedy — are presented.\nThere is, of course, far more in these\ndesigns than their poetry and drama — and\nhere, like Agag, I shall have to tread deli-\ncately, for it is an element in such work that\nI can only dimly apprehend, though I think\nI realise its importance. It is a technical, a\n- scientific something — the touch, shall I say,\nof the mathematician, the engineer. Again and\nagain the visitor finds himself in the presence\nof a problem; and here, as on the aesthetic\nside, the exhibition will cast its spell. It is, of\ncourse, an old story that brain, equally with\nbeauty figures in all Mr. Gordon Craig's work\nfor the theatre; and it is that combination on a\nhigh level that has ensured him his renown\non the Continent. It is easy to realise as\none looks at these designs, with their mea-\nsurements and their pencilled notes, how\n.complete must have been their effect on the\nstage, not of grandeur only, but of simplicity;\nand surely that is the crowning touch in all\nsuch work.\nIt is strange indeed that we see so little\nof this artist's work in the London theatre.\nMr. Dukes makes a subtle reference to\nthis in his introduction. He quotes, with\ndue irony, a weird legend to the effect that\nto engage Mr. Gordon Craig as a producer\nis to risk an expenditure of millions! Wri-\nting with some knowledge of such legends, I\nshould say that probably this is the silliest\nthat ever emerged from the mind of man.\nThere is not a hint of any sort of extrava-\ngance in these designs; and, grand as it was,\n1 feel sure that the Copenhagen production\n- . L O I\nof \" The Pretenders \" did not cost a quarter\nas much as many a London production of\ninfinitely less moment has cost during the\npast ten years. After all, it is not, as a\nrule, brain that brings about bankruptcy, but\nthe lack of it; and, like most real poets, Mr.\nGordon Craig, 1 venture to surmise, is also\none of the most practical of men. Let Lon-\ndon's Theatres \"see to it!\""}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c075", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c075", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "129", "page_fin": "129", "image_debut": 49, "image_fin": 49, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.15.6", "titre_corps": "A FORTHCOMING VOLUME", "titre_sommaire": "A FORTHCOMING VOLUME", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 49, "page_imprimee": "129", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.49", "debut_caractere": 3183, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3398, "texte": "A FORTHCOMING VOLUME.\nTHE Oxford University Press is at work\non a volume by Mr. Craig entitled \"A\nProduction \", and this will contain facsimiles\nof the designs for \" The Pretenders\" in\nblack and white and in colour."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c076", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c076", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "129", "page_fin": "129", "image_debut": 49, "image_fin": 49, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.15.6.1", "titre_corps": "A SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIECKI", "titre_sommaire": "A SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIECKI", "signature_source": "DANIEL CHODOWIECKI", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 49, "page_imprimee": "129", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.49", "debut_caractere": 3400, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3435, "texte": "A SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIECKI."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c077", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c077", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "130", "page_fin": "131", "image_debut": 50, "image_fin": 51, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.16", "titre_corps": "A LOST COLLABORATION", "titre_sommaire": "A LOST COLLABORATION", "signature_source": "GORDON CRAIG", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 50, "page_imprimee": "130", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.50", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3754, "texte": "A LOST COLLABORATION\nBY GORDON CRAIG.\nONE hundred years ago on November 8 th\nnext died Thomas Bewick, that most\ndelightful English craftsman who engraved\nso well that if only he had allied himself to\nthe artist-engraver William Blake — there I\npause, not knowing what more to say.\n\" And why these two ? \" you ask ? —\n\" and why together ? — and why not each\non his own ? \"\nWell , as they were born almost in the\nsame year and died one year after each other,\nand were forgotten for a century and never\nbecame the fashion and made too little to live\nwell on and apparently had to drudge like\ndray horses in order to get a living, possibly\nhad they joined partnership the machine would\nhave gone along easier for both.\nBlake's\n14 A Robin redbreast in a cage\nPuts all Heaven in a rage \"\nwith Bewick's \" The Redbreast \" which mea-\nsures only 2 X 3 1/16 inches — what could\ngo better together ?\nBlake could engrave a bit on wood but\nengraved very little on wood — and wood,\nif a harder medium than Blake's pewter and\nacid, does prove much easier to print; and\nif Bewick had only shared the labour of the\ncraft with Blake we should all of us have\noriginal copies of Blake today and there would\nbe none of this £ 3050 for a copy of Blake's\n\" Visions \" just because of their tragic rarity.\nBewick showed himself able, for \" The\nChillingham Wild Bull \" engraved in 1789\nwas done as Blake's \" Songs of Innocence \"\nwere coming out of the press.\nIt is a mighty good wood engraving, that\nBull; but the whole thing lacks Blake's gui-\ndance. Bewick with Blake would have shown\nEurope something so well worth showing\nthat I am surprised that the Fates didn't help\nthe matter on.\nBut I am even more surprised that people-\nin England do not bring such men together\nmore often than they do.\nIn 1767 Bewick was apprenticed to Ralph\nBeilby of Newcastle, and the very same year\nBlake began to study art at Par's Drawing\nSchool in the Strand ; four years later he was\napprenticed to the engraver Basire.\nWhat a waste of time for Blake when\nBewick was pegging away at the craft — and\nwas the very man born to serve Blake's genius.\nFor no one can accuse old Bewick of\npossessing genius — and no one can praise\nBlake as sufficiently a master of the wood-\nengraver's technique. I think most will agree\nthat some of his pupils —or disciples were they—?\nbeat him easily in technical powers.\nIn 1 776 Blake was just finishing his \" Poe-\ntical Sketches \" begun in 1769 — in fact\neither wasting time that he might have given\nto engraving or wantonly gambling on a ter-\nrible risk with two strings to his bow, belie-\nving that two strings were better than one.\nBewick could have saved a calamity had\nhe popped in one day during his year's trial\nin London at No. 28 Broad St. Carnaby\nMarket, Golden Square and found Blake at\nhome, or gone to see him and his work at\nBasire's shop in Great Queen St., Lincoln's\nInn Fields.\nAnd didn't he go there ? — and didn't\nhe come face to face with Blake — and fail\nto recognize something ? \" He recognized\nLondon's attractions \" wrote the excellent de- -\nsigner and engraver Mr. Selwyn Image (1)\n\" and its advantages, yet essentially the place\nand its life were abhorrent to him ''.\nI longed to see Tyneside again\" he\nwrote himself of this London visit; and in\n1777, midsummer, he sailed from the Thames\nback to Newcastle.\nIt was this going back which is so cha-\nracteristic of Bewick: it is the everlasting\ngoing on which characterizes Blake.\nNot till he was two-and-thirty did Bewick\nmarry Miss Elliot of Ovingham ; before twenty- ,\nsix did Blake dash in and marry his Catherine.\nBut it was something exceptional which\n\n(i) It is from his very interesting essay in 44 The Print\nCollector's Quarterly \" for 1925 that I get my information about\nBewick."}, {"page_pdf": 51, "page_imprimee": "131", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.51", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2716, "texte": "delayed Bewick and hastened Blake ; the for-\nmer had long made up his mind, he writes,\n\" not to marry whilst my father and mother\nlived, in order that my undivided attention\nmight be bestowed on them and only when\nthey died did he marry.\nBlake's genius carried him away.\nYes, it is a pity that these two extremes,\nalike in much, never worked together.\nIn 1790 Bewick designed, engraved and\npublished his \" The Quadrupeds ;it passed\nquickly into three editions.\nIn the same year (1790) Blake designed,\nwrote, engraved, printed and coloured by hand\nhis \" Marriage of Heaven and Hell \".\nIn 1797 Bewick did his \" The Birds \",\nBlake his \" The Four Zoas \". Why, it's like\ntwo bells ringing in the sea at different points,\nboth warning of peril.\nBewick was by now — 1797 — beco-\nming something of a success; Blake was in\n1797 \"suffering from lack of employment as\nengraver \". (0\nBut now in 1928 it is Blake who is held\nas a great master and Bewick as a little master.\nThe first is still thought of as not quite sane:\nthe second is obviously utterly sane.\nFor my part I would see many more\npeople in England working together: for we\nEnglish are curiously eccentric in our compo-\nsition : this I have learned to understand better\nafter many years spent in Italy. We are made\nup of queer contraries.\nThis bit of our nature makes us extreme-\nly able : that bit renders us utterly futile:\nhere we shine, there we merely smoke. Thus,\nunless we are equipt at all points, we do not\nsucceed in our art or our work; — and very\nfew in England are so equipt.\nAnd so it comes about that cooperation,\ncollaboration and firm friendships in work are\nmost desirable for us English artists : and it\nwould even render England herself stronger.\nImagine for a moment Shakespeare without\nBurbage ! I wager his plays would not have\nbeen written without him, and I believe that\nit is due to the presence of Burbage with a\ntheatre on his hands that Shakespeare became\nShakespeare.\nGilbert and Sullivan is another collabo-\nration productive of great things for England.\n- Dryden and Purcell; Ben Jonson and Inigo\nJones; And it is essential that one of the\npartners shall be the man of genius and that\nhis collaborator shall be the compliment to\nhim, filling up what needs completing without\nany talk, with perfect understanding.\n\" Love and justice are compliments each\nof the other \" is the example given us in our\nOxford Dictionary.\nThe Germans who are in some ways almost\nas eccentric as the English, have discovered\nhow to work together so that even a Goethe\nand a Schiller could do this ; and the Brothers\nReinhardt and the artists around them show\na useful collaboration to effectual, if not the\ngreatest, ends.\n\n(i) John Sampson. Oxford Press."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c080", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c080", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "131", "page_fin": "131", "image_debut": 51, "image_fin": 51, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.17", "titre_corps": "THEATRICAL ACTION : MRS. OLDFIELD CANNOT CALL IT AN ART", "titre_sommaire": "THEATRICAL ACTION : MRS. OLDFIELD CANNOT CALL IT AN ART", "signature_source": "William Egerton", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 51, "page_imprimee": "131", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.51", "debut_caractere": 2718, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3179, "texte": "THEATRICAL ACTION.\nMRS. OLDFIELD CANNOT CALL IT AN ART.\nMemoirs of the Life of Mrs Oldfield; by\nWilliam Egerton. 1731.\n\nTHEATRICAL Action is to be esteemed as a liberal\nAccomplishment, except it be objected, that we can-\nnot call that an Art which cannot be attained by Art.\nVoice, Nature, Motion, and other Gifts, must be very\nbountifully bestowed by Nature, or Labour and Industry\nwill but push the unhappy Endeavourer, in that way, the\nfarther off his Wishes"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c081", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c081", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "131", "page_fin": "131", "image_debut": 51, "image_fin": 51, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.17.1", "titre_corps": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI", "titre_sommaire": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI", "signature_source": "DANIEL CHODOWIECKI", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 51, "page_imprimee": "131", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.51", "debut_caractere": 3181, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3209, "texte": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c082", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c082", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "132", "page_fin": "133", "image_debut": 52, "image_fin": 53, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.18", "titre_corps": "AN ACTOR'S PETITION : TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT REPRODUCED IN PLATE 19", "titre_sommaire": "AN ACTOR'S PETITION : TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT REPRODUCED IN PLATE 19", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 52, "page_imprimee": "132", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.52", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3785, "texte": "AN ACTOR'S\nPETITION.\nTRANSLATED FROM THE\nORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT\nREPRODUCED IN PLATE 19.\n\nTo the most Illustrious and Most Excellent\nPrince.\nThe Company of the Comici Confidenti\nhaving recently been at and,\namong them, ihe most faithful servant of your\nExcellency Battista Vanda Bimino, who\nacts the part of the Zanni which is an essential\none in the commedia, it happened that the\npolice of the illustrious Signor Podesta (I) of\nCremona came to the playhouse to arrest\ncertain people suspected of being thievesand\nthere was a boy there of twelve years old,\nwho, seeing the police, ran up into a garret\nof the said house where he concealed himself..\nThen, when the police were gone, he asked\nthe suppliant to help him to come down from\nthe said garret, and thus the said Suppliant\nhelped himt and in this way he got down into the\nstreet, and immediately the said boy ran away.\nFor this reason the suppliant was forced\nto give himself up in Cremona, where he was\nexamined and then released on bail.\nAfter this, the Suppliant being with his\nCompany at Pavia, his surety, being molested\nat Cremona on account of being bound to de-\nliver up the Suppliant, this Surety had the\naforesaid Suppliant seized afresh in Pavia ;\nbut he was again immediately set at liberty,\nhaving first supplied another surety to the same\neffect as in the said Pavia.\nThus the Suppliant, being here with his\nCompany, was with them summoned by his\nHighness the most illustrious lord Don Giovanni\nto provide some amusement and diversion as\nthey were wont; and to render this service\nthey departed for Milano where we now are\nfor that purpose: and the Suppliant, fearing\nto be further molested on the aforesaid charge,\nand being innocent in the matter, and having\nalready been examined as to his having mere-\nly assisted that boy to come down from the\naforesaid garret, and the examination having\nyielded no suspicion of any guilt whatever\nattaching to the said Suppliant, he comes hum-\nbly to appeal to your most illustrious Lordship.\nImploring that you will deign to order\nthat the aforesaid case of the aforesaid Sup-\npliant may be transferred and brought here\nto Milano and put into the hands of the most\nillustrious Captain of Justice or into those of.\nwhomsoever it shall best please your most il-\nlustrious Lordship to commit it, to the end\nthat he may administer and do justice; so\nthat the present suppliant may the more con-\nveniently, first defend his cause and .\nstrate his innocence, and may also faithfully\nserve in the plays for your most illustrious\nlordship and for the universal pleasure of the\nillustrious Signori of this Magnificent City\nof Milano. Otherwise there would result, in\naddition to the injury to the present Suppliant?\nthe deprivation also of much honest and de-\nlightful entertainment. Hoping to obtain this\nboon from your most illustrious Lordship, to\nwhom may felicity be long preserved.\nrT\",HE writer of the above petition, Battista ■\nX da Rimino, Zanne of the Company of\nthe Confidenti, is assumed by Luigi Rasi (in.\nhis \" Comici italiani \") to be \" without doubt \"\nidentical with that Gio. Battista Vannini\nreferred to by the actor Bartolomeo Rossi of\nVerona, in a \" discourse to readers \" which,\nprecedes his pastoral \" Fiamella (Paris,\nAbel l'Angeliero, 1584).\nIn this \" discourse \" Rossi writes as fol-\nlows, relative to certain liberty of speech\naccorded to those who take the comic or\n\" ridiculous \" parts :—\n. as Bergamini, who, if he does not\nobserve the true Bergamese speech it matters\nlittle, because his part is like that of Pedro--\nlino, of Buratino, of Arlechino, and others\nwho imitate similar ludicrous personages, each\n\n(1) The governing official of the city, the title has been\nrecently revived. . , ,. _\n(2) Probably in Via de' Rastelli facing the Palazzo di Corte"}, {"page_pdf": 53, "page_imprimee": "133", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.53", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 953, "texte": "of whom speaks in his own way, without\nobservance of language, unlike M. Simone,\nZanne of the Signori Gelosi, and M. Battista\nda Rimino, Zanne of the Signori Confidcnti,\nwho observe the true decorum of the Berga-\nmese speech\nDr. Paglicci-Brozzi published in the \" Scena\nlllustrata \" of October 15th 1890 this 44 -\nplicatione\" which we have reproduced for\nthe first time and which is addressed by Bat-\ntista da Rimino to the Marchese d'Aya-\nmonte don Antonio de Guzman, governor in\nItaly on behalf of 44 his Catholic Majesty \"\nthe King of Spain, and dated June 25th 1 574.\nThe famous Company of the 44 Confiden-\nti \" would be shown by this letter to have\nbeen during that year in Cremona, Pavia and\nMilano.\nThe petition bears appended to it the\nwords: 44 II Podesta di Cremona faccia giu-\nstizia \", (let the Podesta of Cremona judge\nthe case \") and signed 4 4 Neyra \", which\nshows that Rimino's petition failed to pro-\ncure the favour he so humbly asked."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c084", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c084", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "133", "page_fin": "133", "image_debut": 53, "image_fin": 53, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.18.2", "titre_corps": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI", "titre_sommaire": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI", "signature_source": "DANIEL CHODOWIECKI", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 53, "page_imprimee": "133", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.53", "debut_caractere": 955, "fin_caractere_exclue": 983, "texte": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c085", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c085", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "133", "page_fin": "133", "image_debut": 53, "image_fin": 53, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.19", "titre_corps": "JOHN PALMER : A SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ACTOR", "titre_sommaire": "JOHN PALMER : A SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ACTOR", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 53, "page_imprimee": "133", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.53", "debut_caractere": 985, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2742, "texte": "JOHN PALMER\nA SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON AN\nEIGHTEENTH CENTURY ACTOR\nJOHN PALMER, actor, born in the parish of\nSt. Luke's, Old Street, London, about\n1742, was the son of a private soldier who\nsubsequently became a bill-sticker and door-\nkeeper at Drury Lane Theatre.\nWhen about eighteen John recited George\nBarnwell and Mercutio before Garrick, but\nGarrick found no promise in him.\nOn May 20th 1762 he made his first\nappearance on any stage, playing 44Buck \" in\nthe 44Englishman in Paris \".\nIn 1785 Palmer, \" yielding to his own\nambition and the counsels of friends began\nto build the Royalty Theatre \" in Welclose\nSquare. He opened it on June 20th 1787\nwith a performance of 44 As You Like it \".\nHe died August 2nd 1798 at Liverpool\nwhile playing in the \" Stranger\nIn very low spirits after the death of his\nwife and a favourite son, \" He went through\ntwo acts with great effect. In the third act\nhe was much agitated and in the fourth, at\nthe question of Baron Steinfort relative to his\nchildren, he endeavoured to proceed, fell\nback, heaved a convulsive sigh, and died, the\naudience supposing until the body was re-\nmoved and the performance arrested, that he\nwas merely playing his part \" (I).\nThe story that he died after saying the\nwords \" There is another and a better world \"\nis, according to Lowe, entirely false.\nHe was known as 44 Plausible Jack \"\nand was the original Joseph Surface in the\n1 777 production, which part, says Lowe, he\nacted in private as well as on the stage.\nThe silhouette published here is not very\nwell known. In fact in twenty years we have\nnot come across a copy.\n(i) Joseph Knight, from whom the above extracts are\ntaken, contributes a biography of about eight small-type co-\nlumns to the Dictionary of National Biography."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c087", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c087", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "134", "page_fin": "134", "image_debut": 54, "image_fin": 54, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.20", "titre_corps": "DANIEL NICHOLAS CHODOWIECKI", "titre_sommaire": "DANIEL NICHOLAS CHODOWIECKI", "signature_source": "A. C", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 54, "page_imprimee": "134", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.54", "debut_caractere": 30, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2844, "texte": "DANIEL NICHOLAS\nCHODOWIECKI.\nA. C.\n\nDaniel Nicholas Chodowiecki (1726-1801)\nwas, says a writer in the \" Encyclo-\npaedia Britannica\", a German painter and en-\ngraver of Polish descent born at Dantzig.\nLeft an orphan at an early age, he de-\nvoted himself to the practice of miniature\npainting, the elements of which his father had\ntaught him as a means of support for himself\nand his mother.\nIn 1743 he went to Berlin, where for\nsome time he worked as clerk in an uncle's\noffice, practising art, however, in his leisure\nmoments, and gaining a sort of reputation as\na painter of miniatures for snuff-boxes.\nThe Berlin Academy, attracted by a\nsmall engraving of his, entrusted to him the\nillustration of its yearly almanac.\nBefore long there were few books pu-\nblished in Prussia without a plate or vignette\nby Chodowiecki.\nThe catalogue of his works (Berlin 1814)\nincludes over 3000 items.\nHe became director of the Berlin Aca-\ndemy in 1797.\nThe title of the \" German Hogarth \" ;\nwhich he sometimes obtained, was the effect\nof an admiration rather imaginative than cri-\ntical, and was disclaimed by Chodowiecki\nhimself he showed skilful drawing and\ngrouping, and considerable expressional po-\nwer, but no tendency whatever to the use of\nthe grotesque.\nHis brother Gottfried (1728-1781) and\nson Wilhelm (1765-1803) painted and en-\ngraved after the style of Daniel, and some-\ntimes co-operated with him.\nMax Von Boehn, in his fascinating vo-\nlume on \" Miniatures and Silhouettes \" (;) re-\nlates that while still a child at Dantzig Da-\nniel Chodowiecki \" painted dozens of small\nportraits of Stanislaus Lesczynski, the Polish\nking \" and adds that \"Frederick the Great and\nChodowiecki are inseparably linked together \",\nso many portraits did the artist produce of\nthe Prussian king: \"for years he produced\nenough portraits of his king to earn 100 tha-\nlers a month \" ; and \" faithfully preserved for\nhis own day and for posterity the features,\nmien and appearance of ' old Fritz'\nTo compare Chodowiecki with Hogarth\nis the ridiculous gasp made by criticism when\nit doesn't know what to say.\nChodowiecki is comparable to no one-\nelse. Me he delights infinitely more than\nHogarth has ever delighted me.\nHis mastery of the grotesque is peculiar\nto him—but he doesn't overdo it as do most\nartists. They are siezed by the spirit of\nGrotesque—he siezes it—and holds it down. -\nTo speak of his showing \" considerable\nexpressional power \" as does the writer in\nthe \" Encyclopaedia Britannica \" is to speak\nin safety instead of stuttering, To stutter\nabout Chodowiecki would be more seemly.\nChodowiecki was a genius—a very rare .\nartist indeed, and a delight for ever.\n(l) An English translation of this work has been lately\npublished by Messrs J. M. Dent & Sons.\nSilhouettes by Chodowiecki appear on several pages 01\nthis number."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c088", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c088", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "134", "page_fin": "134", "image_debut": 54, "image_fin": 54, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.20.1", "titre_corps": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI", "titre_sommaire": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI", "signature_source": "DANIEL CHODOWIECKI", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 54, "page_imprimee": "134", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.54", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 28, "texte": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c090", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c090", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 55, "image_fin": 55, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.21", "titre_corps": "REDUCED FACSIMILE OF RIMINIO'S PETITION", "titre_sommaire": "REDUCED FACSIMILE OF RIMINIO'S PETITION", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 55, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.55", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 50, "texte": "REDUCED FACSIMILE OF RIMINIO'S PETITION.\nPlate 19."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c091", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c091", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "n. p.", "page_fin": "n. p.", "image_debut": 57, "image_fin": 57, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.22", "titre_corps": "JOHN PALMER. ACTOR", "titre_sommaire": "JOHN PALMER. ACTOR", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 57, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.57", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 48, "texte": "JOHN PALMER. ACTOR.\ncirca 1742 - 1798.\nPlate 20."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c092", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c092", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "135", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 59, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23", "titre_corps": "BOOK REVIEWS", "titre_sommaire": "BOOK REVIEWS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 59, "page_imprimee": "135", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.59", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 6035, "texte": "BOOK REVIEWS.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE THEA-\n- TRE by Glenn Hughes. Illustrated.\nSamuel French. New York & London.\nPrice 5 Dollars.\nWE have here all Mantzius's six vo-\nlumes contained and something\nmore, for Mantzius's 44 History of Thea-\ntrical Art \" did not deal with the last\nhalf of the nineteenth and the early\nyears of the twentieth centuries.\nBut to be fair on Maatzius Mr.\nHughes after ail doesn't linger as the\nDanish actor-scholar did and so he\nomits to give us many hundreds of\nlittle facts and hints which are so va-\nluable to the stage minds which come\n• to ponder such facts and hints.\nBut what stage minds do care to\ndo this ? and 1 ask myself whether of\nthis book as many as fifty copies will\nbe bought by members of the Ame-\nrican and English Theatrical profession.\nIf fifty, will twenty read the book ?\nJf they don't ...and indeed it's less rea-\ndable than Mantzius, ...they may refer\nto it readily for its more concise.\nBut will they? What is the matter\nwith the members of the English speak-\ning theatrical profession that it likes to\nremain innocent of the knowledge of\nwhat has happened in its theatres of\nthe world ?\n44 Ever hear of Garrick ? \" I asked\nan English actor. He withered me\nwith a scornful glance. 44 Where did\nhe live? \" I -added. His glance\nbroke, scattered and he looked quite\ndistressed. 44 I never thought of that \"\nvhe said quite charmingly. 44 Where\ndid he live?\" We were standing on\nAdelphi Terrace in front of Garrick's\nHouse. 44 There \" I said, looking at\nnumber 5. Had I asked him if he\nknew that Talma had come once or\ntwice to London — been educated\nthere — or that Rachel had played at\nSt. James's Tneatre, or that it was an\nactor that had created the greatest se-\nries of Eastern plays in existence he\nwould have not liked me. Yet I would\nhave loved to talk with him on such\nthings and hear what he had to say.\nActors have very little to say; but\nby talking of nothing very bril-\nliantly cause the time to pass very de-\nlightfully. But it passes empty away.\nThat's why it would be quite a\ns blessing ail round if actors would buy\nMr. Hughes's very excellent and re-\nliable book.\n\nTHE DEVELOPMENT OF SCE-\nNIC ART AND STAGE MACHI-\nNERY compiled by W. B. Gamble.\n/ 928. New York. Price $ 2.50.\nTHIS is a list of references in the\nNew York Public Library; a list\nof books and of articles preserved in\nthat library. It appeared in 1920 but\nnow has been revised and is much\nmore valuable.\nIt's such a wide-awake notion to\ntake trouble to keep lists. Lists help\nus all so much; and if few are born\nwho can write, everyone (except the\ngreat writer) can help a list without\nexception.\nNo theatre library can be without\nthis volume: no lover of stage-work\ncan afford to be without it.\nThis phrase is so old: — never\nwas it used with more truth than now\nand here.\n\nTHE WOMAN OF THE 18TH\nCENTURY by Edmond and Jules de\nGoncourt; translated by J. Le Clercq\nand R. Roeder. George Allen. Price\n18/—. Illustrated.\nIS this really the first time that this\nremarkable and charming work ha3\nbeen translated into English ?\nif we could all read French easily\nwhat would it matter; but as so many\nof us cannot it comes over me in a\nkind of grief that at twenlyfive I wasn't\nable to get what is offered to me by\nthese delightful brothers in this book of\ntheirs.\nNow somehow it doesn't matter\nmuch. I am already familiar with\nwhat they wrote about through the\npages of other books whose authors\nhave gone to these two de Goncourts\nfor reference after reference.\nThe passages which touch upon the\nstage are worth careful scrutiny by every\nstudent of the Theatre of Paris.\nAs for woman herself, she will\nwonder what it's all about, this por-\ntrait of a series of portraits of herself\nin the 18th century.\nShe will wonder and grieve that\nsuch a time i3 gone . . . unless she dis-\ncover that today is just the same as\ntwo hundred years ago.\nThat, I will admit, is not so easy\nto discover; one can guess it, but as\none reads de Goncourt one has one's\ndoubts.\nThe fine manners, for example,\nwere clearly such an important part of\nlife that now that they are barely man-\nners at all one does begin to put the\nquestion \" Is it all different now and\nnot as good? \"\nBut for my part I believe this can\nbe asked of any lime since the year\none. Then like a quickly written\nverse, like a brilliant sketch, like a fresh\negg, this world came into being, deve-\nloped until the year one was reached.\nWhen exactly that year happened\nhas never been clearly defined, but it\nwas then — in fact in year Two —\nthat things began to crumble.\nCrumbling ever since, it is still fai-\nling from the rich man's table and La-\nzarus is happy to fill his mouth with a\nlittle du3t.\nLazarus and the 13th century knew\neach other well.\nIt was quite as cruel an age as today\nbut the manners made a difference then\neven to Lazarus.\n\nALL THE BRUXELLES\nTHEATRES AND ONE IN\no SAB B I O N E TA . o\nMRenieu is a historian of the\n• Th eatre not by profession but\nbecause he is devotedly fond of Thea-\ntres. He is Rot the kind of man\nwho says, that he regrets he has no\ntime to do the work better: but indeed\nthat he finds time to do it as well as\nhe does is extraordinary.\nFor this book (0—there are two\nvolumes—is packed tight with infor-\nmation.\nYou know those Histories which\nare padded out with anecdotes and in\nwhich you can find everything except\nthe History of the Theatre dealt with:\nwell, M. Renieu's book is no such\nHistory. It is about all the Theatres\nof Bruxelles, Cinemas as well as Play-\nhouses of every genre, and about each\nplayhouse and each cinema you have\nevery fact. It is well illustrated and\nnicely printed!. The two volumes are\nbulky although the type is not spread\nout but carefully compressed in com-\npact format.\nNo reader of \" The Mas\\ \" who\nis a student of the History of the\nEuropean Stage will fail to get these\nvolumes, and then he will be able to\njudge how excellent is th3 news that\nM. Renieu has almost completed a\n\n(i) L' Histoire des Theatres de Brux-\nelles by Lionel Renieu. Editions Du-\ncliartre and Van Jduggenhandt. Paris."}, {"page_pdf": 60, "page_imprimee": "136", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.60", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 6314, "texte": "like History of The Theatres of Pa-\nris and is beginning a work upon The\nTheatres cf London.\nAnd a few men have this ability\nor coping successfully with immense\nthemes such as these : but I hope that\nthe scholars and students of less abi-\nlity will not be led to emulate this\nauthor : I hope they will devote their\ntime to subjects which are smaller,\nfor it is these smaller tbemes we still\nneed to know more of.\nOne such has just been splendidly\nhandled by Signor Tomaso Buzzi the\nMilanese architect who has given us a\nhistorical essay of considerable value\nupon Scamozzi's Theatre at Sabbic-\nlieta.\nIt was printed first in an Italian\njournal, and is, 1 hear, to be transla-\nted into Erglish and published in a\nLondon magazine.\nIt is a thorough piece of work il-\nlustrated by many drawings by the\nauthor — delightful drawings—as well\nas by seme excellent photographs.\nSignor Buzzi ccmes of an ancient\nfamily of architects cf renewn, and he\nknows what he is writing about, and\nall his sketches aie alive, yet as sober\nas they are sprightly.\nIt is not often that such talent is\nto be found, ncr such a combination\nof qualities in so ycurg a man,\n\nGREAT SHORT NOVELS OF\nTHE WORLD selected by Barrett\nH. Clark. Heinemann. Price 8/6 net.\nTHIS volume fours a companion to\nthe previously published collec-\ntion of 44 Great Short Stories of the\nWorld ' ', which George Mccre des-\ncribed as 44 a miracle, a triumph of\nbeck-making \".\nMr. Earreft Clark, always a careful\nworker, has here, with the aid of\nscholars and specialists, been able to\nassemble abundant material, including\nin some cases tales which have never\nbefore been translated.\nThe range of period, nationality,\nand subject covered is a wide one,\ncomprising Ancient Greece, Rcme and\nIndia, Arabia, China, Japan, Great\nBritain, A merica, Germany, France,\nItaly, Finland, Poland and mcst cf\nthe other European countries.\nBeginning with the stcry of Judith\nfrom the Apochryphal scriptures, tie\nseries follows down thicugh many ages\nand lands to examples of such recent\nwork as Hergesheimer's 44 Tubal Cain \",\nPirandello's 44 In Silence \" and So-\nmerset Maugham's 44 Rain, and includes\nthe wriiings of men as widely differing\nas Dandin, Gide, Reymont, Aho,\nGjalski and Bang.\nContaining 1316 closely printed pa-\nges, it gives much at small ctst, and\nin a compact and convenient form.\nThe volume would be a good compa-\nnion for a traveller who desires va-\nried reading in small compass.\n\nCOLLECTED ESSA V5, PAPERS,\nETC of Robert Bridg es. II, Hum-\ndrum 'and Harum Scaium, a Lecture\non Free Verse. Ill. Poetic Diction.\nOxford University Press. Price 2/6.\nTHE author— our Poel-Laureafe—\nmust know what he is talking\nabout, and people will have had little\ndifficulty in knowing what it was he\nwas saying when he delivered this\nlecture on Free verse; Iut when it\nccmes to printing it it leeks a bit\ncd.\n1 have noticed that 44 The Mail? \"\nhas now and again held a printer's\nerror cr two ; you may have no-\nticed it—hut ycu will spot the above\nword cd.\nIt's not the printer's fcrlt this\ntime : it's using the symbols (the ABC)\nin the way Dr. Bridges uses them—\nor it's trying to do so.\nForlt too. I haven't come across\nthese two words, but there I noted\nsome such as colleg for college : ha-\ntin for having (though here a new\nshaped a with a bit of hang dog\ntail does anyhow slur the g) ; eny for\nany; hav for have; (whether luv is\nto stand for love and duv for dove I\nhave not yet discovered) ; grat for\ngreat: fell in place of fail : main be-\ncomes mein greet, graty\nBecause remains as it was, and dees\nnot become bcceuse or belies, nor is\nfield changed to jceld, and verse is\nleft verse when it might easily have\nbecome vers cr verce.\nOnce I considered myself to be a\nbad speller; new I begin to think that\nin this matter I was in advance cf my\ntime.\nTrue, I put Gs on to the end of\nthe words hanging, going, seeing, hea-\nring ; but that was only frcm a pro-\nbably too modest desire not to ape\nthe little ways cf the most upper\nclass. I dreaded to hear someone say\nin my hearing one day 44 Takin him-\nself to belong to tbe Edwardian cir-\ncle\nIt was so happy a trick with\nEdward Prince of Wales, in 1881 :\nand it was a trick that suited the\ncharming ladies who did it without\nthinkin.\nDr. Bridges discusses Free Verse\nand the question, and discusses lucidly.\nOxford sees light. I would too, but I\ncannot,\nDr. Bridges begins by saying he\nwill •' rot discuss the difference be-\ntween poetry and prose, but merely the\ndistinctive forms of verse and prose \" ;\nand before a page or two is done he\nutters the name Moliere. If he hadn't\ndone so perhaps I should have remain-\ned grave to the end; but as the\nname sounded I went off into the\ngiggle\n1 hese men — these Mo!i£res— should-\nn't have been nllowed to live, for\nthey are so wise they can in a pas-\nsage of ten lines render me and pos-\nsibly you unable to stop laughing until\none has cried : they are so wise they\ncan in a few words silence all one's\ndoubts and fire the smoke of even our\nbiggest stupidities ;— but in doing so\nthey burn up lovely leaflets like this\ndiscourse of Dr. Eridges's on Free -\nVerse,\nIt's awfully wrong of them some-\nhow ; but 1 can't put my finger on\nthe spot where it's wrong.\nBut from today forth I will be\nfeeling freer and stronger, for I too\nmay and shall now spell like a Dock.\n\nU ANTE TEATRO —1L CJNE-\nMATOGRAFO COME ARTE by\nS. A. Luciani. La Voce \". Roma.\nPrice 10 lire.\nANYTHING Ante puts my back\nup, and, Reviewer though I may\nbe, all is up with my back up.\nSo I car not do justice to ibis most\ninteresting bcokkt about the Cinema\nas an art.\nSignor Luciani will be ever talking ~\nof Corot, of Daubigny, of Manet,\nPisarro, Turner, Carevaggio and Rem-\nbrandt, Pee, Dostojevsky and Balzac,\nsaying for example, of these two,\n44 Cosi una scena cinemalografica pub\nessere pari per profundita di oescri-\nzicne e di introsf ezicne ad una pa-\ngina de Dostojevsky o di Balzac\nWhat has Cinema to do with these\nor they with it ? Nulla.\nWhy should the readers of such\nbocks be annoyed by talk which is so\nfar from all point ?\nSignor Luciani is most intelligent—\nadmitted : but to do this disservice\nto the people's ait is unkind of him.\nCinema deserves its success—im-\nmense and profitable: mere than that,\nit deserves to be left free,— free from -\nan undesirable association with the\nFine Arts."}, {"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3972, "texte": "FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH\nOPERA by E. /. Dent. Cambridge\nUniversity Press. Price 12/6 net.\n'TWERE is nothing the matter it\n«*• would seem with the foundations.\nMr. Dent has inspected them and\nseems more or less exact in his report\nthat nothing is wrong there.\nBut it isn't a very thrilling book,\nthis ambling talk on Purcell and others.\n7 he style is not exactly happy,—less\neven than that: but when he dodges\nround any corner Mr. Dent dodges\nwith distinction.\nSomehow or other a book on an\nart has to be really very profound or\nvery brilliant, and this book is neither\n— and has bored me, and I must say\nmusical things are a bore—or Pur-\ncell and Foundations bore.\nSince they never do so I cannot\nsay so : since this book does I do.\n\n% TWOPENCE COLOURED by\nPatrick Hamilton. Constable. Price\n7/6 net.\nWHEN such a master of story-\ntelling as Mr. W. W, Jacobs\nk says of a book that it ' * is one of the\nbest novels I have read for a long\ntime and when Mr. Pett Ridge\nconsiders that the author (Mr. Hamilton)\n\" shares with Charles Dickens the\nachievement of writing about ordinary\npeople, and making them extraordinarily\nw interesting \", the reviewer, surrounded\nnorth, south, east and west by learned\nand impressive volumes, may feel a\npleasing sense of relaxation and need\nonly say ditto to Messrs. Jacobs and\nRidge.\nThis book of Mr. Hamilton's is\nt all about the theatre and the life\nof the theatre, the agencies and the\nrehearsals and the ins and outs and\nups and downs and successes and re-\nverses of ordinary stage life as thou-\nsands live and know it.*\nThe slightly stage-struck would not\ndo badly, to read M Twopence Co-\nloured\nIt would enlighten them as to certain\naspects of \" the Profession \" and the\nprobable lot of aspirants not specially\nendowed : and actors and actresses\nand producers and agents would not\ndo ill to read it either, and observe\ncertain little foibles in themselves as\nothers see them.... and they see\nothers : for Mr Hamilton has a keen\neye, and a sense of humour, and ap-\nparently no small intimacy with the\ninside life of the modern English\ntheatre.\n\nHAKLUYTS VOYAGES. With\nIllustrations. Volumes 9dr 10. J, M.\nDent & Sons. Price £ 3. / 5 net the set.\nWITH these two final volumes,\nwhich supplement the former\neight by the addition of 44 The Fo-\nreign Voyages Messrs Dent com-\nplete their excellent leprint of Hak-\nluyt's great work.\nThe tenth volume also contains a\ncomprehensive name-and-subject index,\nand the entire series is illustrated with\nphotogravure reproductions of old prints,\nand with drawings made by Thomas\nDerrick from prints in the British Mu-\nseum, the Bib!ioth£que Nationale of\nParis and other sources.\nThere are portraits of early explo-\nrers, ancient maps and views of ci-\nties, costume designs and many other\nabsorbing and delightful things, and,\nin the final volumes, an illustration of\na wooden dancing rattle showing a\nmask-like head from the Queen Char-\nlotte Islands, and a 14th century mask\nof hard volcanic stone representing the\nGod Xipe from Mexico.\nAnyone with 3.15.0 to spend\nwill get his money's value, and a vast\namount of entertaining reading in the\nEnglish of a fine period, if he adds\nthese ten volumes to his library.\n\nBONTSHE THE SiLENT by /.\nL. Peretz. Stanley Paul. Price 2/6\nnet. Limited library Edition of 500\ncopies, 8/6 net).\nISAAC LOEB PERETZ has been\ndescribed by Anseio S. Rappoport\nas 44 One of the most modern and\nmost powerful of authors \" and as\npossessing 44 the master hand of a\nMaupassant and he has also been\nestimated as 44 one of the most po-\nwerful writers in Yiddish \".\nThis volume, containing twenty-five\nimpressionistic sketches of Yiddish life\nand tradition, is often painful is its\nvivid presentation and realisation of\nsuffering, physical, mental and spiritual,\nbut it is a judicious and interesting\naddition to that 44 International Li-\nbrary \" through which Messrs Stanley\nPaul are bringing within reach of the\nEnglish reading public so many works\nof recent European writers,"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c094", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c094", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "135", "page_fin": "135", "image_debut": 59, "image_fin": 59, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.2", "titre_corps": "THE STORY OF THE THEATRE by Glenn Hughes", "titre_sommaire": "THE STORY OF THE THEATRE by Glenn Hughes", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 59, "page_imprimee": "135", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.59", "debut_caractere": 15, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2121, "texte": "THE STORY OF THE THEA-\n- TRE by Glenn Hughes. Illustrated.\nSamuel French. New York & London.\nPrice 5 Dollars.\nWE have here all Mantzius's six vo-\nlumes contained and something\nmore, for Mantzius's 44 History of Thea-\ntrical Art \" did not deal with the last\nhalf of the nineteenth and the early\nyears of the twentieth centuries.\nBut to be fair on Maatzius Mr.\nHughes after ail doesn't linger as the\nDanish actor-scholar did and so he\nomits to give us many hundreds of\nlittle facts and hints which are so va-\nluable to the stage minds which come\n• to ponder such facts and hints.\nBut what stage minds do care to\ndo this ? and 1 ask myself whether of\nthis book as many as fifty copies will\nbe bought by members of the Ame-\nrican and English Theatrical profession.\nIf fifty, will twenty read the book ?\nJf they don't ...and indeed it's less rea-\ndable than Mantzius, ...they may refer\nto it readily for its more concise.\nBut will they? What is the matter\nwith the members of the English speak-\ning theatrical profession that it likes to\nremain innocent of the knowledge of\nwhat has happened in its theatres of\nthe world ?\n44 Ever hear of Garrick ? \" I asked\nan English actor. He withered me\nwith a scornful glance. 44 Where did\nhe live? \" I -added. His glance\nbroke, scattered and he looked quite\ndistressed. 44 I never thought of that \"\nvhe said quite charmingly. 44 Where\ndid he live?\" We were standing on\nAdelphi Terrace in front of Garrick's\nHouse. 44 There \" I said, looking at\nnumber 5. Had I asked him if he\nknew that Talma had come once or\ntwice to London — been educated\nthere — or that Rachel had played at\nSt. James's Tneatre, or that it was an\nactor that had created the greatest se-\nries of Eastern plays in existence he\nwould have not liked me. Yet I would\nhave loved to talk with him on such\nthings and hear what he had to say.\nActors have very little to say; but\nby talking of nothing very bril-\nliantly cause the time to pass very de-\nlightfully. But it passes empty away.\nThat's why it would be quite a\ns blessing ail round if actors would buy\nMr. Hughes's very excellent and re-\nliable book."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c095", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c095", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "135", "page_fin": "135", "image_debut": 59, "image_fin": 59, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.3", "titre_corps": "THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCENIC ART AND STAGE MACHINERY compiled by W. B. Gamble", "titre_sommaire": "THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCENIC ART AND STAGE MACHINERY compiled by W. B. Gamble", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 59, "page_imprimee": "135", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.59", "debut_caractere": 2123, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2795, "texte": "THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCE-\nNIC ART AND STAGE MACHI-\nNERY compiled by W. B. Gamble.\n/ 928. New York. Price $ 2.50.\nTHIS is a list of references in the\nNew York Public Library; a list\nof books and of articles preserved in\nthat library. It appeared in 1920 but\nnow has been revised and is much\nmore valuable.\nIt's such a wide-awake notion to\ntake trouble to keep lists. Lists help\nus all so much; and if few are born\nwho can write, everyone (except the\ngreat writer) can help a list without\nexception.\nNo theatre library can be without\nthis volume: no lover of stage-work\ncan afford to be without it.\nThis phrase is so old: — never\nwas it used with more truth than now\nand here."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c096", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c096", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "135", "page_fin": "135", "image_debut": 59, "image_fin": 59, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.4", "titre_corps": "THE WOMAN OF THE 18TH CENTURY by Edmond and Jules de Gancourt", "titre_sommaire": "THE WOMAN OF THE 18TH CENTURY by Edmond and Jules de Gancourt", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 59, "page_imprimee": "135", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.59", "debut_caractere": 2797, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4809, "texte": "THE WOMAN OF THE 18TH\nCENTURY by Edmond and Jules de\nGoncourt; translated by J. Le Clercq\nand R. Roeder. George Allen. Price\n18/—. Illustrated.\nIS this really the first time that this\nremarkable and charming work ha3\nbeen translated into English ?\nif we could all read French easily\nwhat would it matter; but as so many\nof us cannot it comes over me in a\nkind of grief that at twenlyfive I wasn't\nable to get what is offered to me by\nthese delightful brothers in this book of\ntheirs.\nNow somehow it doesn't matter\nmuch. I am already familiar with\nwhat they wrote about through the\npages of other books whose authors\nhave gone to these two de Goncourts\nfor reference after reference.\nThe passages which touch upon the\nstage are worth careful scrutiny by every\nstudent of the Theatre of Paris.\nAs for woman herself, she will\nwonder what it's all about, this por-\ntrait of a series of portraits of herself\nin the 18th century.\nShe will wonder and grieve that\nsuch a time i3 gone . . . unless she dis-\ncover that today is just the same as\ntwo hundred years ago.\nThat, I will admit, is not so easy\nto discover; one can guess it, but as\none reads de Goncourt one has one's\ndoubts.\nThe fine manners, for example,\nwere clearly such an important part of\nlife that now that they are barely man-\nners at all one does begin to put the\nquestion \" Is it all different now and\nnot as good? \"\nBut for my part I believe this can\nbe asked of any lime since the year\none. Then like a quickly written\nverse, like a brilliant sketch, like a fresh\negg, this world came into being, deve-\nloped until the year one was reached.\nWhen exactly that year happened\nhas never been clearly defined, but it\nwas then — in fact in year Two —\nthat things began to crumble.\nCrumbling ever since, it is still fai-\nling from the rich man's table and La-\nzarus is happy to fill his mouth with a\nlittle du3t.\nLazarus and the 13th century knew\neach other well.\nIt was quite as cruel an age as today\nbut the manners made a difference then\neven to Lazarus."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c097", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c097", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "135", "page_fin": "136", "image_debut": 59, "image_fin": 60, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.5", "titre_corps": "ALL THE BRUXELLES THEATRES AND ONE IN SABBIONETA", "titre_sommaire": "ALL THE BRUXELLES THEATRES AND ONE IN SABBIONETA", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 59, "page_imprimee": "135", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.59", "debut_caractere": 4811, "fin_caractere_exclue": 6035, "texte": "ALL THE BRUXELLES\nTHEATRES AND ONE IN\no SAB B I O N E TA . o\nMRenieu is a historian of the\n• Th eatre not by profession but\nbecause he is devotedly fond of Thea-\ntres. He is Rot the kind of man\nwho says, that he regrets he has no\ntime to do the work better: but indeed\nthat he finds time to do it as well as\nhe does is extraordinary.\nFor this book (0—there are two\nvolumes—is packed tight with infor-\nmation.\nYou know those Histories which\nare padded out with anecdotes and in\nwhich you can find everything except\nthe History of the Theatre dealt with:\nwell, M. Renieu's book is no such\nHistory. It is about all the Theatres\nof Bruxelles, Cinemas as well as Play-\nhouses of every genre, and about each\nplayhouse and each cinema you have\nevery fact. It is well illustrated and\nnicely printed!. The two volumes are\nbulky although the type is not spread\nout but carefully compressed in com-\npact format.\nNo reader of \" The Mas\\ \" who\nis a student of the History of the\nEuropean Stage will fail to get these\nvolumes, and then he will be able to\njudge how excellent is th3 news that\nM. Renieu has almost completed a\n\n(i) L' Histoire des Theatres de Brux-\nelles by Lionel Renieu. Editions Du-\ncliartre and Van Jduggenhandt. Paris."}, {"page_pdf": 60, "page_imprimee": "136", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.60", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 1144, "texte": "like History of The Theatres of Pa-\nris and is beginning a work upon The\nTheatres cf London.\nAnd a few men have this ability\nor coping successfully with immense\nthemes such as these : but I hope that\nthe scholars and students of less abi-\nlity will not be led to emulate this\nauthor : I hope they will devote their\ntime to subjects which are smaller,\nfor it is these smaller tbemes we still\nneed to know more of.\nOne such has just been splendidly\nhandled by Signor Tomaso Buzzi the\nMilanese architect who has given us a\nhistorical essay of considerable value\nupon Scamozzi's Theatre at Sabbic-\nlieta.\nIt was printed first in an Italian\njournal, and is, 1 hear, to be transla-\nted into Erglish and published in a\nLondon magazine.\nIt is a thorough piece of work il-\nlustrated by many drawings by the\nauthor — delightful drawings—as well\nas by seme excellent photographs.\nSignor Buzzi ccmes of an ancient\nfamily of architects cf renewn, and he\nknows what he is writing about, and\nall his sketches aie alive, yet as sober\nas they are sprightly.\nIt is not often that such talent is\nto be found, ncr such a combination\nof qualities in so ycurg a man,"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c098", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c098", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "136", "page_fin": "136", "image_debut": 60, "image_fin": 60, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.6", "titre_corps": "GREAT SHORT NOVELS OF THE WORLD selected by Barrett H. Clark", "titre_sommaire": "GREAT SHORT NOVELS OF THE WORLD selected by Barrett H. Clark", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 60, "page_imprimee": "136", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.60", "debut_caractere": 1146, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2435, "texte": "GREAT SHORT NOVELS OF\nTHE WORLD selected by Barrett\nH. Clark. Heinemann. Price 8/6 net.\nTHIS volume fours a companion to\nthe previously published collec-\ntion of 44 Great Short Stories of the\nWorld ' ', which George Mccre des-\ncribed as 44 a miracle, a triumph of\nbeck-making \".\nMr. Earreft Clark, always a careful\nworker, has here, with the aid of\nscholars and specialists, been able to\nassemble abundant material, including\nin some cases tales which have never\nbefore been translated.\nThe range of period, nationality,\nand subject covered is a wide one,\ncomprising Ancient Greece, Rcme and\nIndia, Arabia, China, Japan, Great\nBritain, A merica, Germany, France,\nItaly, Finland, Poland and mcst cf\nthe other European countries.\nBeginning with the stcry of Judith\nfrom the Apochryphal scriptures, tie\nseries follows down thicugh many ages\nand lands to examples of such recent\nwork as Hergesheimer's 44 Tubal Cain \",\nPirandello's 44 In Silence \" and So-\nmerset Maugham's 44 Rain, and includes\nthe wriiings of men as widely differing\nas Dandin, Gide, Reymont, Aho,\nGjalski and Bang.\nContaining 1316 closely printed pa-\nges, it gives much at small ctst, and\nin a compact and convenient form.\nThe volume would be a good compa-\nnion for a traveller who desires va-\nried reading in small compass."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c099", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c099", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "136", "page_fin": "136", "image_debut": 60, "image_fin": 60, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.7", "titre_corps": "COLLECTED ESSAYS, PAPERS, ETC of Robert Bridges", "titre_sommaire": "COLLECTED ESSAYS, PAPERS, ETC of Robert Bridges", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 60, "page_imprimee": "136", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.60", "debut_caractere": 2437, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5305, "texte": "COLLECTED ESSA V5, PAPERS,\nETC of Robert Bridg es. II, Hum-\ndrum 'and Harum Scaium, a Lecture\non Free Verse. Ill. Poetic Diction.\nOxford University Press. Price 2/6.\nTHE author— our Poel-Laureafe—\nmust know what he is talking\nabout, and people will have had little\ndifficulty in knowing what it was he\nwas saying when he delivered this\nlecture on Free verse; Iut when it\nccmes to printing it it leeks a bit\ncd.\n1 have noticed that 44 The Mail? \"\nhas now and again held a printer's\nerror cr two ; you may have no-\nticed it—hut ycu will spot the above\nword cd.\nIt's not the printer's fcrlt this\ntime : it's using the symbols (the ABC)\nin the way Dr. Bridges uses them—\nor it's trying to do so.\nForlt too. I haven't come across\nthese two words, but there I noted\nsome such as colleg for college : ha-\ntin for having (though here a new\nshaped a with a bit of hang dog\ntail does anyhow slur the g) ; eny for\nany; hav for have; (whether luv is\nto stand for love and duv for dove I\nhave not yet discovered) ; grat for\ngreat: fell in place of fail : main be-\ncomes mein greet, graty\nBecause remains as it was, and dees\nnot become bcceuse or belies, nor is\nfield changed to jceld, and verse is\nleft verse when it might easily have\nbecome vers cr verce.\nOnce I considered myself to be a\nbad speller; new I begin to think that\nin this matter I was in advance cf my\ntime.\nTrue, I put Gs on to the end of\nthe words hanging, going, seeing, hea-\nring ; but that was only frcm a pro-\nbably too modest desire not to ape\nthe little ways cf the most upper\nclass. I dreaded to hear someone say\nin my hearing one day 44 Takin him-\nself to belong to tbe Edwardian cir-\ncle\nIt was so happy a trick with\nEdward Prince of Wales, in 1881 :\nand it was a trick that suited the\ncharming ladies who did it without\nthinkin.\nDr. Bridges discusses Free Verse\nand the question, and discusses lucidly.\nOxford sees light. I would too, but I\ncannot,\nDr. Bridges begins by saying he\nwill •' rot discuss the difference be-\ntween poetry and prose, but merely the\ndistinctive forms of verse and prose \" ;\nand before a page or two is done he\nutters the name Moliere. If he hadn't\ndone so perhaps I should have remain-\ned grave to the end; but as the\nname sounded I went off into the\ngiggle\n1 hese men — these Mo!i£res— should-\nn't have been nllowed to live, for\nthey are so wise they can in a pas-\nsage of ten lines render me and pos-\nsibly you unable to stop laughing until\none has cried : they are so wise they\ncan in a few words silence all one's\ndoubts and fire the smoke of even our\nbiggest stupidities ;— but in doing so\nthey burn up lovely leaflets like this\ndiscourse of Dr. Eridges's on Free -\nVerse,\nIt's awfully wrong of them some-\nhow ; but 1 can't put my finger on\nthe spot where it's wrong.\nBut from today forth I will be\nfeeling freer and stronger, for I too\nmay and shall now spell like a Dock."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c100", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c100", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "136", "page_fin": "136", "image_debut": 60, "image_fin": 60, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.8", "titre_corps": "L'ANTE TEATRO —1L CINEMATOGRAFO COM ARTE by S. A. Luciani", "titre_sommaire": "L'ANTE TEATRO —1L CINEMATOGRAFO COM ARTE by S. A. Luciani", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 60, "page_imprimee": "136", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.60", "debut_caractere": 5307, "fin_caractere_exclue": 6314, "texte": "U ANTE TEATRO —1L CJNE-\nMATOGRAFO COME ARTE by\nS. A. Luciani. La Voce \". Roma.\nPrice 10 lire.\nANYTHING Ante puts my back\nup, and, Reviewer though I may\nbe, all is up with my back up.\nSo I car not do justice to ibis most\ninteresting bcokkt about the Cinema\nas an art.\nSignor Luciani will be ever talking ~\nof Corot, of Daubigny, of Manet,\nPisarro, Turner, Carevaggio and Rem-\nbrandt, Pee, Dostojevsky and Balzac,\nsaying for example, of these two,\n44 Cosi una scena cinemalografica pub\nessere pari per profundita di oescri-\nzicne e di introsf ezicne ad una pa-\ngina de Dostojevsky o di Balzac\nWhat has Cinema to do with these\nor they with it ? Nulla.\nWhy should the readers of such\nbocks be annoyed by talk which is so\nfar from all point ?\nSignor Luciani is most intelligent—\nadmitted : but to do this disservice\nto the people's ait is unkind of him.\nCinema deserves its success—im-\nmense and profitable: mere than that,\nit deserves to be left free,— free from -\nan undesirable association with the\nFine Arts."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c101", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c101", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "137", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 61, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.9", "titre_corps": "FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH OPERA by E. J. Dent", "titre_sommaire": "FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH OPERA by E. J. Dent", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 730, "texte": "FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH\nOPERA by E. /. Dent. Cambridge\nUniversity Press. Price 12/6 net.\n'TWERE is nothing the matter it\n«*• would seem with the foundations.\nMr. Dent has inspected them and\nseems more or less exact in his report\nthat nothing is wrong there.\nBut it isn't a very thrilling book,\nthis ambling talk on Purcell and others.\n7 he style is not exactly happy,—less\neven than that: but when he dodges\nround any corner Mr. Dent dodges\nwith distinction.\nSomehow or other a book on an\nart has to be really very profound or\nvery brilliant, and this book is neither\n— and has bored me, and I must say\nmusical things are a bore—or Pur-\ncell and Foundations bore.\nSince they never do so I cannot\nsay so : since this book does I do."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c102", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c102", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "137", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 61, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.10", "titre_corps": "TWOPENCE COLOURED by Patrick Hamilton", "titre_sommaire": "TWOPENCE COLOURED by Patrick Hamilton", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 732, "fin_caractere_exclue": 2078, "texte": "% TWOPENCE COLOURED by\nPatrick Hamilton. Constable. Price\n7/6 net.\nWHEN such a master of story-\ntelling as Mr. W. W, Jacobs\nk says of a book that it ' * is one of the\nbest novels I have read for a long\ntime and when Mr. Pett Ridge\nconsiders that the author (Mr. Hamilton)\n\" shares with Charles Dickens the\nachievement of writing about ordinary\npeople, and making them extraordinarily\nw interesting \", the reviewer, surrounded\nnorth, south, east and west by learned\nand impressive volumes, may feel a\npleasing sense of relaxation and need\nonly say ditto to Messrs. Jacobs and\nRidge.\nThis book of Mr. Hamilton's is\nt all about the theatre and the life\nof the theatre, the agencies and the\nrehearsals and the ins and outs and\nups and downs and successes and re-\nverses of ordinary stage life as thou-\nsands live and know it.*\nThe slightly stage-struck would not\ndo badly, to read M Twopence Co-\nloured\nIt would enlighten them as to certain\naspects of \" the Profession \" and the\nprobable lot of aspirants not specially\nendowed : and actors and actresses\nand producers and agents would not\ndo ill to read it either, and observe\ncertain little foibles in themselves as\nothers see them.... and they see\nothers : for Mr Hamilton has a keen\neye, and a sense of humour, and ap-\nparently no small intimacy with the\ninside life of the modern English\ntheatre."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c103", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c103", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "137", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 61, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.11", "titre_corps": "HAKLUYT'S VOYAGES", "titre_sommaire": "HAKLUYT'S VOYAGES", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 2080, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3185, "texte": "HAKLUYTS VOYAGES. With\nIllustrations. Volumes 9dr 10. J, M.\nDent & Sons. Price £ 3. / 5 net the set.\nWITH these two final volumes,\nwhich supplement the former\neight by the addition of 44 The Fo-\nreign Voyages Messrs Dent com-\nplete their excellent leprint of Hak-\nluyt's great work.\nThe tenth volume also contains a\ncomprehensive name-and-subject index,\nand the entire series is illustrated with\nphotogravure reproductions of old prints,\nand with drawings made by Thomas\nDerrick from prints in the British Mu-\nseum, the Bib!ioth£que Nationale of\nParis and other sources.\nThere are portraits of early explo-\nrers, ancient maps and views of ci-\nties, costume designs and many other\nabsorbing and delightful things, and,\nin the final volumes, an illustration of\na wooden dancing rattle showing a\nmask-like head from the Queen Char-\nlotte Islands, and a 14th century mask\nof hard volcanic stone representing the\nGod Xipe from Mexico.\nAnyone with 3.15.0 to spend\nwill get his money's value, and a vast\namount of entertaining reading in the\nEnglish of a fine period, if he adds\nthese ten volumes to his library."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c104", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c104", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "137", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 61, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.23.12", "titre_corps": "BONTSHE THE SILENT by I. L. Peretz", "titre_sommaire": "BONTSHE THE SILENT by I. L. Peretz", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 3187, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3972, "texte": "BONTSHE THE SiLENT by /.\nL. Peretz. Stanley Paul. Price 2/6\nnet. Limited library Edition of 500\ncopies, 8/6 net).\nISAAC LOEB PERETZ has been\ndescribed by Anseio S. Rappoport\nas 44 One of the most modern and\nmost powerful of authors \" and as\npossessing 44 the master hand of a\nMaupassant and he has also been\nestimated as 44 one of the most po-\nwerful writers in Yiddish \".\nThis volume, containing twenty-five\nimpressionistic sketches of Yiddish life\nand tradition, is often painful is its\nvivid presentation and realisation of\nsuffering, physical, mental and spiritual,\nbut it is a judicious and interesting\naddition to that 44 International Li-\nbrary \" through which Messrs Stanley\nPaul are bringing within reach of the\nEnglish reading public so many works\nof recent European writers,"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c105", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c105", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "137", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 61, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.24", "titre_corps": "EDITORIAL NOTES JULY: AUGUST: SEPTEMBER", "titre_sommaire": "EDITORIAL NOTES JULY: AUGUST: SEPTEMBER", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 3974, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5822, "texte": "EDITORIAL NOTES\nJULY: AUGUST: SEPTEMBER\n\nFREDERICK ROBSON.\nWE are indebted for the portraits\nof Frederick Robson, reproduced\nin plates 15 and 16 to the courteous help -\ntulness of his only surviving son, Mr.\nE. M. Robson, the actor, who kindly\nlent us his own original copies.\nMr. Robson also drew our attention to\nthree numbers, August, September and\nOctober 1907, of a rnidmonthly maga-\nzine called 44 Britannia \" which contained\nthree consecutive articles on Frederick\nRobson by Sir Francis Burnand with\nseveral illustrations, one of which, a\nprivate portrait, has what he describes\nas 44 a very good facsimile \" of his\nfather's autograph, 44 and one or two others\nin character, also extremely good **.\nMr. Robson also writes : 44 The Gar-\nrick Club has, I've been given to un-\nderstand, an oil painting, of him pre-\nsented to the Club when Robson s widow\ndied and his estate realized in 1699\".\n\nTHE MATERIAL.\nON REREADING THE \"DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEATRE\"\nBY DR. NICOLL.\nTOUCHING this matter of the mere-\nly material — the building of\ntheatre, the scenical things, the pre-\nparation made for the spectators, the\nmise-enscene and the front cf the house\n—it is curious to note that they who\nmake light of these things, who would\nsomewhat contemptuously urge us all\nto pass on over such triflings and 44 come\nto Hecuba \", who would open a theatre\nand ring up the curtain without any\nproper preparation, have from the first\navoided the whole subject, shirking these\ntrifles as though utterly worthless.\nWe must come back to this at every\nexamination of a dramatist's worth : —\nhow far did he learn the material side\nof the playhouse and its entertainment.\nIt may be that they are possibly very\nslight matters, but that they are utterly\nworthless and beneath the commonsense\nof the play-writers who possess that\nrare coraodity can hardly be supposed."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c107", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c107", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "137", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 61, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.24.2", "titre_corps": "THE MATERIAL : ON REREADING THE \"DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEATRE\"", "titre_sommaire": "THE MATERIAL : ON REREADING THE \"DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEATRE\"", "signature_source": "NICOLL", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 4873, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5822, "texte": "THE MATERIAL.\nON REREADING THE \"DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEATRE\"\nBY DR. NICOLL.\nTOUCHING this matter of the mere-\nly material — the building of\ntheatre, the scenical things, the pre-\nparation made for the spectators, the\nmise-enscene and the front cf the house\n—it is curious to note that they who\nmake light of these things, who would\nsomewhat contemptuously urge us all\nto pass on over such triflings and 44 come\nto Hecuba \", who would open a theatre\nand ring up the curtain without any\nproper preparation, have from the first\navoided the whole subject, shirking these\ntrifles as though utterly worthless.\nWe must come back to this at every\nexamination of a dramatist's worth : —\nhow far did he learn the material side\nof the playhouse and its entertainment.\nIt may be that they are possibly very\nslight matters, but that they are utterly\nworthless and beneath the commonsense\nof the play-writers who possess that\nrare coraodity can hardly be supposed."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c108", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c108", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "137", "page_fin": "137", "image_debut": 61, "image_fin": 61, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.24.3", "titre_corps": "FREDERICK ROBSON", "titre_sommaire": "FREDERICK ROBSON", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "debut_caractere": 4015, "fin_caractere_exclue": 4871, "texte": "FREDERICK ROBSON.\nWE are indebted for the portraits\nof Frederick Robson, reproduced\nin plates 15 and 16 to the courteous help -\ntulness of his only surviving son, Mr.\nE. M. Robson, the actor, who kindly\nlent us his own original copies.\nMr. Robson also drew our attention to\nthree numbers, August, September and\nOctober 1907, of a rnidmonthly maga-\nzine called 44 Britannia \" which contained\nthree consecutive articles on Frederick\nRobson by Sir Francis Burnand with\nseveral illustrations, one of which, a\nprivate portrait, has what he describes\nas 44 a very good facsimile \" of his\nfather's autograph, 44 and one or two others\nin character, also extremely good **.\nMr. Robson also writes : 44 The Gar-\nrick Club has, I've been given to un-\nderstand, an oil painting, of him pre-\nsented to the Club when Robson s widow\ndied and his estate realized in 1699\"."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c109", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c109", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "138", "page_fin": "138", "image_debut": 62, "image_fin": 62, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.25", "titre_corps": "LAST WORDS", "titre_sommaire": "LAST WORDS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 62, "page_imprimee": "138", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.62", "debut_caractere": 0, "fin_caractere_exclue": 7005, "texte": "LAST WORDS.\n\nKONX OMPAX AGAIN!\nMr. James Douglas on Stratford upon\nAvon and the Shakespeare Me-\nmorial.\n,4 T have been dreaming dreams and\n| seeing visions at Stratford upon\nAvon.... I have set foot on its sacied\nsoil.... 1 have heard the bells ringing,.,.\nI have walked m the birthday proces-\nsion. 1 have eaten the birthday lunch.\nI have drunk the birthday toast \" ....and\nhe ought to have added \" I have drunk\nand I was well pleased ! I have said\nKonx ompax, and it is finished ! \"\nWhen Shelley made his solemn ha-\nrangue to the rowdies in Covent Garden\nMarket which ended thus, he was not\nmore ludicrous than is our James Dou-\nglas when recently holding forth to his\nreaders in the Daily Express,\nAnd his readers were doubtless spell\nbound.\nGlorious old journalism!\n\nTHE TWO ALFREDS,\no BUNN AND BUTT. o\nONCE upon a time there was a ridi-\nculous but important Theatrical Ma-\nnager called Mr. Bunn ; he was lessee\nof the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and\nCovent Garden for over ten years.\nMr. Alfred Bunn was most absurd\nfor every reason, but especially absurd\nwas he for squatting in either of these\n; two British Theatres.\nThat is all he did—squatted.\nButt does it today.\nBunn and Butt are as like as two\npeas.\nOf Bunn's direction we read that\nthere was not a style of entertain-\nment that Bunn did not essay; he be-\ngan with legitimate drama, and descen-\nded in 1839 to tight rope dancers, and\nto Van Aniburg the Lion Tamer.\nIn. 1840 he became bankrupt, pro-\nphetic of the Norwegian actor Mr. Oscar\nA sell e.\nWe read further that 44 he was a\nstrange compound —by 110 means bad\nhearted.... but....\nAh Butt ! —\ni4 What natural talent he possessed\nwas uncultivated ; his language and man-\nners coarse and his taste deplorable.\nOur Butt is cultivated, with refined\nlanguage and manners, but his taste is\nas bad rs Bunn's any day.\nRecently our Butt imported \" The\nShow Boat an American affair.\n44 The play has been so stupendous\na task\" he told Argonaut the well\nknown writer on Dramatics, 4' that I\nshall never put on another like it \".\nGod bless the man for that promise,\nbut also God bless him for his innocent\nidea that it was he putting it 011. All\nthat was being done because of his stage\ncarpenters. The wits in the work were\nimported from America.\nWe wish our Butt well ; but what\non earth possesses London with its com-\ninonsense and its fair amount of good\nfeeling to allow our old Butt inside\nDrury Lane Theatre at all?\nPeckhani is the place for Butt; he\nwould adorn Peckham—Peckham would\nadore Butt. Or he would he topping as\na managing director at a Thames wharf:\nwe don't know that he wouldn't suit\nthat position better than anything else.\nIt's the cruelest thing London could\nhave devised, to place him at Drury\nLane. And there he does such a deu-\nced lot of harm too. whereas at some\nbarge wharf be couldn't hurt a fly.\nOne of the worst things poor Butt\never did was to engage Basil Dean and\nthen get rid of him within the first year.\nWe wish Butt real well ; but when\nwe think of that Dean business we wish\nhim an exceeding lot of ill. Because,\nthough Dean may have his faults, he is\nall for bettering our British Theatre; —\nall Butt is for is betting on * the British\nTheatre and he backs the right ass every\ntime.\n\no foreigners: q\nVIENNESE ACTORS FOR ENGLAND\n\" Tt seems queer 14 wrote a London Daily\nJ not long since \" to have our Shake-\nspeare taken to Vienna, turned into Ger-\nman, and brought back to us in the fo-\nreign tongue. Heyr Raoul Asian, the\nnoted actor of the Tdurg theater, has con-\nceived the idea of showing us, not how\nShakespeare's plays should be\nbut how they are presented in Vienna.\n\"He is coming, 1 believe, early in\nJuly, and I have no doubt that he will\nfind plenty of people in London interested\nin his work.\n\" Frau Bleibtreu, the great German\ntragedienne, is among those who will\ncome with him \".\nWE feel too that Wertheim, the big\nBerlin stores, ought to be specially\ninvited to come over and build a huge\nshop in London next to Peter Robinson's,\nand that Le Priniemps should erect a\nstill larger shop 011 the other flank of\nPeter Robinson's.\nWhy not, we ask ?\nHUNGARY EXPLAINS WHY NOT.\nTwo women in the stalls of a Budapest\ntheatre in which an American per-\nformer was appearing, were burnt by a\ncorrosive fluid being thrown by four stu-\ndents from the gallery into the audito-\nrium. The fumes made most of the\naudience weep.\nThe students told the police that they\ndid so as a protest against the employ-\nment of foreign artistes at a high salary,\nwhile Hungarian dancers were idle.\nGERMAN OPERA FOR LONDON.\no 1928. o\n\\T7HEN London's season of so-called\nVY Grand Opera opened at Covent\nGarden this past spring it was NOT\nwith Purcell's 44 Dido and .Eneas \",\nNOT with Purcell's 44 King Arthur \"\nnor with anything by any English com-\nposer, but as usual with a performance\nof the 44 Rheingold \".\nWonderfully well organized, the thing\nis wretchedly conceived ; for until operas\nby our great English composers are gi-\nven, and given on the opening nights of\nthe season too, it will be a disgrace to\nEngland.\nPresumably it is still foreignersr\nmoney which turns the scale in favour\nof German, French and Italian opera in\nEngland.\n- . >\nAND WHAT COMES OF IT.\n<< r . He day is not far distant when\nI the Opera House will fall into\nthe hands of the house-breaker\nExtract from a paper of\nMay 6 1928.\nITALY AND FOREIGN ARTISTES.\nAn English singer, having secured an\nopportunity to sing in one of the\nlarge Italian Theatres, writes that all went\noff well, and no one dreamed that she zuas\na foreigner, — showing that lo be a fo-\nreigner is not the way to win an Italian\naudience's applause, as unfortunately\nseems to be the case in some lands.\n\no THE MONEY SNARE, o\nA young actor, writing recently to the\npapers, asserted that he was in the\nTheatre for money's sake, not for Art's\nsake.\nA sound notion perhaps (for anyone\nover thirty-five) ; but, when we read of\nan actor^manager, who had received\nmore than «£ 100,000 from royalties from\na single play, having recently passed\nthrough the Bankruptcy Court, we rea-\nlize how expensive and dangerous it is\nto try and make money out of the Theatre.\nIf the sort of thing goes on, if this „\nvicious kind of teaching that money is\nthe aim, gains ground, we shall soon have\nno good actors left, — and we are short\nof them as it is.\n\nBULWARK, i\\OT BARRIER. .\nA great Italian Prime Minister, Fran-\ncesco Crispi, wrote many years ago ;\n44 I do not believe in the immutability of\nthe \" Staluto \" ; history and common sense\nare both against it ... . The \" Stcituto \"\nis a bulwark to prevent us from going\nback; not a barrier to prevent us from\ngoing forward\nIn theatres as in all else the rules of\nthe game are 44 a bulwark to prevent us\nfrom going back; not a barrier to prevent\nus from going forward\".\nIn London every other word uttered\nby the laziest section of the Theatrical\nProfession is some argument to prevent\nus going forward,\nThese lazy-minded people fancy that\nthey would protect the profession: all\nthey do is to harm it."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c110", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c110", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "138", "page_fin": "138", "image_debut": 62, "image_fin": 62, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.25.1", "titre_corps": "KONX OMPAX AGAIN!", "titre_sommaire": "KONX OMPAX AGAIN!", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 62, "page_imprimee": "138", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.62", "debut_caractere": 13, "fin_caractere_exclue": 769, "texte": "KONX OMPAX AGAIN!\nMr. James Douglas on Stratford upon\nAvon and the Shakespeare Me-\nmorial.\n,4 T have been dreaming dreams and\n| seeing visions at Stratford upon\nAvon.... I have set foot on its sacied\nsoil.... 1 have heard the bells ringing,.,.\nI have walked m the birthday proces-\nsion. 1 have eaten the birthday lunch.\nI have drunk the birthday toast \" ....and\nhe ought to have added \" I have drunk\nand I was well pleased ! I have said\nKonx ompax, and it is finished ! \"\nWhen Shelley made his solemn ha-\nrangue to the rowdies in Covent Garden\nMarket which ended thus, he was not\nmore ludicrous than is our James Dou-\nglas when recently holding forth to his\nreaders in the Daily Express,\nAnd his readers were doubtless spell\nbound.\nGlorious old journalism!"}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c112", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c112", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "138", "page_fin": "138", "image_debut": 62, "image_fin": 62, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.25.2", "titre_corps": "THE TWO ALFREDS : BENN AND BUTT", "titre_sommaire": "THE TWO ALFREDS : BENN AND BUTT", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 62, "page_imprimee": "138", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.62", "debut_caractere": 771, "fin_caractere_exclue": 3229, "texte": "THE TWO ALFREDS,\no BUNN AND BUTT. o\nONCE upon a time there was a ridi-\nculous but important Theatrical Ma-\nnager called Mr. Bunn ; he was lessee\nof the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and\nCovent Garden for over ten years.\nMr. Alfred Bunn was most absurd\nfor every reason, but especially absurd\nwas he for squatting in either of these\n; two British Theatres.\nThat is all he did—squatted.\nButt does it today.\nBunn and Butt are as like as two\npeas.\nOf Bunn's direction we read that\nthere was not a style of entertain-\nment that Bunn did not essay; he be-\ngan with legitimate drama, and descen-\nded in 1839 to tight rope dancers, and\nto Van Aniburg the Lion Tamer.\nIn. 1840 he became bankrupt, pro-\nphetic of the Norwegian actor Mr. Oscar\nA sell e.\nWe read further that 44 he was a\nstrange compound —by 110 means bad\nhearted.... but....\nAh Butt ! —\ni4 What natural talent he possessed\nwas uncultivated ; his language and man-\nners coarse and his taste deplorable.\nOur Butt is cultivated, with refined\nlanguage and manners, but his taste is\nas bad rs Bunn's any day.\nRecently our Butt imported \" The\nShow Boat an American affair.\n44 The play has been so stupendous\na task\" he told Argonaut the well\nknown writer on Dramatics, 4' that I\nshall never put on another like it \".\nGod bless the man for that promise,\nbut also God bless him for his innocent\nidea that it was he putting it 011. All\nthat was being done because of his stage\ncarpenters. The wits in the work were\nimported from America.\nWe wish our Butt well ; but what\non earth possesses London with its com-\ninonsense and its fair amount of good\nfeeling to allow our old Butt inside\nDrury Lane Theatre at all?\nPeckhani is the place for Butt; he\nwould adorn Peckham—Peckham would\nadore Butt. Or he would he topping as\na managing director at a Thames wharf:\nwe don't know that he wouldn't suit\nthat position better than anything else.\nIt's the cruelest thing London could\nhave devised, to place him at Drury\nLane. And there he does such a deu-\nced lot of harm too. whereas at some\nbarge wharf be couldn't hurt a fly.\nOne of the worst things poor Butt\never did was to engage Basil Dean and\nthen get rid of him within the first year.\nWe wish Butt real well ; but when\nwe think of that Dean business we wish\nhim an exceeding lot of ill. Because,\nthough Dean may have his faults, he is\nall for bettering our British Theatre; —\nall Butt is for is betting on * the British\nTheatre and he backs the right ass every\ntime."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c114", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c114", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "138", "page_fin": "138", "image_debut": 62, "image_fin": 62, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.25.3", "titre_corps": "FOREIGNERS", "titre_sommaire": "FOREIGNERS", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 62, "page_imprimee": "138", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.62", "debut_caractere": 3231, "fin_caractere_exclue": 5676, "texte": "o foreigners: q\nVIENNESE ACTORS FOR ENGLAND\n\" Tt seems queer 14 wrote a London Daily\nJ not long since \" to have our Shake-\nspeare taken to Vienna, turned into Ger-\nman, and brought back to us in the fo-\nreign tongue. Heyr Raoul Asian, the\nnoted actor of the Tdurg theater, has con-\nceived the idea of showing us, not how\nShakespeare's plays should be\nbut how they are presented in Vienna.\n\"He is coming, 1 believe, early in\nJuly, and I have no doubt that he will\nfind plenty of people in London interested\nin his work.\n\" Frau Bleibtreu, the great German\ntragedienne, is among those who will\ncome with him \".\nWE feel too that Wertheim, the big\nBerlin stores, ought to be specially\ninvited to come over and build a huge\nshop in London next to Peter Robinson's,\nand that Le Priniemps should erect a\nstill larger shop 011 the other flank of\nPeter Robinson's.\nWhy not, we ask ?\nHUNGARY EXPLAINS WHY NOT.\nTwo women in the stalls of a Budapest\ntheatre in which an American per-\nformer was appearing, were burnt by a\ncorrosive fluid being thrown by four stu-\ndents from the gallery into the audito-\nrium. The fumes made most of the\naudience weep.\nThe students told the police that they\ndid so as a protest against the employ-\nment of foreign artistes at a high salary,\nwhile Hungarian dancers were idle.\nGERMAN OPERA FOR LONDON.\no 1928. o\n\\T7HEN London's season of so-called\nVY Grand Opera opened at Covent\nGarden this past spring it was NOT\nwith Purcell's 44 Dido and .Eneas \",\nNOT with Purcell's 44 King Arthur \"\nnor with anything by any English com-\nposer, but as usual with a performance\nof the 44 Rheingold \".\nWonderfully well organized, the thing\nis wretchedly conceived ; for until operas\nby our great English composers are gi-\nven, and given on the opening nights of\nthe season too, it will be a disgrace to\nEngland.\nPresumably it is still foreignersr\nmoney which turns the scale in favour\nof German, French and Italian opera in\nEngland.\n- . >\nAND WHAT COMES OF IT.\n<< r . He day is not far distant when\nI the Opera House will fall into\nthe hands of the house-breaker\nExtract from a paper of\nMay 6 1928.\nITALY AND FOREIGN ARTISTES.\nAn English singer, having secured an\nopportunity to sing in one of the\nlarge Italian Theatres, writes that all went\noff well, and no one dreamed that she zuas\na foreigner, — showing that lo be a fo-\nreigner is not the way to win an Italian\naudience's applause, as unfortunately\nseems to be the case in some lands."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c116", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c116", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "138", "page_fin": "138", "image_debut": 62, "image_fin": 62, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.25.4", "titre_corps": "THE MONEY SNARE", "titre_sommaire": "THE MONEY SNARE", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 62, "page_imprimee": "138", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.62", "debut_caractere": 5678, "fin_caractere_exclue": 6307, "texte": "o THE MONEY SNARE, o\nA young actor, writing recently to the\npapers, asserted that he was in the\nTheatre for money's sake, not for Art's\nsake.\nA sound notion perhaps (for anyone\nover thirty-five) ; but, when we read of\nan actor^manager, who had received\nmore than «£ 100,000 from royalties from\na single play, having recently passed\nthrough the Bankruptcy Court, we rea-\nlize how expensive and dangerous it is\nto try and make money out of the Theatre.\nIf the sort of thing goes on, if this „\nvicious kind of teaching that money is\nthe aim, gains ground, we shall soon have\nno good actors left, — and we are short\nof them as it is."}]}, {"article_id": "bm-bmtnaau-1928-07-01-c118", "article_bluemountain": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01#c118", "volume": "bmtnaau_1928-07_01", "ocr_source": "OCR Blue Mountain (ALTO), transcription TEI : lignes lb/@facs", "texte_sans_correction": true, "page_debut": "138", "page_fin": "138", "image_debut": 62, "image_fin": 62, "pages_selon": "pagination imprimée relevée dans le METS Blue Mountain (ORDERLABEL) ; [n] = page sans folio restituée", "url_article": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.2.25.5", "titre_corps": "BULWARK, NOT BARRIER", "titre_sommaire": "BULWARK, NOT BARRIER", "signature_source": "", "controle": "bornes données par la structure logique METS/ALTO de Blue Mountain (blocs ALTO de chaque constituant)", "pages": [{"page_pdf": 62, "page_imprimee": "138", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.62", "debut_caractere": 6309, "fin_caractere_exclue": 7005, "texte": "BULWARK, i\\OT BARRIER. .\nA great Italian Prime Minister, Fran-\ncesco Crispi, wrote many years ago ;\n44 I do not believe in the immutability of\nthe \" Staluto \" ; history and common sense\nare both against it ... . The \" Stcituto \"\nis a bulwark to prevent us from going\nback; not a barrier to prevent us from\ngoing forward\nIn theatres as in all else the rules of\nthe game are 44 a bulwark to prevent us\nfrom going back; not a barrier to prevent\nus from going forward\".\nIn London every other word uttered\nby the laziest section of the Theatrical\nProfession is some argument to prevent\nus going forward,\nThese lazy-minded people fancy that\nthey would protect the profession: all\nthey do is to harm it."}]}], "pages_ocr_originales": [{"page_pdf": 1, "page_imprimee": "couv. 1", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.1", "texte": "THE MASK\n/ v':\\- • . .. - .\nVOLUME FOURTEEN. NUMBER THREE\nJULY- AUGUST- SEPTEMBER\n19 2 8\nANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION EDITION DE LUXE\nTEN SHILLINGS R|CE TWENTY SHILLINGS\n(POST FREE) O (POST FREE)\n° mJsA °\nTWO & A HALF DOLLARS FIVE DOLLARS\nFOR AMERICA FOR AMERICA\nADDRESS: BOX 44 4. FLORENCE. ITALY.\n\nA DAUGHTER OF SHAKESPEARE :\nA WORD ABOUT ELLEN TERRY\nby J. S.\nFREDERICK ROBSON, SOME MEMO-\nRIES AND RECORDS OF A GREAT\nACTOR by George Augustus Sala, H. C. Hotten,\nCrabb Robinson, J. L. Toole and others.\nA LOST COLLABORATION, being some\nJ~\\. considerations respecting Blake and Bewick,\nby Gordon Craig. I\nAN ACTOR'S PETITION, being an unsuc-\ncessful attempt to escape from a legal pre-\ndicament in 16tb century Italy.\nA LONDON EXHIBITION OF GORDON\nCRAIG'S DESIGNS FOR IBSEN'S\n\" PRETENDERS\nNOTES ON DANIEL NICHOLAS CHO-\nDOWIECKI, JOHN PALMER, FO-\nREIGNERS IN THE BRITISH THEATRE,\nAND OTHER MATTERS.\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\nA PORTRAIT OF ELLEN TERRY, AND A RARE AND UNPUBLISHED\nPHOTOGRAPH OF ELLEN TERRY WITH HER SISTER MARION. A\nPLATE SHOWING (BYEXCLUSIVE PERMISSION) THE SILVER CASKET\nDESIGNED AND MADE BY J. PAUL COOPER TO CONTAIN THE ASHES\nOF ELLEN TERRY. FIVE PORTRAITS OF FREDERICK ROBSON. A POR-\nTRAIT OF JOHN PALMER. SILHOUETTES BY CHODOWIECKI."}, {"page_pdf": 2, "page_imprimee": "couv. 2", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.2", "texte": "THE MASK. JULY-SEPTEMBER 1928\nexperts in theatre wit famine *° *\"**\" ™d illustrations from\nand addressed envelope \" are 71 7 \" \"*«< \"W\nAddress:The Editor: ~ The Mask \",Box 444, Florence, Italy.\n\nLITERARY CONTENTS.\nELLEN TERRY, A Wordtby. . . , , J. S, 95\nA NOTE ACCOMPANYING PLATE 14 %\nFREDERICK ROBSON, Some Memoirs and Notes . . H. C. Hotten, George Augustus Sala\nand Others . . . . • 97\nA PARLIAMENTARY REPORT, 1866 With References\nto Frederick Robson • j21\nSTAGE DESIGNS IN LONDON. The Exhibition of\nGordon Craig's Designs for Ibsen's «« Pretenders \" . . ' J. S.; Ashley Dukes, &H. M. Wal-\nA LOST COLLABORATION CoJTcLg ' \\f0\nPETITION BallUla da RW„|o . . ,32\nA NOTE ON JOHN PALMER, ACTOR m\nDANIEL NICHOLAS CHODOWIECKI . A. C. \" . 134\nBOOK REVIEWS & EDITORIAL NOTES.\n\nILLUSTRATIONS.\nELLEN TERRY ...\nSILVER CASKET TO CONTAIN THE ASHES OF 95\nELLEN TERRY, Designed bv T P ir* *»\nPORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON* \" ' ' p 7*\"' ,' t \\ ' \" 96\n„ , „ , N> * * • From a Photograph . ■ 15, follow 110\nPORTRAITS OF FREDERICK ROBSON IN TWO OF \" # * >6, precede 111\nHIS ROLES „ „ „ B\nELLEN J ERRY WITH HER SISTER MARION TERRY ■ ■ » ' . !I' *7 lit\nAN ACTOR'S PETITION ' tr ,, * 8' precede 127\nJOHN PALMER, ACTOR \" j/0\" \"°u P ' \" '9' 134\nA PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON ' ' ... \" \" 20' precec3e 135\nnwcauiN . . . prom a publication of Messrs\nSILHOUETTES . ,Hursl & BIacke» • • Page 125\n* Daniel Nicholas Chodowiecki. n 124, 129\n131. 133, 134\nHead and Tail Pieces from old and modern Designs."}, {"page_pdf": 4, "page_imprimee": "[94]", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.4", "texte": "ELLEN TERRY.\nPlate 13.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928"}, {"page_pdf": 5, "page_imprimee": "[95]", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.5", "texte": "19 0 8 19 2 8\n\nELLEN TERRY\nJ. S.\nBORN AT COVENTRY FEBRUARY 27. 18 4 8\nWORKED CONTINUOUSLY FROM APRIL 1856 TO APRIL 1921\nDIED AT SMALL HYTHE, KENT, - JULY 21 1928\nWRITTEN ON THE FLYLEAF OF ELLEN TERRY'S\nCOPY OF THE GLOBE EDITION OF THE WORKS\nOF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: —\n\" Sir, I am a poor friend of yours\nthat loves you \"• E. T.\n«• All's Well that End's Well \".\nShe was very much a daughter of Shakespeare, and when she spoke\nhis prose it was as though she was repeating something she had\nheard at home.... something said that morning.\nThis voice of prose had in it unexpected rhythms which somehow\nwe seemed to recognise as a familiar thing : — it was English.\nIt was perhaps the only perfect English voice of the age ; the\ncadences were as clear as day and as simple end as miraculous.\nAt least so it did seem to me."}, {"page_pdf": 6, "page_imprimee": "96", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.6", "texte": "SILVER CASKET CONTAINING THE ASHES\nOF ELLEN TERRY.\nnpHE CASKET SHOWN ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE, WAS\n1 DESIGNED BY J. PAUL COOPER AND MADE BY HIM\nIN SILVER, TO CONTAIN THE ASHES OF ELLEN TERRY.\nON EACH OF THE SIDES IT HAS A SMALL PANEL\nREPRESENTING SOME BIRD OR BEAST OF THE\nENGLISH COUNTRY-SIDE.\nTHE MASK \" HAS BEEN GRANTED EXCLUSIVE PERMISSION FOR\nTHE PUBLICATION OF THIS DPJSIGN."}, {"page_pdf": 7, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.7", "texte": "THE SILVER CASKET.\nPlate 14.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928"}, {"page_pdf": 9, "page_imprimee": "97", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.9", "texte": "FREDERICK ROBSON\nA SKETCH BY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA\nWITH A PREFACE BY H. C. HOTTEN\nAND ADDITIONAL NOTES GATHERED\nFROM VARIOUS SOURCES.\n\nFOREWORD\nJ. S.\nThe essay by Mr. George Augustus Sala which is\nhere reprinted, we believe for the first time since\nit was published by H. C. Hotten in 1864, is about\none of the most remarkable geniuses of the British Stage.\nWhy he should have been recognized at all only\nto be supported in a lukewarm manner, is the puzzle.\nDestroy Genius at birth or support it unless the\nNation is impoverished. And what nation is ever so\npoor as that ?\nHere is gathered the most we know of his life.\nA \" Life \" will appear it is to be hoped, before ano-\nther twenty-five years go by O.\n\nPREFACE\nBY H . C. HOTTEN.\n\nNOT far from the Strand, and near that seedy para-\ndise for players and stage professionals, Maiden-\nlane, Covent-garden, is situated an odd little cluster of\ncourts, alleys, holes and corners, known as Bedford-\nbury (2).\nThis miniature rookery has the usual wonderful\nshops — wonderful for the strange goods they sell —\nwonderful for the strange old people who sit inside the\ndoors like so many human spiders — and doubly won-\nderful by reason of their keeping open without the\nleast appearance of doing any business.\nThere are key shops, with thousands of rusty old\nkeys, some curiously and, indeed, handsomely designed;\n\n(1) We refer our readers to a note sent us by his son, printed among\nEditorial Notes.\n(2) Properly this name only applies to the narrow thoroughfare which\nleads through the heart of the district, from New-street to Chandos-sireet.\n\nHISTORICAL AND\nBIOGRAPHICAL\nNOTES & EXTRACTS.\n\nTHE GRECIAN SALA.\nFORMERLY THE EAGLE.\nTHE SCENE OF ONE OF ROBSON'S\nEARLY ENGAGEMENTS.\nJ. S.\nONCE \" Ihe Shepherd and Shep-\nherdess \" Alehouse stood on the\nsite of the Eagle Tavern in the City\nRoad : Thomas Rouse built the Tavern\ncirca 1825 (rebuilt 1835) with its\nGrecian Saloon to come later. The\ntavern grounds and Theatre were in\n1882 sold to General Booth and were\noccupied by the Salvation Army and\ndemolished in 1901.\nOn HorwoocTs Plan of London, re-\nproduced in Volume XII of \" The\nMask ' we find the \" Shepherd and\nShepherdess \".clearly marked on Plate 3\nat the corner of Shepherd's Walk and\nCity Road.\n\nIT was first opened by a man named\nThomas Rouse, in 1832. Rouse,\nor \" bravo Rouse as he was called\non account of his being always hailed\nby his patrons with that cry, was a\nnotable man in his time ; he aspired\nto a much superior style of entertain-\nment to that usually given at the cheap\ntheatres. Some of the lighter French ope-\nras, by Auber, Boieldieu, and Adolphe\nAdam, were first heard in the humble\nprecincts of the City Road, and ren-\ndered with all the efficiency a good\nband, a good chorus, and capable per-\nformers could impart. Mr. Sims Reeves,\nin the very early part of his career,\nwas engaged here as a chorus singer.\n\nROUSE lost about £ 2000 a year\nby attempting to improve the\nmusical taste of his patrons, but as\nthe tavern brought in about £ 5000,\nthe debit and credit accounts were"}, {"page_pdf": 10, "page_imprimee": "98", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.10", "texte": "very well balanced. The Eagle was\nlikewise celebrated for its buffo sing-\ning. Chief among these artists were\nHenry Howell and Robert Glindon.\nThe latter wrote his own songs, and\n\" Biddy thi Basket Woman\", the\n\" Literary Dustman \", and several\nothers were very celebrated in their\nday.\nThe theatre was erected in the\ngardens where, during the summer\nmonths, there were dancing and sing-\ning, al fresco.\nIt was in 1851 that Conquest suc-\nceeded Rouse as the manager of the\nGrecian Saloon. The theatre had a\nhuge area, within a few feet of that\nof Drury Lane; the ground floor for-\nmed an immense pit, and at the back\nwas a circle.\nThe new management began with\na revival of The Midsummer Night*s\nDream, and legitimate tragedy and\ncomedy kept the stage for two or\nthree years to the great loss of the spe-\nculator.\nBy-and-bye the house was rebuilt;\nthe ground lowered some eighteen\nfeet, and two tiers of boxes and a\ngallery formed. After the alterations\nthe Grecian would hold 3,400 per-\nsons. Ballets, under the direction of\nMrs. Conquest, who was a very fine\ndancer, supported by her pupils, be-\ncame the great feature of the theatre.\nThere were a dancingroom and va-\nrious entertainments in the grounds, as\nwell, to add to the attraction of the\nplace, and the gardens were opened\non Sundays for sacred music.\nFrom the time Mr. George Con-\nquest took an active share in the ma-\nnagement, which was about 1857,\npantomime and strong melodrama reign-\ned paramount. As a daring gym-\nnast Mr. Conquest has never had a\nsuperior, and the Grecian pantomime\nbecame one of the things of the\nChristmas season.\n\nMANY well-known actors graduated\nat the old Grecian Theatre. Most\nillustrious of all Mr. Sims Reeves,\npreviously mentioned, and Frederick\nRobson ; the latter was the low co-\nmedian from 1844 to 1849 at a sa-\nlary beginning at thirty shillings a week,\nand played without exciting any at-\ntention, except among the immediate\npatrons of the house, more than one\nof those parts that afterwards drew all\nLondon to the Olympic.\nThe London Stage, Its His-\ntory and Traditions from\n1576-1888 by H. Barton Baker.\nVol. 2, {1889) pp. 254-257.\n\nfurniture shops, with the strangest old tables and chairs ;\nc< sweet-stuff\" shops, with the farthing and halfpenny\nliterature hung on strings in the window panes ; a herb\nshop, where a snuffy old man surrounded by preserved\ntape-worms and stomach wolves, sells his stalks and\nroots for the cure of all human ills.\nWell, in the centre of this little community is a\nlittle square — not exactly a square because the pa-\nved area is three times as long as it is broad, besides\nbeing crooked at both ends, (but this was the way\nthey built their squares formely) — well, in this square,\nin 1836, and when he was fifteen years old, one\nThomas Robson Brownbill, a little boy from Margate,\nwas apprenticed to Mr. Smellie the copper-plate en-\ngraver, and well-known printer of Mr. George Cruik-\nshank's humorous plates.\nMaster Brownbill's friends had found him crazy\nafter the stage as other urchins sometimes are after a\nsea-life. Various professions, less romantic but concei-\nved to be more respectable, were mentioned to him,\nbut, with the exception of the graver's art he would\nnot listen to any one of them. This he thought he\nmight like, so his mother resolved to try him. The\nlad soon became an immense favourite with his master\nand the workmen, and they familiarly nick-named him\n\" Bill \", \" little Bill \", a sort of jocose shortening of\nhis surname, Brownbill — for he was not known as\nRobson, until some years later, when he adopted a\nchristian name as his theatrical title, adding Frederick\nwhich he considered decidedly stylish and quite out of\nthe common ; a custom, not very unusual, I believe, with\nother ladies and gentlemen of his profession. I met\none of the workmen the day after his death, and told\nhim of his old comrade's departure. \" What, little\nBill gone !\" he said. \"AhI he was a merry lad, but\nhe had better-by-half'a stuck to the bench \".\n\" Little Bill \" soon began to exhibit his theatrical\ntastes to the workmen, and his powers of mimicry kept\nthe establishment from morn until night in a continual\nstate of good humour. If a knife grinder, or other\ntravelling oddity entered the court, Bill buttoned up his\ncoat, cocked his hat, and bawled in imitation until the\ntears ran down the men's faces with laughter. The\napprentice always dressed showily, and usually had his\nhair artificially curled in ringlets. His hat was an ex-"}, {"page_pdf": 11, "page_imprimee": "99", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.11", "texte": "tra size with a twisted brim, and as he wore this some-\nwhat jauntily set upon a rather large sized head, the\nvulgar boys of the court used to call him the \" little\nbig head\nAlas for the uncertainties of parental authority ! Al-\nthough the days were occupied over the graver, the\nnights were almost as regularly spent on the two or\nthree amateur stages which were then to be met with\nin this neighbourhood, and the costume we have just\nmentioned, and the ringlets, were simply the effects of\nthe mind's bent and the evening's recreation. The\nyouth, however, never shirked work for play ; and his\nmaster used to say that there was not a man or boy\nin his shop who was so regular in the morning's atten-\ndance as \" little BrownbillAt this time he lived\nwith his mother — his father had been dead many\nyears — in Henry-street, Vauxhall, so that he had\nsome distance to walk daily.\nHe was bound for seven years, but only stopped\nfour with his master. An unforeseen circumstance hap-\npening, the now skilful engraver and amateur theatrical\nfound himself at nineteen out of his time, and his own\nmaster. Whether it was a promise made to his mother,\nor that he feared to rely entirely on the stage for a\nlivelihood, we do not know, but certain it is that im-\nmediately upon obtaining his liberty he did not go and\nenlist, without more ado, in the dramatic corps of one\nof the London theatres. In his old apprenticeship days,\nhe used to say he would do so directly an opportunity\noffered itself; but this was probably one of those little\nthreats with which sanguine young people are apt to\nthoughtlessly alarm their fidgetty elders.\nHis master gave up business in the old court, and\nremoved to Scotland, and the amateur theatrical, finding\nhimself free, very wisely conceived that a little business\nmight be formed out of the old customers that Mr.\nSmellie had abandoned. Mr. Robson Brownbill now\ntook a shop in Brydges-street, Covent-garden, and here\nhe carried on business as a \" master\" engraver for\ntwelve months. During the whole of this time he con-\ntinued to take part in amateur performances, and a fa-\nvourite song, both with himself and his audiences, was\n\" Lord Lovel\", — generally sung in character. Fi-\nnally, one morning, his neighbours in Brydges-street ob-\nserved, by a piece of paper attached to the shutters of\n\nTHE OLYMPIC THEATRE.\nTHE SCENE OF ROBSON'S\nTRIUMPHS.\nROBSON... for some months previous\nto his engagement at the Olympic\nhad been acting in Dublin, where we\nmay mention, en passant, he was succeed-\ned by Mr. J. L. Toole. He made no\nmark, however, until he appeared as\nShylock in Frank Talfourd's burlesque\nupon The Merchant of Venice, on\nJuly 4th in the same year. The next\nmorning John Oxenford, the critic of\nthe Times, pronounced him to be the\ngreatest actor that had been seen upon\nthe London stage since Edmund\nKean.\nOn the 17th of the following Oc-\ntober the dramatic sceptre was taken\nup by Alfred Wigan. The opening\nbiii was The Camp at the Olympic,\nand Plot and Passion, with Mrs. Stir-\nling, Wiganr Emery, and Robson in\nthe cast. We may note that the\nstalls were now raised to five shillings.\nUp to this time Robson, in spite of\nhis success as Shylock, was so little\nthought of that, it is said, but for\nMrs. Wigan, who could perceive\nsomething of the little man's potentia-\nlities, he would not have been re-en-\ngaged. Yet it was Robson's genius\nalone that saved Wigan from going the\nway of his predecessors.\nA wonderful impersonation and a\nwonderful song in one of the trashiest\nfarces {The Wandering Minstrel) ever\nwritten, was Robson's first success un-\nder the new regime. It was more\nthan a success, it was a furore. Every-\nbody was singing 44 Too roo la!, too,\nroo la!, too ral li da It was in-\ntroduced upon the most extraordinary\noccasions, even by a counsel in his\naddress to the jury. Jem Baggs was\nwhat Paul Pry had been to an ear-\nlier generation, and Villikins and his\nDinah was the ballad par excellence,\nfrom the Belgravian drawing-room to\nthe St. Giles's beershop. This was\nfollowed by that wonderful series of\nburlesques, the greatest of which was\nMedea, and those domestic dramas\nof which Daddy Hardacre aud The\nPorter's Knot were the type, until the\nOlympic became what the Lyceum is\nnow—the most fashionable theatre in\nLondon; night after night the string of\ncoroneted carriages would reach al-\nmost the entire length of Drury Lane\n— and it must be remembered that\ndramatic entertainments were not fa-\nshionable in those days, the tide did\nnot even begin to turn until several\nyears later.\nPoor Robson 1 his career was as"}, {"page_pdf": 12, "page_imprimee": "100", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.12", "texte": "brief as it was brilliant, and its bril-\nliance was dulled long before the\nend.\nWho that saw him when in full\npossession of his powers can ever\nforget that strange-looking little man,\nwith the small body and the big\nhead, who played upon his audience\nas though they had been the keys of\na piano, now convulsing them with\nlaughter as he perpetrated some out-\nrageous drollery, now hushing them\ninto awe-struck silence with an electri-\ncal burst of passion or pathos, or hold-\ning them midway between terror\nand laughter as he performed some\nweirdly grotesque dance ? The im-\npression he made at such moments was\nthat of a man overwrought by excite-\nment to the verge of madness; the\nwild, gleaming eyes, the nervous twitch-\nings cf the marvellously plastic fea-\ntures, the utter abandon to the feel-\ning of the moment, whether it were\ntragic or grotesque, the instantaneous\ntransition from the tragedian to the\nclown, which was no stage trick but\nan inspiration, an irrepressible impulse,\nwere all so creepy, so uncanny as to\nsuggest incipient insanity, He was\nmorbidly timid and nervous, he could\nnever realise the great position he had\nattained, and was ever haunted by a\nfear that his fall would be as sudden\nas haG been his rise ; success had a\ndelirious effect upon him, and to dea-\nden the stage fright, which he could\nnever overcome, he resorted to stimu-\nlants—with the usual result.\nRobson had been famous scarcely\nseven years when his powers began to\nfail, and his terror of facing the au-\ndience became so great that while\nwaiting for his cue he would gnaw\nftis arms until they bled, and cry out\npiteously, \" 1 dare not go on, I dare\nnot ! until the prompter had at times\nabsolutely to thrust him before the\nfootlights.\nRobson's last original part was Dog-\nbriar, in Watts Phillips's drama, Ca-\nmilla's Husband, produced at the end\nof 1862 ; but by this time he was\nonly the shadow of his former self.\nMelter Moss, in 7he Ticket-of-Leave\nMan, was written for him, but his\nfaculties were so utterly gone that af-\nter a few rehearsals another actor,\nGeorge Vincent, had to be engaged\nfor the part, and on February 12th,\n1864, before the run of that notable\nplay came to an end, Frederick Rob-\nson had breathed his last.\nThe London Stage, Its His-\ntory and Traditions from\n1 S88by H.BartonBaker,\n1889, vol, 2, 28-32.\n\nMr. Brownbill's shop, that business had been relinqui-\nshed. The engraver had taken home his tools to keep\nas curiosities, and had accepted the offer of a country\nmanager.\nFrom that time to the present he has been before\na public — one at first small and provincial, but latterly\nlarge and metropolitan — as FREDERICK RoBSON.\n1 have just said that he kept his tools when he\ngave up his business. He used to say to an old friend\nthat he never looked at or handled them without plea-\nsant reminiscences of those early apprentice days passed\nin the quaint little Bedfordbury-square — days unalloy-\ned by the cares of managerial life or mental dejection.\nThese, readers, are our recollections of the appren-\ntice days of this wonderful little man. Since his decease,\na carefully written summary of the principal events in\nhis career has been prepared by one who knew him\nvery well when living. This short biography (the ful-\nlest which has yet appeared) is here given to the rea-\nder as a prologue to the descriptive \" Sketch \" of Mr.\nSala : — \" The death of Mr. F. Robson, at the com-\nparatively early age of 43, though not altogether unex-\npected by those who knew his physical condition, is\na sad event to chronicle. He died on Friday, the\n12th inst., after a long and complicated illness, which\nended in dropsy. His medical adviser — Dr. Fer-\ngussen — had given him up several weeks ago, and\nhis family were, therefore, not unprepared for his\ndecease.\n\" His career as an actor has been very short, but\nvery remarkable. He was born at Margate, in 1821,\nand at one time threatened to become one of those\nunnatural productions — an \" infant prodigy \". When\nvery young, he had several opportunities of seeing Ed-\nmund Kean, before that great actor took his farewell\nbenefit, in 1830.\nHe caught the most striking mannerisms of the\ntragedian, and succeeded in reproducing them with far\nmore than the average skill of a precocious child with\ndramatic instincts.\n\" His first efforts as an actor may be said to have\nbeen made as an infant imitator of Edmund Kean.\nHis friends appear to have striven to wean him from\nthe stage, by apprenticing him to a copper-plate en-\ngraver in the neighbourhood of Covent-garden; but"}, {"page_pdf": 13, "page_imprimee": "101", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.13", "texte": "the intensely theatrical atmosphere of the district\nrevived his youthful ambition. Like many more\ngreat actors, he paid to make a first appearance, and\nwas kindly told that he had ' mistaken his vocation\nThe once famous amateur theatre in Catherine-street,\nStrand, was the scene of his first real trial performance,\nand he played ' Simon Mealbag ', in the domestic drama\nof Grace Huntley. Undaunted by many adverse opi-\nnions passed upon his raw acting, he persisted in doing\nwhat he felt he could do, and accepted an engage-\nment to act in a room as ' second utility * in the old\noyster-town of Whitstable, in Kent. His position here\nwas not as good as that of a nameless stroller whom\n1 lately saw playing Robert Macaire in a booth on\nthe beach of that very town, but still he liked the\nplace and often passed a day or two there when he\ntook holiday. His theatrical apprenticeship at Whit-\nstable was not lost time, for he acquired, amongst other\nthings, that thorough command of the Kentish dialect\nwhich he afterwards made so effective at the Olympic\nin characters like Daddy Hardacre and the old man\nin the Porter's Knot.\n\"From Whitstable he went to many other small\nplaces, appeared at Uxbridge, got as far as Glasgow, and\nfrom there came to London, where he acted for a very\nshort time at the City of London Theatre. Early in\n1844 he accepted an engagement at the Grecian Sa-\nloon Theatre, in the City-road, appearing in the funny\nold farce of the Illustrious Stranger. His success (I\nhappened to be present at his first performance) was\nimmediate and complete. The Grecian Theatre at this\ntime was under the management of its founder, Mr. T.\nRouse — a man who did more than any other ma-\nnager to improve the representation of the drama at the\nminor theatres. The place was a ' saloon ' — that is\nto say, drinking and smoking went on during the perfor\nrnance, but the pieces put upon the stage were all of\na high class, and the scenery and appointments would\nnot have disgraced the Olympic during the brilliant\nreign of Vestris and Planche. The light operas of\nBoieldieu, Adolphe Adam, Auber, and others, were\nvery creditably given, with principal singers like the\nlate Mr. Frazer, of Covent-garden, and a tolerable band\nand chorus. The admission fees were low, the place\nwas comfortably and even luxuriously fitted up, the\n\nSOME NOTES ON ROBSON\nBY JOSEPH KNIGHT\n(i).\nENGAGED by W. Farren to re-\nplace, at the Olympic in Lon-\ndon, Henry Compton (1805-1877),\nhe appeared for the first time at that\nhouse on 28 March 1853 as Tom\nTwig in the farce of 4 4 Catching an\nHeiress \".\n(i) In the Dictionary of National Bio-\ngraphy.\n\nSOME OF HIS ROLES.\n■■ ■!—MB——W——C———M—,nWHITff-i n I,. tl|>|\nJune 1854 in 44 Hush Money\",\nA a revived farce by Dance, he played\nJaspar Touchwood; and in Palgrave\nSimpson's 44 Heads or Tails \" he was\nthe first Quaile. On 17 October, he\nwas the first Job Wort in Tom Tay-\nlor's 44 Blighted Being \", and at Christ-\nmas obtained one of his most conspi-\ncuous successes in Planches 44 Yeilow\nDwarf\". In January 1855 he was\nSowerby in 44 Tit for Tat \", an adap-\ntation by F. Talfourd of 44 Les Maris\nme font rire Amongst other per-\nformances may be mentioned the 44 Dis-\ncreet Princess \" April 1856, in which\nRobson s Prince Richcraft was painful\nin intensity, and Gustavus Adolphus\nFiiz-Mortimer in 4< A Fascinating In-\ndividual \" II June. In Brough's 44 Me-\ndea \", 14 July, Robson's Medea was\none of his finest burlesque creations.\nHis Jones, in Talfourd's 44 Jones the\nAvenger \" (4 Le Massacre d'un In-\nnocent1) was seen on 24 November.\nZephyr, in 44 Young and Handsome \"\nfollowed in January 1857. His Daddy\nHardacre, in an adaptation so named\nof 44 La Fille de 1'Avare \", 26 March\n1857, was one of his earliest essays in\ndomestic drama. On 2 July he was\nMasaniello in Brough's burlesque of\nthat name.\n\nPARTNERSHIP WITH EMDEN\nAT THE OLYMPIC.\nIN August 1857, in partnership with\nEmden, he undertook the manage-\nment of the Olympic, speaking, on\nthe opening night, an address written\nby Robert Brough, and appearing\nboth as Aaron Gurnock in Wilkie Col-\nlins's 44 Lighthouse \" and as Masa-\nniello. On the first production of the\n\" Lighthouse \" by amateurs, at Tavis-\ntock House, Robson's part had been\nplayed by Charles Dickens. 44 The\nSubterfuge \", an adaptation of 44 Livre\ntroisi&me chapitre premier was also\ngiven. After playing a country engage-"}, {"page_pdf": 14, "page_imprimee": "102", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.14", "texte": "ment he reappeared at the Olympic\nin the 44 Lighthouse\", and was seen\nin Brough's 44 Doge of Duralto, or the\nEnchanted Isle *\\\nIn June 1858 he was the first Pe-\nter Potts in Tom Taylor's 44 Going to\nthe Bad\", and on 13 October the\nfirst Hans Grimm in Wilkie Collins's\n44 Red Vial On 2 October he\ncreated one of his greatest characters\nas Sampson Burr in the 44 Porter's\nKnot This piece by Oxenford was\nfounded to some extent on 44 Les\nCrochets du p£re Martin \" of Carmon\nand Grange.\nAt Christmas he played Mazeppa\nin an extravaganza so named. Paw-\nkins, in Oxenford's 44 Retained for the\nDefence \" (L'Avocat d'un Grec') was\nseen on 25 May 1859, and Reuben\nGoldsched in Tom Taylor's 44 Paya-\nble on Demand, on 11 July. Za-\nchary Clench in Oxenford's 44 Uncle\nZachary \" (L'OncIe Baptisle \") was\ngiven on 8 March 1860, and Hugh\nde Brass in Morton's 44 Regular Fix\"\non 1 1 October. On 21 February\n1861 there was produced H. T. Cra-\nven's 44 Chimney Corner\" in which\nRobson's Peter Probity was another\ntriumph in domestic drama. Dogbriar\nin Watts Phillips's 44 Camilla's Hus-\nhand \" was given on 14 November\n1862. This was the last play in\nwhich Robson appeared.\nIn addition to the parts named the\nfollowing deserve mention: Boots in\n44 Boots at the Swan \", Poor Pilli-\ncoddy, Mr. Griggs in Morton's 44 Tic-\nklish Times\", Alfred the Great in\nRobert Brough's burlesque so named,\nB. B. in a farce so called, Timour\nthe Tartar in a burlesque by Oxen-\nford and Shirley Brooks, Wormwood\nin the 44 Lottery Ticket\", and Chris-\ntopher Croke in 44 Sporting Events\nAlthough ceasing to act, he remained\na lessee of the Olympic until his death,\nwhich took place unexpectedly on\n12th August 1864. He was married,\nand two sons became actors.\n\nA UNIQUE POSITION.\nDURING his short career Hobson\nheld a position almost if not\nquite unique.\nWith so much passion and inten-\nsity did he charge burlesque that the\nconviction was wide-spread that he\nwould prove a tragedian of highest mark.\nA report prevails that he once, in the\ncountry, played Shylock in the 44 Mer-\nchant of Venice \" without success,\nbut this wants confirmation. A state-\nment made in print that he played\nit in London is inaccurate, It is\n\nentertainments were on the most liberal scale, and the\nproprietor sat every night in a box in full view of the\naudience, keeping order with as much dignity as the\nSpeaker of the House of Commons.\n\" At this saloon theatre, Mr. Robson remained for\nmore than five years, playing many of those charac-\nters, such as the Wandering , Boots at the\nSwan, &c., which he afterwards rendered famous at\nthe Olympic. His peculiar and original tragi-comic vein\nwas often shown, though not in burlesque properly so\ncalled ; and as the place, retained some of the features\nof the old tavern 'sing-song' from which it sprang, he\nwas often called upon to exercise his genius as a comic\nsinger. After the plays were over in the theatre, a\n' miscellaneous concert ' was given in one of the large\nsaloons attached to the grounds, and here ' Willikins '\nand the 4 Country Fair ' — which afterwards kept two\nfarces alive at the Olympic for nearly a twelvemonth —\nwere often heard between eleven o'clock and midnight.\n\" When Mr. Robson left the Grecian Theatre, in\n1850, it was to accept a more lucrative engagement\nwhich had been shrewdly offered him by Mr. Henry\nWebb (the chief of the two ' brothers Dromio') who\nwas then, and is still, the lessee of the Queen's Theatre,\nDublin. Mr. Robson played with great success at\nDublin and Belfast for two or three years, until a mis-\nunderstanding arose between him and his audience.\nWhile acting in a drunken scene he pronounced a par-\nticular word in such a way that it sounded like 'priest',\nand this was taken as a studied insult to the Roman\ncatholics. Something like a riot ensued. The next day\na meeting was called by the manager, and explanations\nwere given to delegates from the audience ; but though\nMr. Robson was allowed to appear again, he was\ncoldly received, and acted with evident nervousness.\nHe left for London soon after, and his place was taken\nby Mr. Toole.\n\" In 1855 O, Mr. Robson was engaged by Mr. Far-\nren at the Olympic, and he appeared at Easter in the\nfarce of Catching an Heiress He made very little im-\npression in this part, although his career was now watch-\ned with much interest by a critical few, but his time\narrived in a few weeks later, when the late Francis\n\n(1) Joseph Knight says 1853.\n(2) Playing the part of 44 Tom Twig."}, {"page_pdf": 15, "page_imprimee": "103", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.15", "texte": "Talfourd's burlesque of Macbeth was produced. In\nthis Mr. Robson played the chief character, and his\ntragi-comic style burst upon the town with all the force\nof an undoubtedly new creation. Never, perhaps, in\nthe history of the stage, and certainly not within the\nmemory of the present generation was such a strange\ncompound seen of passion, humour, pathos, and eccen-\ntricity. In less than three months after this he renew-\ned his triumph by playing 4 Shy lock ' in another bur-\nlesque by the same author ; and this, with 4 Jem Baggs '\nin the Wandering Minstrel T a marvel of realistic\nart, established him at once as a great and original\nEnglish actor. When Mr. Farren gave up the theatre\nand it was taken by Mr. and. Mrs. Alfred Wigan,\nMr. Robson was retained as a most valuable attraction.\nHis first essay in the serious part of Fouche's secretary\nin Plot and Passion was another great success ; and this\nwas followed by the Yellow Dwarf — a ghoul-like imper-\nsonation in a burlesque by Mr. Planche, and the chief\ncharacter in the late Robert Brough's Medea. The\nlatter, as represented by Mr. Robson, was a marvellous\npicture of what we may call tragedy off stilts — su-\nblime in its savage intensity, and life-like and human in\nits common-place features.\n44 Madame Ristori saw it, and was astonished at\nthe genius of an actor who could produce such effects\nwith such materials. When Mr. Alfred Wigan gave\nup the Olympic in 1857, the house was taken by\nMr. Robson, Mr. Emden, and Mr. Bentinck, and for\nseveral years the new management prospered. Mr. Robson\nwas the chief attraction, and he created a number of\nparts — such as Daddy , 4 Pawkins', in\nRetained for the Defence, and the old man in The Porter s\nKnot, which will probably die with him. The terrible force\nof the first, the rich overflowing humour of the second,\nand the homely pathos of the third impersonation will\nlong be remembered. His 4 Wormwood', in The Lot-\ntery Ticket, and Boots at the Swan were equally\ngood. In everything Mr. Robson did — with very few\nexceptions — there was evidence of a deep study of life,\nand an instinctive knowledge of human nature. Mr.\nRobson always thought for himself, and copied no tra-\n\n(1) By Henry Mayhew.\n(2) By Tom Taylor, He played the part of Desmarets J. K.\nHe played also in the 44 Camp \"of Planche at the Olympic. J. K.\n\nnone the less true that he con-\nveyed in burlesque the best idea of\nthe electrical flashes of Kean in tra-\ngedy, and that there were moments in\nhis Macbeth and his Shylock when\nthe absolute sense of terror—the feel-\ning of blood-curdling—seemed at hand,\nif not present. He may almost have\nbeen said to have brought pathos and\ndrollery into association closer than\nhad ever been witnessed on the stage.\nNor in parts such as Peter Probity,\nSampson Burr, and the like belonging\nto domestic drama, has he known an\nequal. In farce, too, he was unsur-\npassable, It is impossible to imagine\nanything more risible than was, for\ninstance, his Slush in Oxenford's 44 A\nLegal Impediment In this he played\na lawyer's bemused outdoor clerk, who,\nvisiting a gentleman, is mistaken for an\nunknown son-in-law-elect expected to\narrive in disguise ; and the manner in\nwhich he 4 introduced into the draw-\ning-room of his astonished host all\nthe amenities, refinements, and social\ncustoms of the private parlour at the\nSwan with Two Necks * will not be\nforgotten by those fortunate enough to\nhave seen it. In his later days, how-\never, in farce and burlesque, he took,\nunder various influences, serious liber-\nties with his audience and his fellow-\nactors. So great a favourite was he\nwith the public that procedings were\ncondoned which in the case of any\nother actor would have incurred se-\nvere and well merited condemnations.\n\nPORTRAITS AND SOURCES\nOF INFORMATION.\n\nROBSOW was small in figure, al-\nmost to insignificance, and was,\nit is said, of a singularly retiring dis-\nposition.\nIn Vol. V. of the \" Extravagan-\nzas \" of J. R. Planche are two litho-\ngraphed portraits of Robson, one after\na photograph by W. Keath, and the\nother after a grotesque statuette of\nRobson as the Yellow Dwarf.\nThe cover of Sala's scarce Memoir\n(1864) had a design of Robson as\nJem Baggs (0 in the M Wandering Mins-\ntrel \" of Henry Mayhew.\nOTHER sources of information are :\nThe Sunday Times, 21 Aug.\n1864 and various years. Theatrical\nTimes 111, 365; Hollingshead's 44 My\nLifetime ; Scott and Howard's E. L.\nBlanchard (2). History of the Theatre\n\n(0 Reproduced on page 113.\n(2) Quoted 011 page 115 119."}, {"page_pdf": 16, "page_imprimee": "104", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.16", "texte": "Royal, Dublin, 1870; Morley's Jour-\nnal of a London Playgoer; Clark\nRussell's Representative Actors ; Daily\nNews 26 December 18^2.\n\nJoseph Knight.\n\nSAMUEL BUTLER ON ROBSON.\nIN \"THE WAY OF ALL FLESH\".\n\"A Playgoer's Wanderings\nby H. M. Walbrook.\n\" IN a later and very different novel,\nA Samuel Butler's * The Way of all\nFlesh \\ there is a picture of another\nvanished London playhouse, and of\ntwo famous players of the \"sixties. It\noccurs in a passage describing Ernest\nPontifex's visit to the old Olympic\nTheatre in Wych Street, to see Rob-\nson and Mrs Keeley in a burlesque of\nMacbeth. Here is a glimpse of the\npiece and its players ;\n\" In the scene before the murder,\nMacbeth had said he could not kill\nDuncan when he saw his boots upon\nthe landing. Lady Macbeth put a\nstop to his hesitation by whipping him\nup under her arm, and carrying him\noff the stage kicking and screaming \".\nWhereat (writes Butler who was\ndoubtless recalling an experience of his\nown) Ernest Pontifex, who had only\nlately come out of prison, 4 laughed\ntill he cried '\n\nHENRY MORLEY (D GOES TO\no SEE ROBSON. o\nOCTOBER 22. 1853. Olympic\nTheatre.,,. The success of the\nnight was undoubtedly the assumption\nof a serious part by the burlesque ac-\ntor, Mr Robson. That there would\nbe other and higher things to report\nof a performer who, while other peo-\nple were burlesquing reality, could put\nsuch a startling reality into burlesque,\nwas not to be doubted. But one\nhardly expected it so soon. The part\nhe plays in \" Plot and Passion (a\ndrama of which the central figure is\nFouche, its characters being the agents\nor objects of his villainy, and its ca-\ntastrophe his disgrace) is that of a\nmean double-faced fawning, punning\ntreacherous tool, in whom the sordid\npassions have nevertheless not wholly\nextinguished others that place him fi-\nnally at the mercy of his victims. Here\nthe actor's opportunity is that of a\nconstant and quick transition within\ntne limited range of the emotions\nexpressed ; and from meanness to ma-\nlice, from cringing humility to the most\n\n(1) Lorn 1822, died 1894,\n\nditional stage models. He was not like Liston, nor\nMunden, nor any of the great actors of a past time.\nHe stood alone on. a peculiar piece of ground — half-\nway between tragedy and comedy. No actor who\never trod the boards has given rise to more discussion\nas to his half-hidden capabilities. Many think that in\nspite of his small though neat figure, he could have sca-\nled the highest heights of tragedy ; others think that he\nwas a mere farce actor, and little more. Our own\nimpression is that he wanted nothing but confidence to\ndo anything which fire, impulse, and true genius, can\ndo. He had worked hard and honestly for so many\nyears — as well as he ever worked — without cri-\ntical recognition, that when it came at last he could\nhardly believe in its reality. He was often haunted\nby an idea that there was some delusion in his sue-,\ncess, and that his fall would be as sudden and marked\nas his rise. He was very nervous, and his sufferings\non a ' first night ' were painful to behold. He took\ntoo little rest, and was too much the slave of nervous\nexcitement. Stimulants only increased the evil, and the\nresult was a broken down man at forty :\nCut is the branch that might hade grown full straight\nAnd burned is Apollo's laurel bough.\n\" Mr. Robson showed signs of serious illness more\nthan two years ago, though he appeared with much\nof his old power as a travelling tinker in Mr. Watts\nPhillips's play of Camillas Husband, near the close of\n1862. This was the last new part which he ever re-,\npresented, and soon after this period his performances\nbecame so fitful and uncertain, that practically he had\nretired from the London stage. He leaves a widow\nand family, and a son who is following his father's\nprofession \".\nThe son, I believe, is at Dublin, in the old theatre,\nwhere his father was once the popular favourite.\nAnother writer has made public a few interesting\nreminiscences, which will not be deemed out of place\nhere : —\n45 Sixteen years ago\", he says, \" I went to the\nGrecian Theatre (then known as the Grecian Saloon, and\njust emancipated from the influence of the ' Eagle ' and\nBravo Rouse ), and saw a little man play Jacob Ear--\nwig in Boots at the Swan, in the most astoundingly"}, {"page_pdf": 17, "page_imprimee": "105", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.17", "texte": "humourous manner. I found from the bills that his\nname was Robson, and I came back and talked to\ngreat critics of west-end theatres about him, but he was\nunknown, and they would not take the trouble to go\nand see him. Next I heard of him at the Olympic,\nunder Mr. Farren's management, where he played Shy-\nlock in a sorry burlesque, and wore three hats and\ndanced in a comic pas de deux with poor clever George\nCooke, who, to represent Antonio as a ' fawning pub-\nlican \\ wore a white apron and a red nose. In Shy-\nlock Mr. Robson first showed some flashes of that won-\nderful grotesque tragi-comic power, which afterwards\ntook the town by storm. Then he endowed with\nwondrous vitality, the awful hero of what had hitherto\nbeen considered a very had farce, called The Wan-\ndering Minstrel, the production of Mr. Henry Mayhew,\nand then and thenceforward all London came to see\nRobson.\nSince his decease most of the London daily and\nweekly journals have devoted a portion of their space\nto a review of the wonderful talents of this strange\ngenius. The similarity of view taken of his powers\nmight at first surprise, until we remember that his crea-\ntions were all of the same order, all equally new and\nmarvellous, and striking the beholder with much the\nsame kind of delightful wonderment. One writer says\nof him : —\n\" Out of materials trivial and unworthy, he could\nelaborate characters that startled you by their weird,\nwild force. In his apparently reckless drollery, there\nwas an, undercurrent of passion whose strength and ra-\npidity were amazing. You saw capering about the\nstage, absurdly clad, now mouthing tumid bombast, now\nchanting some street song, a strange figure — one of\nthe quaintest of buffoons. Nothing more ? Of a sud-\nden, the actor would be in earnest ; the eyes that had\nbeen winking with a knowing vulgarity all at once look-\ned you full in the face, mastered you at a glance;\nthere was a passionate cry, a taunting shout, or a wail\nof utter heartrending misery in the voice which had\njust been trolling a Cockney ditty ; and then, ere your\ntears, so strangely surprised from you, were dry, the\nmime was again prancing or strutting, all the earnestness\ngone out of him, a mountebank, but one of bewildering\nand fantastic freaks, of swift and perplexing changes.\n\nmalignant hate, from a cat-like watch-\nfulness to occasional bursts of passion\nthat seemed to defy control, Mr Rob-\nson passed with a keen power and\nready self-possession that never missed\nthe effect intended to be produced\n41 Mr Robson's great\nquality is the downright earnestness by\nwhich he makes others feel what he\nvery evidently feels himself. He has\ndefects of voice and person of the\ngravest kind, but some part of that\nwhich made 44 Prichard genteel and\nGarrick six feet high \" has descended\nto him. The sort of character in\nwhich he is likely to excel may always\nlie within the narrowest range, but by\nthe strength and intensity he puts into\nit he will never fail to attract an au-\ndience. Pie wants finish, refinement,\nrelief—fifty things which will come with\nexperience and study, if he has a\nproper regard for his calling and for\nhimself; but already, with none of\nthese things, he is a genuine actor, and\neveryone feels it. The drama had been\nbut a short while opened on Monday\nnight when the general interest fixed\nitself on that ill-dressed, meagre, dwar-\nfish figure, and, whoever else might\noccupy the scene, the eye still sought\nhim out. For the present, therefore,\nthe little man is undoubtedly the great\nfact at the Olympic * \\\n\" The Journal of a London\nPlaygoer '* by Henry Alor-\nlej\\ 1S66.\n\nHENRY CRABB ROBINSON IN\nHIS EIGHTY-FIRST YEAR\nGOES TO SEE ROBSON.\n\"CEPTEMBER 9. 1856. I dined at\nhome, and ihen went to the theatre,\nmerely to see Robson; and that 1 did\nto my perfect satisfaction. His variety\nof power is beyond all my expecta-\ntion. I could not at first recognize\nhim, in the florid smooth faced Baron.\n1he green-eyed monster, jealousy, is\nadmirably represented by him. His\nexpression is marvellous. Afterwards\nI saw him in a parody of 44 Medea\nA gentleman who sat near me in the\npit stalls lold me that his burlesque imi-\ntation of Ristori was excellent \".\n\nAND AGAIN AT EIGHTY-FOUR.\n\nJULY 8th. 1859. — I walked to\nthe Olympic Theatre, where I had\nmore pleasure than I generally have.\nThe first petite comedie, 44 Nine Points\nof the Law \" But it was to"}, {"page_pdf": 18, "page_imprimee": "106", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.18", "texte": "see Robson I went. He played in\ntwo pieces — \" The Porter's Knot \"\nin which the porter, who rises in life,\nis reduced to poverty by the misconduct\nof his son; and in the second act,\nafter six years appears as a porter.\nHis exhibition of passion in his paternal\naffliction is admirable — quite unique.\nBut this is far surpassed by his appea-\nrance in *' Retained for the Defence\na satiricle exposure of purious sentiment.\nA foolish philanthropist is willing to\ngive his daughter to an advocate for\nhis generous defence of persecuted in-\nnocence and he invites the acquitted\nfelon to an evening party, in order to\nredress his wrongs and restore h's\nsocial position. Now, this hero is\nRobson. Such a brute surely was\nnever conceived ; nothing that Liston\never performed was so farcical and\nridiculous. Of course,nothing can be\nconceived more stupid and absurd than\nthe farce; its sole merit is the exhi-\nbition it produces of Robson. But one\nmust be content to forego all questions\nabout sense or probability. His gri-\nmaces on eating hice at a swarry,\nand the way in which he olds his um-\nbrellt and vipes his nose,defy all cri-\nticism.\n\nVol. II. \"Henry Crabb\nRobinson's Diary\".\n\nHENRY MORLEY AGAIN.\n\nDECEMBER 12. 1857. — The\nplace of Boots at the Swan,\nheretofore occupied by Mr Keeley, has\nbeen taken, and will for a long time\nbe kept, by Mr. Robson. Mr Keeley\nwas a true Boots; Mr Robson also\nis a true Boots. To the same order\nof Boots each actor refers his part\nmost clearly, but not to the same genus\nof that order. Mr Keeley was not\nonly deaf but humourously stolid; Mr\nRobson although deaf, is humourously\nwide-awake. He is the Boots who is\nbrisk, and alive to all the humour of\nthe street, who would be preternally\nknowing if he could but hear what\npeople say. In word and look and\naction he is more the gamin than the\nsimpleton. The extravagance of a most\nlaughable farce is heightened by him\nto the utmost, and there is not a long\nface to be seen in the house while he\nis busy on the stage\nJUNE 18. 1864 The play-\nbill does, indeed, append to the\nname of the piece a note, saying,\n*• This play is founded on an incident\nsaid to have occured to Garrick, but\nwhich has no pretension to biographical\n\nWhat was this new phenomenon ? Had the man mis-\ntaken his vocation ? You could fancy for a moment, as\nyou watched him, that from those lips there would come\nwith a new force the terrible curse of LEAR, or the\nmiserable pleading of the broken king with his cruel\ndaughters. Presto, and all was over —he was again a\n' low comedian'. Wonderful were these transitions of his \".\nAnother journalist in speaking of the marvellous\nlittle man, very appropriately connects his name with\nthat of a genius who possessed powers equally strange\nand startling, in their fantastic and unique character,\nwith those of the diminutive actor \" who every night\nhad to paint his face and make a crowd laugh or cry,\nas he listed\" : —\n\" We are inclined to believe\", he says, \" that the\nworld might never have known all that was in Frede-\nrick Robson if he had not known Robert Brough.\nThere was a freemasonry of genius between those two\ngifted men — each, alas! cut off before his life-work\nwas half accomplished — which gave the author an\ninsight into the powers of the actor, and afforded to\nhim the hint upon which his own rare faculties enabled\nhim to act without delay. Ostensibly a comic writer,\nand overflowing with rich and racy humour, Robert\nBrough had much of the spirit of Edgar Poe, though\nwithout a tinge of his extravagance. There was a\ntone of serious sentiment underlying his drollest conceits,\nand intensity was interwoven with his grotesque. To\nthe genius of Frederick Robson working upon the ma-\nterial supplied to it by that of Robert Brough, the\nworld was indebted for those incomparable performances\nof Medea and Masaniello, which must linger in the\nmemory of those who witnessed them, as marvels such\nas they can scarcely hope to look upon again \".\nMr. Sala's sketch which follows was written in Ame-\nrica for American readers. The writer's hope, that he\nmay find upon his return the great actor \" once more\na hale and valid man \", will not, alas be realized.\nThe remains of the deceased gentleman were inter-\nred on the 17th inst., at Norwood Cemetary, a spot\nthe actor had chosen for his last resting place some\ntime ago, when the complaint which finally carried him\noff made its first appearance in a violent, but not fatal,\nform.\nPiccadilly, Aug. 20- 1864.\n\nJ. C. H."}, {"page_pdf": 19, "page_imprimee": "107", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.19", "texte": "ROBSON: A SKETCH.\nLONDON 1864\nBY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA.\n\n. T i .\n|N the whole or London there is not a dirtier, narrow-\nI er, and more disreputable thoroughfare than Wych\nStreet. It runs from the lowest part of Drury Lane\nwhere Nell Gwyn once had her lodgings, and stood at\nher door in very primitive costume to see the milkmaids\ngo a-Maying, and parallel to Holywell Street and the\nStrand, into the churchyard of St. Clements Danes. No\ngood, it was long supposed, could ever come out of\nWych Street. The place had borne an evil name for\ncenturies. Up a horrible little court branching north-\nward from it good old George Cruikshank once show-\ned me the house where Jack Shepherd, the robber\nand prison-breaker, served his apprenticeship to Mr.\nWood, the carpenter; and on a beam in the loft of\nthis house Jack is said to have carved his name. When\nthe pavement of the Strand is under repair, Wych\nStreet becomes, perforce, the principal channel of com-\nmunication between the east and the west end; and\nTheodore Hook used to say that he never passed\nthrough Wych Street in a hackney-coach without being\nblocked up by a hearse and a coal-wagon in the van,\nand a mud-cart and the Lord Mayor's carriage in the\nrear. Wych Street is among the highways we Eng-\nlish are ashamed to show to foreigners. We have\nthreatened to pull it down bodily, any time these\ntwo hundred years, and a portion of the sou-\nthern side, on which the old Lyons inn abutted,\nhas indeed been razed, preparatory to the erection of\na grand metropolitan hotel on the American system; but\nthe funds appear not to be forthcoming; the scheme\nlanguishes; and, on the other side of the street, another\nlegal hostelry, New inn, still flourishes in weedy damp-\nness, immovable in the strength of vested interests. It\nis full of quaint old Tudor houses, with tall gables,\ncarved porches, and lattice-casements; but the picturesque\nappearance cf these tenements compensates but ill for\ntheir being mainly dens of vice and depravity, in-\nhabited by the vilest offscourings of the enormous city.\nNext to Napoli senza sole, Wych Street, Drury Lane, is,\nmorally and physically, about the shadiest street I know.\n\naccuracy **; euphemism for \" This play\nis called David Garrick, but has nothing\non earth to do with Garrick But\nwhy should English actors deal so\nlightly with the memory of their great\nchief, that, for the sake of so poor and\nfalse an effect as the placarding of\nSOUTHERN as GARRICK they\nshould falsify and confuse the memory\nof Garrick's life ? \"\n\n\"The Journal of a\nLondon Playgoer\"\nby Henry Morley.\n\nFRANK ARCHER'S\nRECOLLECTIONS.\n\nROBSON I thought the most won-\nderful actor I had ever seen.\nHis acting of Samson Burr in M The\nPorter's Knot \" I enjoyed more than\nonce. It was a treat of the highest\nkind. I am sorry that I have so few\nmemoriis of this great artist, His\nM Shylock \" and \" Medea \" burlesques,\nand the parts he played in \" Payable\non Demand \" Daddy Hardacre \"#\n\" The Chimney Corner and \" Plot\nand Passion I regret that I missed.\nI have the clearest remembrance of\nsome of his farce acting. His Jacob\nEarwig in \" Boots at the Swan\nTrotter Southdown in \"To oblige\nBenson and the weird, demoniacal\nperformance in u The Lottery Ticket \"\nwere inimitable. Faint remembrances\nalso arise of his acting in two other\nburlesques, \" Mazeppa \" and M The\nKing of Merrows In the former I\nremember him bound to a gigantic rock-\ninghorse.\nI do not think that the genius of\nRobson was in anyway exaggerated.\nHis gifts were peculiarly his own. He\nhad a certain vein of seriousness, and\na dignity that is rarely associated with\nwhat is called a \" Low Comedian \".\nHe certainly, too, had a face that\nsuited serious drama, though, in spite\nof the intensity he displayed, it is\ndoubtful whether he would have suc-\nceeded in any leading Shakespearian\npart. His figure for this would not\nhave been in his favour, even had he\nbeen gifted with what may be called\nthe mental weight necessary. Whether\nhe would have shone in some of\nShakespeare's clowns, or in some of\nthe more exacting characters in the\nold comedies, who shall say? Ma-\ncready—from hearsay only, as he had\nnever seen him — believed he would.\nI knew nothing of him personally,\nthough I thought it a great thing on\none occasion to speak to him. The\nway in which it came about is asso-\nciated with an instance of the vanity"}, {"page_pdf": 20, "page_imprimee": "108", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.20", "texte": "of the amateur that it would be hard\nto beat. In 1862 an amateur perfor-\nmance for a charity — the Lancashire\nDistress Fund, in fact — took place\nat the Princess's Theatre. Though I\ntook no part in it, some of those who\ndid were friends of mine. One of\nthe attractions was •• The- Porter's\nKnot \" in which a friend of Robson's\nappeared in the little man's own part\nof Samson Burr, and induced him\nlater on the same evening to give his\nperformance of Jacob Earwig, the deaf\nwaiter in \" The Boots at the Swan\"!\nIt was on this particular night when I\nwas hanging about the entrances that\nRobson made some remark to me\nabout the house and its enthusiasm, etc.\nHis dresser was following him about\nwith a tumbler, which was painful to\nsee he clutched at nervously, gulping\ndown the contents before making his\nentrance. He had accustomed himself\nto take a stimulant to dispel the in-\ntense nervousness from which he suf-\nfered. It was eventually fatal. At\nthis performance he was tempted to\nexaggerate, and indulge in antics beyond\nall reason. He was then coming to\nthe end of his tether; and when, in\n1864, at the age of forty-three, Rob-\nson died, the stage lost a great actor.\nIt may not be generally known, by\nthe way, that once in his pre-political\ndays Mr. Chamberlain submitted a\nplay to Robson — then manager of\nthe Olympic \".\n\n\"An Actor's Notebooks\"\nby Frank Archer.\n\nHENRY IRVING ON ROBSON.\nFrom \"Seymour Hicks-\nTwenty-Four Years of an\nActor Life \"by Himself\nHENRY Irving asked me to come\nto supper at the Garrick Club.\nI don't remember, ever before or\nsince, feeling so excited or elated. I\ncame eaily, and found my3elf alone\nwith the mighty tragedian waiting for\nMr. Toole to arrive.... I remember he\ntold me that the greatest actor he had\never seen in his life was Edmund Phelps.\nI have heard it said that Henry\nIrving never saw Phelps act, but I\nhad it from his first hand that he did.\nOn that evening, too, he spoke of\nRobson. He said, •• Yes, Robson—er-\nRobson—a good actor, but net great—no,\nnot great—yes, yes, he was great! He\nwas great enough to know that he\ncould be only great for three minutes!\nThe stuff they talk about his being\nable to have played tragedy, had he\nwanted to, is wrong. Three minutes\nof it—yes—but the whole evening—oh,\ndear no! \"\n\nIn Wych Streets stands, nevertheless, an oasis in\nthe midst of a desert, a pretty and commodious little\ntheatre, called the . The entertainments here\nprovided have earned, for brilliance and elegance, so\nwell-deserved a repute, that the Olympic Theatre has\nbecome one of the most favourite resorts of the British\naristocracy. The Brahminical classes appear oblivious of\nthe yellow streak of caste, when they come hither. On\nfour or five nights in every week during the season,\nDrury Lane is rendered well-nigh impassible by splen- -\ndid equipages which have conveyed dukes and marqui-\nses and members of Parliament to the Olympic. Fre-\nquently, but prior to the lamented death of Prince Al-\nbert, you might observe, if you passed through Wych\nStreet in the forenoon, a little platform, covered with\nfaded red cloth, and shaded by a dingy, striped awn-\ning, extending from one of the entrance-doors of the\nOlympic to the edge of the sidewalk. The initiated\nbecame at once aware that Her Most Gracious Majes-\nty intended to visit the Olympic Theatre that very\nevening. The Queen of England goes to theatres no -\nmore; but the Prince of Wales and his pretty young wife,\nthe stout, good-tempered Duke of Cambridge, and his sis-\nter, the bonny Princess Mary, are still constant visi-\ntors to Wych Street. So gorgeous is often the assem-\nblage in this murkiest of streets, that you are remin-\nded of the days when the French noblesse, in all the\npride of hoops and hair-powder, deigned to flock to the\nlowly wine-shop of Ramponneau.\nMy business, however, is less with the Olympic\nTheatre, as it at present exists, than with its immediate\npredecessor. About fifteen years ago, there stood in\nWych Street a queer, low-browed little building with\na rough wooden portico before it, — not unlike such\na portico as I have recently seen in front of a dilapi-\ndated inn at Culpepper, Virginia, — and with little\nblinking windows, very much resembling the port-holes\nof a man-of-war. According to tradition, the place had,\nindeed, a kind of naval origin. Old King George III.,\nwho, when he was not mad, or meddling with politics,\nwas really a good-natured kind of man, once made\nPhilip Astley, the riding-master, and proprietor of the\ncircus in South Lambeth, a present of a dismantled\n\n(I) See page 99."}, {"page_pdf": 21, "page_imprimee": "109", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.21", "texte": "BETWEEN I860 and 1866 Irving\nhad played under Robson; but\nwhat he played and where, his Bio-\ngrapher Austin Brereton does not tell us.\n\nBANCROFT AND ROBSON.\nSir Squire Bancroft in \" Mr.\nand Mrs. Bancroft on and\noff the Stage\".\n. . . . having a few spare days I\nspent them in London. ... I was\nalso presented to the great-little Frederick\nRobson, whose son had recently joined\nthe Birminghan Company, and to\nwhom I had been able to show some\ntrifling kindness.\nWhen the boy took me to see his\nfather, I remember, while we were\nlooking at some framed theatrical en-\ngravings, Robson stopping before one\nof them and saying 44 That man was\none of the cleverest and most natural\ncomedians 1 ever saw\". It was the\nportrait of Pearce, the Christy Minstrel\nand original singer of 4 Hoop-de-doo-\ndenda \\ The health of the great actor\nwas already broken, for Robson died\nnot very long afterwards, when only\nlittle over forty years of age. No\nwords of mine could do justice to my\nremembrance of this actor and genius,\nwho is said to have resembled Ed-\nmund Kean in his wondrous bursts of\npassion, while in his comic moments he\nrecalled memories of the greatest co-\nmedians of the past. Off the stage\nRobson was one of the mildest and\nmost unassuming of creatures in the\nworld. The very nervousness which\nmade him so shy and reserved in\nprivate life, perhaps, stood him in\nwonderful stead directly he trod the\nstage: he then became at will the hero\nof domestic drama, the mock tyrant of\nburlesque, or the most amusing carica-\nture in the world of farce!\n\nROBSON AND J. L. TOOLE.\n\n\" T accepted an engagement of two\n1 pounds a week, and remained in\nDublin for the season. It was at this\ntime that I made the acquaintance of\nRobson, as I have previously mentioned \\\n44 V/OU were speaking of Robson\n1 and Keeley \\ said Toole. 4 They\nboth played 4 Jerry \" in The Thumping\nLegacy. It is a cockney who goes to\nCorsica: and the other man says, 4 What\ndo you here? I will tell you. It is now\nfour hundred years since*. Keeley (0 used\n\n(i) It is noteworthy that in Keeley's\nMemoirs no mention of Robson occurs.\n\nseventy-four gun-ship captured from the French. With\nthese timbers, some lath and plaster, a few bricks, and\na little money, Astley ran up a theatre dedicated to\nthe performance of interludes and burlettas, — that is,\nof pieces in which the dialogue was not spoken, but\nsung, in order to avoid interference with the patent-\nrights of Drury Lane and Covent Garden. In our days,\nthis edifice was known as the Olympic. When I knew\nthis theatre first, it had fallen into a state of seemingly\nhopeless 'decadence. Nobody succeeded there. To\nlease the Olympic Theatre was to court bankruptcy\nand invite collapse. The charming Vestris had been\nits tenant for a while. There Liston and Wrench had\ndelighted the town with their most excellent fooling.\n1 here many of Planche's most sparkling burlesques had\nbeen produced. There a perfect boudoir of a green-\nroom had been fitted up by Bartolozzi's beautiful and\nwitty daughter;, and there Hook and Jerrold, Haynes\nBayiey and A Beckett had uttered their wittiest\nsayings. But the destiny of the Olympic was indomi-\ntable. There was nae luck about the house; and Eliza\nVestris went bankrupt at last. Management after ma-\nnagement tried its fortunes in the doomed little house,\nbut without success. Desperate adventurers seized upon\nit as a last resource, or chose it as a place wherein to\nconsummate their ruin. The Olympic was contiguous\nto the Insolvent Debtors' Court, in Portugal Street, and\nfrom the Paint-pots of the Olympic scene-room to the\nwhitewash of the commercial tribunal there was but one\nstep.\nIt must have been in 1848 that the famous come-\ndian, William barren, having realized a handsome for-\ntune as an actor, essayed to lose a considerable portion\nof his wealth by becoming a manager. He succeeded\nin the last-named enterprise quite as completely as he\nhad done in the other: I mean, that he lost a large\nsum of money in the Olympic Theatre. He played all\nkinds of pieces; among others, he gave the public two very\nhumourous burlesques, founded on Shakespeare's plays\nof \" Macbeth \" and \" The Merchant of Venice \". The\nauthors were two clever young Oxford men: Frank\nTalfourd, the son of the poet-judge, — father and son\nare, alas! both dead, — and William Hale, the son\nof the well-known Archdeacon and Master of the Char-\nter-House. Shakespearian burlesques were no novelty"}, {"page_pdf": 22, "page_imprimee": "110", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.22", "texte": "to say to him in a very quiet way,\n4 Don't you think we had better take\na chair? ' Robscn was all excitement\nand in tragic tones exclaimed: 4 Don't\nyou think we had better be seated?\nKeeley was a peculiar little fellow;\nvery short, bald head, comical face;\nspoke in a serious kind of lone.\nVery little chap. When he appeared\nas a witness at Bow Street, there was\na seat in the witness box. I hey\nthought he was sitting down. The\nmagistrate said, 4 Please to stand up,\nMr. Keeley.' 4 I am standing up/\nsaid Keeley, in his melancholy manner.\nMR. TOOLE had removed to Orme\nSquare from a not less cosy ha-\nbitation situated on the brow of Ha-\nvers lock Hill, where he revelled in a\nback garden sufficiently large to grow\nflowers, and to have the suburban\ndistinction of a summer-house and a\ngrass-plot. I remember his telling me,\nin that very garden, that Robson fre-\nquently visited him there, on Sunday\nmornings, and that he had strongly\nadvised his fellow-actor to take a\nhouse with a garden. 4He was fid-\ngetty and restless ', Toole had said,\n4 sometimes on the stage, I fancied,\nbut always off, and I noticed that\nafter we had sat in the summer-house\nfor a time, with an occasional prowl\non the grass, a sniff at a gillyflower,\nor a bit of London Pride, he would\nsettle down, like a man who is resting,\ngrow quiet and reflective, and we\nwould have a calm and enjoyable\nchat. I know nothing so soothing as\na garden, nothing that calms the nerves\nso much as pottering about among\nflower-beds, especially when you have\nhad a hand in their cultivation, if only\nto the extent of ordering the plants\nfrom the florists \".\nWE were speaking of Robson/ I\nsaid. 4 You knew him very\nwell? '\n4 Yes * he (Toole) replied.\n4 And admired him as an actor ?\n4 Tremendously/ he replied, with\nmuch energy of manner. 4 I used to\nsee a great deal of him in Dublin,\nlong before he came to London He\nwas a popular comedian in Dublin\nwhen I received my first engagement\nthere. He was at the Royal, I was\nat the other theatre. He was a\nspecial favourite in Boots at the Swan.\nWhatever the manager at one theatre\nput up, the other did, and I was\nplaying Boots at the Swan at the\n\nto the town. We had had enough and to spare of\nthem. W. J. Hammond, the original Sam IVeller in\nthe dramatized version of \" Pickwick \", had made peo-\nple laugh in \" Macbeth Travestie and \" Othello ac-\ncording to Act of Parliament . The Olympic bur-\nlesques were slightly funnier, and not nearly so\ncoarse as their fore-runners; but they were still of\nno striking salience. Poorly mounted, feebly play-\ned, — save in one particular, — they drew but\nthin houses. Gradually, however, you began to hear *\nat clubs and in critical coteries — at the Albion and\nthe Garrick and the Cafe de 1'Europe, at Evans's and\nat Kilpack's, at the Reunion in Maiden Lane and at\nRules's oyster-room, where poor Albert Smith used to\nreign supreme — rumours about a new actor. I tie\nnew man was playing Macbeth and Shy lock h* Tal-„\nfourd and Hale's parodies. He was a little stunted\nfellow, not very well-favoured, not very young. No-\nbody — among the bodies who were anybody — had\never heard of him before. Whence he came, or what\nhe was, none knew; but everybody came at last to -\ncare. For this little stunted creature, with his hoarse\nvoice and nervous gestures and grotesque delivery, his\nsnarls, his leers, his hunchings of the shoulders, his con-\ntortions of the limbs, his gleaming of the\nand his grindings of the teeth, was a genius. He\nbecame town-talk. He speedily grew famous. He\nhas been an English, I might almost say a European,\nI might almost say a world-wide celebrity ever since ;\nand his name was FREDERICK ROBSON.\nEventually it was known, when the town grew in-\nquisitive and the critics were compelled to ferret out\nhis antecedents, that the new actor had already attained\nmiddle age, — that he had been vegetating for years\nin that obscurest and most miserable of all dramatic _\npositions, the low comedian of a country theatre, —\nthat he had come timidly to London and accepted at\na low salary the post of buffoon at a half-theatre half-\nsaloon in the City Road, called indifferently the \" Gre-\ncian \" O and the \" Eagle \", where he had danced and\ntumbled, and sung comic songs, and delivered the dis-\nmal waggeries set down for him, without any marked\nsuccess, and almost without notice. He was a quiet,\n\n(1) See page 97."}, {"page_pdf": 23, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.23", "texte": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON.\nPlate 15.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928"}, {"page_pdf": 25, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.25", "texte": "PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK ROBSON.\nPlate 16.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928"}, {"page_pdf": 27, "page_imprimee": "111", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.27", "texte": "unassuming little man, this Robson, seemingly without\nvanity and without ambition. He had a wife and fa-\nll. mily to maintain, and drew his twenty-five or thirty\nshillings weekly with perfect patience and resignation,\nA weary period, however, elapsed between his ap-\npearence at the Olympic and his realization of finan-\np cial success. The critics and the connoisseurs talked\nabout him a long time before the public could be per-\nsuaded to go and see him, or the manager to raise his\n-salary. That doomed house with the wooden portico\nwas in the way. At last the wretched remnant of the\nFrench seventy-four caught fire and was burned to the\nground. Its ill-luck was consistent to the last. A poor\nactor, named Bender, had engaged the Olympic for a\nbenefit. He was to pay twenty pounds for the use of\nthe house. He had just sold nineteen pounds' worth\nof tickets, and trusted to the casual receipts at the door\nfor his profits. At a few minutes before six o'clock,\nhaving to play in the first piece, he proceeded to the\ntheatre, and entered his dressing-room. By half-past\n• six the whole house was in a blaze. Bender, half un-\ndressed, had only time to save himself; and his coat,\n* with the nineteen pounds in the pocket, fell a prey to\nthe flames. After this, will you tell me that there is\nnot such a thing as ill-luck ?\nThe Olympic arose \" like a phoenix from its ashes \".\nTo use language less poetical, a wealthy tradesman —\na cheesemonger, I think — found the capital to build\nup a new theatre. The second edifice was elegant,\nalmost splendid ; but in the commencement it seem-\ned fated to undergo as evil fortune as its precursor.\n1 cannot exactly remember whether it was in the old\nor the new Olympic — but I think it was in the new\none — that the notorious Walter Watts ran a brief\nwand sumptuous career as manager. He produced many\npieces, some of them his own, in a most luxurious\nmanner. He was a man about town, a viveur, a dandy;\nand it turned out one morning that Walter Watts had\nbeen, all along, a clerk in the Globe Insurance Office,\nat a salary of a hundred and fifty pounds a year; and\nthat he had swindled his employers out of enormous\nsums of money. He was tried, nominally for stealing\n\" a piece of paper, value one penny \", being a check\n• which he had abstracted ; but it was understood that\nhis defalcations were little short of ninety thousand pounds\n\nsame time as Robson. I got to know\nhim very well. I used to go and\nhave tea with him, and he was very\nkind to me, often gave me hints, and\nlook an interest in whatever I did. I\nwas with him when he received an\noffer from old Farren to go to London.\nHe had played at the Grecian before\nhe went to Dublin, but never at the\nwest end of London. Farren's offer\nwas for the Olympic, and I went to\nthe station with him and saw him off.\nHe had a wonderful talent, and was\na very remarkable actor. There were\nflashes in his mock-tragedy that were\nmagnificent, overpowering. I sometimes\nthought he lacked repose; not that I\nwould venture to criticize him even to\nthat he was so great a genius.\nI think if he had done a little\ngardening it would have done him good ,\n\nFrom \"Reminiscences of J.\nL. Toole \"related by himself\nand chronicled by Joseph\nHatton, 1889.\n\nTHE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER\nSee \"life of Charles Dickens\";\nJ. C. Hotten. p. 160.\nAN over-partial and insufficiently\ndiscriminating 4 friend * is quoted\nas saying ; 44 —Those who saw the\ncharacter of the lighthouse keeper in\nMr. Wilkie Collins's drama as por-\ntrayed first by Mr. Dickens and then\nby Mr, Robson, were enabled to\njudge of the wonderful superiority of\nthe rendering given by the former #\\\n\nTHE WANDERING MINSTREL.\nA. W. à Beckett in \"The à\nBecketts\" of 'Punch'. 1903,\np. 50.\n** The Wandering Minstrel in\nwhich later on Robson scored so hea-\nvily, was produced at the Fitzroy.\nHenry Mayhew wrote under the nom\nde plume of \" Ralph Rigmarole,\nEsqre No doubt this disguise was\nassumed to disarm Henry Mayhews\nfather, who was a highly respectable\nsolicitor, like my grandfather, and who\nmight have joined in the crusade\nagainst \" the boys\n\nVIL1KINS AND HIS DINAH.\nLife of George Cruikshank\nby Btanchard Jerrold. Chatto\n& Windus, 1882. Vol. 2. p. 26.\n\" ' Vilikins and his Dinah' was\na popular street chanson years before\nit was immortalised by Robson in Jem\nBaggs \"."}, {"page_pdf": 28, "page_imprimee": "112", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.28", "texte": "THE WANDERING\nMINSTREL\nTHE AFFECTING AND\nPATHETIC LEGEND OF\nVILIKINS AND HIS DINAH.\n\nOh! 'tis of a rich merchant,\nIn London did dwell,\nHe had but one daughter,\nAn uncommon nice young gal I\nHer name it was Dinah —\nScarce sixteen years old,\nShe had a large fortune\nIn silver and gold.\nSinging—Too—ral—loo, &c.\nAs Dinah vas a valking,\nIn the garden vun day,\nHer papa came to her,\nAnd thus to her did say : —\nGo and dress yourself, Dinah,\nIn gor—ge—ous array,\nAnd I'll get you a husband,\nBoth vally—ant and gay !\nSinging —? Too —ral—loo, &c.\nOh, papa ! oh, papa !\nI've not made up my mind,\nTo marry just yet,\nI do not feel inclined,\nAnd all my large fortune\nI'll gladly give o'er,\nIf you'll let me stay single\nA year or two more.\nSinging — Too—ral—loo, etc.\n\n(1) Name of the Play, Olympic Thea-\ntre, London. 1853. May 24.\n(2) See also p. 111.\n\nsterling. Watts was convicted, and sentenced to ten\nyears transportation. The poor wretch was not of the\nheroically villanous mould in which the dashing crimi-\nnals who came after him, Robson and Redpath, were\ncast. He was troubled with a conscience. He had\ndrunk himself into delirium tremens; and starting from\nhis pallet one night in a remorseful frenzy, he hanged *\nhimself in the jail.\nIt was during the management of Alfred Wigan at\nthe New Olympic that Frederick Robson began to be\nheard of again. An old, and not a very clever farce,\nby one of the Brothers Mayhew, entitled \" The Wan-\ndering Minstrel\", had been revived. In this farce,\nRobson was engaged to play the part of Baggs,\nan itinerant vocalist and flageolet-player, who, in tatter-\ned attire, roams about from town to town, making the\nair hideous with his performances. The part was a\npaltry one, and Robson, who had been engaged mainly\nat the instance of the manager's wife, a very shrewd\nand appreciative lady, who had persisted in declaring\nthat the ex-low-comedian of the Grecian had \" some-\nthing in him eked it out by singing an absurd ditty\ncalled \" Vilikins and his Dinah\". The words and\nthe air of \" Vilikins \" were, if not literally as old as\nthe hills, considerably older than the age of Queen.\nElizabeth. The story told in the ballad, of a father's\ncruelty, a daughter's anguish, a sweetheart's despair,\nand the ultimate suicide of both the lovers, is, albeit\ncouched in uncouth and grotesque language, as pathe-\ntic as the tragedy of \"Romeo aud Juliet\". Robson\ngave every stanza a nonsensical refrain of \" Right too-\nral lol looral, right tooral lol lay At times, when\nhis audience was convulsed with merriment, he would\ncome to a halt, and gravely observe, \" This is not a\ncomic song'' ; but London was soon unanimous thaL\nsuch exquisite comicality had not been heard for many\nalong year. \"Vilikins and his Dinah\" created a\nrore. My countrymen are always mad about some-\nthing; and Englishmen and Englishwomen all agreed to\ngo crazy about \" Vilikins \". \" Right tooral lol looral \"\nwas on every lip. Robson's portrait as Jem Baggs was\nin every shop-window. A newspaper began an editorial\nwith the first line of \"Vilikins\". —\n\" It's of a liquor-merchant who in London did\ndwell"}, {"page_pdf": 29, "page_imprimee": "113", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.29", "texte": "A Judge of Assize absolutely fined the High She-\nriff of a county one hundred pounds for the mingled\n_ contempt shown in neglecting to provide him with an\nescort of javelin-men and introducing the irrepressible\n\" Right tooral lol looral \" into a speech delivered at the\nopening of circuit. Nor was the song all that was\nwonderful in Jem Baggs. His \" Make-up \" was su-\nperb. The comic genius of Robson asserted itself in\nan inimitable lagging gait, an unequalled snivel, a\ncoat and pantaloons every patch on and every rent in\nwhich were artistic, and a hat inconceivably battered,\ncrunched, and bulged out of normal, and into preter-\nnatural shape.\nNew triumphs awaited him. In the burlesque of\n\" 1he Yellow Dwarf\", he showed a mastery of the\ngrotesque which approached the terrible. Years before,\nin Macbeth, he had personated a red-headed, fire-eating,\nwhisky-drinking Scotchman, — and in Shylock, a servile,\nfawning, obsequious, yet, when emergency arose, a pas-\nsionate and vindictive Jew. In the Yellow Dwarf he\nwas the jaundiced embodiment of a spirit of Oriental\nevil : crafty, malevolent, greedy, insatiate, — full of\nmockery, mimicry, lubricity, and spite, — an Afrit, a\nDjinn, a Ghoul, a spawn of Sheitan. How that mon-\nstrous orange-tawny head grinned and wagged ! How\nthose flaps of ears were projected forwards, like unto\nthose of a dog ! How balefully these atrabilious eyes\nglistened ! You laughed, and yet you shuddered. He\nspoke in mere doggerel and slang. He sang trumpery\nsongs to negro melodies. He danced the Lancashire\n- clog-hornpipe ; he rattled out puns and conundrums ; yet\ndid he contrive to infuse into all this mummery and buf-\nfoonery, into this salmagundi of the incongruous and\nthe outre, an umistakable tragic element, — an ele-\nment of depth and strength and passion, and almost of\nsublimity. The mountebank became inspired. The Jack\nPudding suddenly drew the cothurnus over his clogs.\nYou were awe-stricken by the intensity, the vehemence\nhe threw into the mean balderdash of the burlesque-\nmonger. These qualities were even more apparent in\nhis subsequent personation of Medea, in Robert Brough's\nparody of the Franco-Italian tragedy. The love, the\nhate, the scorn, of the abandoned wife of Jason, the\ndiabolic loathing in which she holds Creusa, the tige-\nrish affection with which she regards the children whom\n\nGo boldest daughter,\nThe parient replied,\nIf you don't consent to be\nThis here young man's bride,\nI'll give your large fortune\nTo the nearest o' kin,\nAnd you shan't have the benefit,\nOf one single pin.\nSinging — Too—ral —loo, &c.\nAs Vilikins vas a valking,\nThe garden around,\nHe spied his dear Dinah,\nLying dead upon the ground,\nA cup of cold pison\nIt lied by her side,\nAnd a billy dux, stating\n#Twas by pison she died !\nSinging — Too—ral—loo &c.\nThen he kissed her cold corpus,\nA thousand times o'er,\nHe called her his dear Dinah—\nAlthough she was no more!\nHe swallowed the pison,\nLike a lover so brave —\nAnd Vilikins and his Dinah,\nLies a buried in one grave !\nSinging — Too—ral—loo &c.\nMORAL.\nNow all you young vimmens,\nTake a varning and nor\nNever by no means\nDisobey your guv'nor,\nAnd all you young fellers\nMind who you claps your eyes on,\nThink of Vilikins and his Dinah,\nAnd the cup of cold pison.\nSinging — Too —ral—loo, &c.\n\nROBSON AS JEM BAGGS."}, {"page_pdf": 30, "page_imprimee": "114", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.30", "texte": "MADOX BROWN AND ROBSON.\nPræraphaelite Diaries and\nLetters. Edited by William\nMichael Rossetti. 1900.\n1855. December 12th— ....To\nthe Olympic. English Theatricals doo-\nced slow, however ; place felt heada-\nchy. Robson tremendous, but getting\nspoiled..,.\n\nA CONTEMPORARY\no ESTIMATE. o\nI only knew one English actor who,\nto my mind, had in him the true\ngerm and kernel of a Devrient (*) —\nthe late Frederick Robson.\nI remember his truly marvellous\nperformance of the part of 4 Medea *\nin Robert Brough's burlesque. Before\nthe piece began, I went behind the\nscenes with the author, where we found\nRobson in a slate of extreme nervous-\nness, as it had been credibly reported\nthat the lady tragedian, whom he was\nabout to imitate (not to travesty, mind,\nfor there truly was nothing cf the\nbuffoon pure and simple in Fre-\nderick Robson), Madame Ristori, was\nactually in the theatre. Well, with\nthis overpowering oppression upon\nhim, he contrived to achieve a glo-\nrious success. His 4 Medea * was a\ntruly grand tragic figure, gracefully\ndraped in a light veil of burlesque,\nShe who had created the intensely\ntragic character of ill-starred 4 Medea *\nwas so deeply impressed by the little\nman's wonderful tragi-comic reproduc-\ntion of her own creation — which she\nhad been led to believe by a 4 kind\nfriend * of Robson's would turn out a\nfarcical caricature — that she could not\nrefrain from then and there presenting\nto the great artist the flattering tribute\nof her gratification and admiration.\nShe came round accordingly at once,\nescorted by that most courteous of\ngentlemen and most urbane of noble-\nmen, Earl Granville, who joined the\nlady in overwhelming the shy man\nwith well-merited compliments. When\nwe had Robson to oursel ves again, he\ncried like a child — partly with plea-\nsure, partly with distress at his nervous\nawkwardness, which he said 4 must\nhave made me look like a fool \\\nFrom {tReminiscences of an Old Bohe-\nmian Vol. 2. p% 200. 1882.\n(i) Louis Devrient the tragedian;\ndied 1832 aged forty-eight. Editor.\n\nshe is afterwards to slay, — all these were portrayed\nby Robson, through the medium, be it always remem-\nbered, of doggerel and slang, with astonishing force and\nvigour. The original Medea, the great Ristori herself,\ncame to see Robson, and was delighted with and\namazed at him. She scarcely understood two words -\nof English, but the actor's genius struck her home ■\nthrough the bull's-hide target of an unknown tongue. \" Uo-\nmo straordinario ! \" she went away saying.\nI have anticipated the order of his successes, but\nat this distance of time and place I can keep no chro- ,\nnological count of them. Robson has always alterna-\nted the serio-comic burlesque with pure farce, and after\nJem Baggs his brightest hits have been in the deaf\nostler in \" Boots at the Swan \" and the discharged cri-\nminal in \" Retained for the Defence \". In the burle-\nsque of \" Masaniello \", he had an opportunity — which-\nsome thought would prove a magnificent one to him —\nof showing the grotesque side of insanity ; but, for some\nreason or other, the part seemed distasteful to him.\nIt may have been repugnant to his eminently sensitve\nspirit to exhibit the ludicrous aspect of the most dread-\nful of human infirmities. A peste, fame, bello, et de-\nmentia libera nos, Domine! Perhaps the piece itself\nwas weak. At all events, \"Masaniello\" had but a\nbrief run. A drunken man, a jealous man, a deaf man, a fool;\na vagabond, a demon, a tyrant, Robson could marvellously\ndepict: in the crazy Neapolitan fisherman he either fai-\nled or was unwilling to excel. I had been for a long\nperiod extremely solicitous to see Robson undertake the\npart of Sir Giles Overreach in \"A New Way to pay\nOld Debts \". You know that Sir Giles, after the dis-\ncovery of the obliterated deed, goes stark staring mad.\nI should have wished to see him assume Edmund Kean's\nown character in the real play itself ; but Robson was\nnervous of venturing on a purely \" legitimate \" role. I\nwas half persuaded to write a burlesque on \"A New\nWay to pay Old Debts and Robson had promised\nto do his very best with Sir Giles ; but a feeling, half\nof laziness, and half of reverence for the fine old drama,\ncame over me, and I never got farther than the first-\nscene.\nBy this time some of the foremost dramatists in\nLondon thought they could discern in Robson latent\ncharacteristics of a nature far more elevated than those"}, {"page_pdf": 31, "page_imprimee": "115", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.31", "texte": "which his previous performances had brought into play.\nIt was decided by those who had a right to render\nan authoritative verdict, that he would shine best in\nthat which we call the \" domestic drama \". Here it\nwas thought his broad fun, rustic waggery, and curious\nmastery of provincial dialect might admirably contrast\nwith the melodramatic intensity, of which in so eminent\na degree he was the master. Hence the dramas, writ-\nten expressly and deliberately to his measure and capa-\ncity, of \" Daddy Hardacre \", \" 1he Porter's Knot\",\nand \" The Chimney-Corner\". When I say written,\nI mean, of course, translated. Our foremost dramatists\nhave not yet ceased to borrow from the French; but,\nlike the gypsies, they so skilfully mutilate the children\nthey have stolen, that the theft becomes almost impos-\nsible to detect. Not one person in five hundred, for\ninstance, would discover at first sight that a play so\napparently English in conception and structure as the\n\" Ticket-of-Leave Man\" is, in reality, a translation\nfrom the French.\nThe success achieved by Robson in the dramas I\nhave named was extended, and was genuine. In Daddy\nHardacre, a skilful adaptation of the usurer in Balzac's\n\" Eugenie Grandet \", it was tremendous. It made me more\nthan ever wishful to see him in the griping, ruthless\nOverreach, foiled at last in his wicked ambition and\ndriven to frenzy by the destruction of the document by\nwhich he thought to satisfy his lust of gain. Moliere's\nAvare I thought he would have acted wonderfully ; Ben\nJonson's Volpone, in \" The Fox , he would surely\nhave understood, and powerfully rendered. In the de-\nvoted father of \" The Porter's Knot \" he was likewise\nmost excellent: quiet, unaffected, unobtrusive, never for-\ncing sentiment upon you, never obtaining tears by false\npretences, but throughout solid, sterling, natural, admi-\nrable. I came at last, however, to the conviction, that,\nmarked as was the distinction gained by this good ac-\ntor in parts such as these, and as the lighthouse-keeper\n—- the character originally sustained in private by Charles\nDickens — in Wilkie Collins's play, domestic drama\nwas not his forte; or, rather, that it was not his for-\ntissimo. In fantastic burlesque, in the comic-terrible,\nhe was unrivalled and inimitable. In the domestic\ndrama he could hardly be surpassed but he might be ap-\nproached. Webster, Emery, Addison, could play\n\nE. L. BLANCHARD AND\nF. ROBSON\nBEING EXTRACTS FROM BLANCHARD'S\nDIARY WITH NOTES\nBY CECIL HOWARD.\n0) .\n1853.\nApril 27th. — Drop in at Olympic;\nsee TalfourcTs burlesque of Macbeth.\nRobson very clever,\nDecember 7th. — Davidson, music\npublisher, calls to obtain another por-\ntion of \" Villikins and his Dinah \"(0.\nDecember 13th. — Go to Adelphi.\nSee the ice scene in Thirst for Gold;\nwonderful effect. Then to Olympic.\nRobson great in 4 Villikins \\ At\nWrekin hear he is about thirty-six,\nand of weak health, poor fellow!\n(1) Written by this same Blanchard\nwhen a boy for private theatricals.\n1854.\nMarch 8th. — Look in at Olympic;\nsee charming little piece of To Oblige\nBenson (*).\n(1) Adapted by Taylor from Un Ser-\nvice a Blanchard, and first played Monday,\nMarch 6th, 1854. Emery, Benson ; Mrs.\nStirling, Mrs. Trotter Southdown; Miss\nWyndham, Mrs. Benson ; Robson, Trot-\nter Southdown.\nJune 13th. — To town to see\nHush Money (*) at Olympic; Robson's\nacting wonderful, but piece bad.\n(1) A revival of a farce by Dance,\nfirst played under the Vestris manage-\nment here, by Liston, Keeley, Frank\nMatthews, and Mrs. Orger. F. Robson\nnow played Jaspar Touchwood; Mrs.\nWigan, Sally; Emery, Tom Tillex.\nOctober 17th. —To Olympic; see\nF. Robson in wonderful performance\nof Job Wort in A Blighted Being.\nDecember 27sji. —Go to town ;\nsee Yellow Dwarf 0) a burlesque by\nat the Olympic; not his best,\nbut neatly written and carefully got up.\n(1) F. Robson in the title ?6le, one of\nhis great parts.\n1855.\nMarch 1 6th. — Olympic : Lucky\nFriday, AlfredWigan; and The Yellow\nDwarf and the King of the Gold\nMines; F. Robson (dwarf, one of his\nbest characters)....\nJune 11th. — At night to Olympic;\nsee Gar rick Fever revival (F. Robson,\nEmery, Danvers, White Rivers, Mrs.\nFitzalan, Miss Stephens, Miss Ternan).\nOctober 20th. — To Olympic, first\nnight of season, School for Scandal,\n\nFrom The Life and Reminiscences of\nE. L. Blanchard, By Clement Scott and\nCecil Howard. Hutchinson & Co. 1891."}, {"page_pdf": 32, "page_imprimee": "116", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.32", "texte": "and new farce by Coyne called Catching\na Mermaid (F. Robson, Luffins a\nShowman).\n1856.\nApril 2nd. — See at night first time\nRobson all through in Discreet Prin-\ncess (*) wonderful and painfully intense\nperformance.\n(i) The Discreet Princess; or, The\nThree Glass Distaffs. Prince Richcraft,\nF. Robson.\nJune 11th, — Go to Olympic; see\nfarce, Fascinating Individual• Robson\nin it; net very good piece.\nJuly 3rd. — At night to Olympic;\nsee the Duological Farce, first night;\nA Coniugal Lesson (J), was very good....\n(l) Played by Mrs Stirling and F.\nRobson.\nNovember 24th. — Go to Olympic:\nWives as they tcere and Talfourd's\nJones the Avenger (0.\n(i) Adaptation from Le massacre <Vun\nInnocent by Frank Talfourd. Robson\nvery good as Jones, and J. Rogers made\na hit as Shrilly Pipes\n1857.\nJanuary 22nd. — Look in at Olym-\npic ; see Young and Handsome (0;\nvery neatly written, but not equal to\nthe former extravaganzas of Planch^.\n(i) F. Robson played Zephyr.\nMarch 26th. — See new play of\nDaddy Hardacre (0 at Olympic, an\nadaptation by Palgrave Simpson of\nLa Fille de VAvare; Robson very good.\n(i) Robson played the title role, that\nof a miser.\nJuly 2nd, — Olympic at mght;\nBrough's new burlesque of Masa-\nniello 0) first time, very good, and goes\noff briskly.\n(l) Robson in the title role, in which\nthe author had given him some of the\nmost excrutiating puns, but in which\ncharacter this great actor displayed those\ntragi-comic powers for which he was so\nnoted.\nAugust 10th, — With C. C. B. to\nOlympic, which opens under Robson's\nand Emden's management.\nAugust ! 1 th, — At night to Olym-\npic and the Lighthouse I1); delighted\nwith it; most effectively got up.\n(ii — an address written by Robert\nBrough was spoken by Mr. Robson ; and\nWilkie Collins's Lighthouse done at Ta-\nvistock Blouse two years previously by\namateurs, made up the bill with Masa-\nniello. . . . Mr. Vining spoke the origi-\nnal prologue in front of the act-drop,\nwhich was an exact reproduction of\nStanfieid's original picture representing\nthe lighthouse.\n\nDaddy Hardacre, or the father in \" The Porter's\nKnot \" ; but none but himself could at once awe and con-\nvulse in Medea and the Yellow Dwarf. These do-\nmestic dramas interested, however, as much by their\nsubject as by the excellence of his acting. Moreover, the\npublic are apt sometimes to grow weary of burlesque,\n— their eternal grimacing and word-torturing and\nnegro-singing and dancing. Themes for parody become\nexhausted, and, without long surcease, would not bear\nrepetition. You may grow puns, like tobacco, until the\nsoil is utterly worn out. The burlesque writers,\ntoo, exhibited signs of weariness and feebleness. Plan-\nche retired into the Heralds' College. The cleverest of\nthe Broughs died. His surviving brother was stupid.\nTalfourd went to the law before he found an early\ngrave. Hale went to India. The younger generation\nwere scarcely fit to write pantomimes, and it was not\nalways Christmas. Besides, Robson had become a ma-\nnager, and thought, perhaps, that weightier parts became\nhim. In co-partnership with Mr. Emdem, he had suc-\nceeded Alfred Wigan as lessee of the Olympic, and\nthere 1 hope he has realized a fortune. But whenever\nhis brief vacations occurred, and actor-like he proceeded\nto turn them into gold by devoting to performances in\ncountry-theatres those days and nights which should pro-\nperly have been given to rest and peace, he proved\nfaithful to his old loves, and Jem Baggs and Boots at\nthe Swan, Medea and the Yellow Dwarf, continued to\nbe favourite parts.\nThe popularity attained in England by this most\nremarkable of modern actors has never, since the public\nwere first aware of his qualities, decreased. Robson\nis always sure to draw. The nights of his playing,\nor of his non-playing, at the Olympic, are as sure a\ngauge of the receipts as the rising and falling of the\nmercury in the thermometer are of the variations of the\ntemperature. A month's absense of Robson from Lon-\ndon always brought about an alarming depletion in the\nOlympic treasury. Unhappily, these absenses have of\nlate years become more irequent, and more and more\nprolonged. The health of the great tragi-comedian has\ngradually failed him. 1 have been for a long period\nwithout news from him ; but I much fear that the hey-\nday of his health and strength is past. The errors which\nmade Edmund Kean, in the prime of life, a shattered"}, {"page_pdf": 33, "page_imprimee": "117", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.33", "texte": "wreck, cannot be brought home to Frederick Robson.\nRumours, the wildest and the wickedest, have been\ncirculated about him, as about every other public man;\nbut, to the best of my knowledge and belief, they are\nwholly destitute of foundation. Don Basile, in Beau-\nmarchais's play, might have added some very pregnant\nadvice to his memorable counsel, \" Calomniez, -\nniez, il en resultera toujours quelque chose \". He should\nhave taught the world — if the world wants teaching —\nhow to calumniate. The following recipe will be found\nI think, infallible. If your enemy be a man of stu-\ndious and retired habits, hint that he has gone mad ;\nif you see him alone at a theatre or at church, report\nthat he is separated from his wife; and in any case,\ndeclare that he drinks. He can't disprove it. If he\ndrinks water out-of-doors, he may drink like a fish at\nhome. If he walks straight on the street, he may reel\nin the parlour.\nThus, scores of times, the gossip-mongers of\nEnglish provincial papers — the legion of \" our own\ncorrespondents , who are a nuisance and a curse to\nreputable society, wherever that society is to be found\n— have attributed the vacillating health and the inter-\nmittent retirements from the stage of the great actor to\nan over-fondness for brandy-and-water. The sorrowful\nsecret of all this is, I apprehend, that poor Robson has\nfor years been overworking himself, — and that lat-\nterly prosperity has laid as heavy a tax upon his time\nand energy as necessity imposed upon them when he\nwas young. Dame Fortune, whether she smile, or\nwhether she frown, never ceases to be a despot. Over\nDives and over Lazarus she equally tyrannizes. In\nwealth and in poverty does she exact the pound of\nflesh or the pound of soul. There are seasons in a\nman s life when Fortune with a radiant savageness cries\nout to him, \" Confound you ! you shall make fifty thou-\nsand a year ; and she drives him onward to the goal\nquite as remorselessly as ever slave-owner drove negro\ninto a rice-ground. The whip that is made of golden\nwire hurts quite as much, I opine, as the cowhide.\nAnd when, at last, the fortunate man cries out, \" 1 am\nrich, I have enough, Sat me lusistis, ludite nunc alios,\nI will work and fret myself no more, 1 will retire on\nmy dividends, and sit me down under my own fig-tree \",\n— Fortune dismisses him with a sneer : \" Retire, if\n\nNovember 19th. —To Olympic ;\nRobson s reappearance after provincial\nengagement (0,\n(i) He resumed his old character in\nThe Lighthouse.\nDecember 26th. — Go to Olym-\npic (1).\n(i) The Doge of Duralto, or the En-\nchanted Eyes, a fairy extravaganza by\nRobert Brough, with Miss Hughes, Miss\nWyndham, Robson, G. Cooke, and H.\nWigan in the cast to be noted.\n1858.\nJune 5th. — To Olympic; see and\nwrite about for Era Tom Taylor's\nnew comedy, Going to the Badi1).\n(i) Peter Potts, F. Robson ; . . . F.\nRobson's benefit.\nJuly 3rd. — Work till night. Then\nto Drury, Don Pasauale and TVoua-\ntore; Covent Garden, Mario and\nMartha ; Her Majesty's, Somnambula;\nEmden's benefit at Olympic (0. Back\nto write all.\n(i) A Handsome Husband and Hush\nMoney. Robson, Jaspar Touchwood; and\nMrs Emden, Sally. The Wandering\nMinstrel made up the programme.\nOctober 13 th. —At night to Olym-\npic ; see Wilkie Coliins's extraordinary\ndrama of Red Vial (0.\n(i) This was a very strong melodrama.\nIn it Mrs. Stirling played the part of\nthe Widow Bergmann ; Miss Marston,\nMinna ; Walter Gordon, Karl; and Rob-\nson was great as a half-witted fellow,\nHans Grimm.\nDecember 2nd. — Go to Olympic;\nfirst night of The Porter's Knot 0) ;\na charming piece, exquisitely acted by\nRobson and the rest. 3rd. Write no-\ntice of Olympic for Era, from which\n£ 2.\n(i) The character of Sampson Burr\nwill always be associated in one's me-\nmory as one of F. Robson's greatest\nperformances.\nDecember 27th. — ,...to Olympic,\nsee Mazeppa(i).\n(i) By H. J. Byron. Mazeppa, F.\nRobson ; ... it was a piece o the wil-\ndest extravagance.\n1859.\nMay 25 th. —To town. Olympic\nand good farce, Retained for the De-\nfence.\n(i) By John Oxen ford, taken from\nVAvocat d'un Gvec. Pav. kin's, Robson.\nJuly 11th. — Go to Olympic, see\nPayable on Demand W, Tom Taylor's\nnew piece ; clever, but won't be a long\nattraction.\n(i) Leading incident the same as that\nin The Jew of Frankfurt. Action of the"}, {"page_pdf": 34, "page_imprimee": "118", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.34", "texte": "play supposed to take place in 1792, and\nin its course some twenty-three years are\nsupposed to pass away. Reuben Gold-\nsched, Robson.\nAugust 10 th. — Last night of\nOlympic season (0. Go for hour to\nRobson; hear his speech.\n(1) The programme consisted of A\nDoubtful Victory, Payable on Demand,\nand Retained for the Defence. Robson's\nspeech consisted a good deal of a run-\nning and punning commentary of the.\nvarious pieces that had been produced\nunder the joint management of himself\nand Mr. Emden.\nSeptember 24th. — Olympic (0 and\nPrincess's reopen for season.\n(1) The Olympic re-opened again,\nunder the management of Robson and\nEmden, with Payable on Demand; Re-\ntained for the Defenee ; and A Morning-\nCall taken from 11 faut qidune porte soit\nouverte ou fermee.\n1860.\nMarch 8th. —. .. to Olympic : Uncle\nZachary (0 — adaptation by Oxenford\nof old French farce.\n(i) Another version of VGncle RaP-\ntiste, played under the title of Peter and\nPaul at the Haymarket in 1842. Zachary\nClence, Robson....\nOctober 11 th. — Go to Olympic\nto see a supposed new farce by Morton,\ncalled A Regular Fix (0, but which I\nrecognize as Couche du Soleil of thirty\nyears ago.\n(r) Robson appeared as Mr. Hugh de\nBrass.\n1862.\nFebruary 21st. — To Olympic; see\ncharming piece by Graven, called\nChimney Corner (0.\n(i) Peter Probity, F. Robson.\nNovember 14th.— To Olympic;\nsee Camilla's Husband (x): a good\npiece.\n(i) This was a three-act drama by\nWatts Phillips. Dogbriar, F. Robson.\n. . . (This was the last play in which\nRobson appeared. — C. S.).\n1864.\nAugust 12th. — Hear of F. Rob-\nson's death as having occurred late last\nnight: write the memoir.\nSeptember 28th. — To Strand, and\nsee charming piece by Craven, called\nMilky White's), in which the author\npiays hero admirably.\n(i) H. T. Craven wrote the piece for\nRobson, who was to play Daniel (Milky)\nWhite, a saturnine, disagreeable, deaf\nman, who recovers his hearing suffi-\nciently to lead him to imagine that he\nhas learnt that his daughter is hoping\nfor his death, and turns her out of doors.\n\nyou like ! \" cries the implacable, \" but take hypochon-\ndria and ennui, take gout and the palsy, with you \".\nI should be infinitely rejoiced to hear, when I go\nback d, that Robson is once more a hale and valid\nman. It is the tritest of platitudes to say that he could\nill be spared by the English stage. We never can\nspare a good actor. As well can we spare a good\nbook or a good picture. But there would be much\ncause for gratulation, if Robson were spared, ere his\npowers definitely decline, to visit the United States.\nThe American people ought to see Robson. They\nhave had our tragedians, good, bad, and indifferent.\nThey have filled the pockets of William Macready and\nof Charles Kean with dollars. They have heard our\nmen-singers and our women-singers, — the birds that\ncan sing, and the birds that can't sing, but sing.\nThe most notable of our drolls, Buckstone and Keeley,\nhave been here, and have received a cordial welcome.\nBut Robson has hitherto been lacking on this side the\nAtlantic. That he would be thoroughly appreciated\nby the theatrical public of America I cannot for one\ninstant doubt. It is given to England to produce ec-\ncentrics, but for other nations to understand them better\nthan the English do. The Germans are better critics\nof the satire of Hogarth, the French of the humour of\nSterne, and the Americans of the philosophy of Shake-\nspeare, than we to whose country those illustrious be-\nlong. In Boston, in New York, in Philadelphia, crowd-\ned and enthusiastic audiences would, I venture to fore-\ntell, hang on the utterances of Robson, and expound\nto their own entire satisfaction his most eloquent by-play,\nhis subtlest gestures. It would be idle, in the endea-\nvour to give him something like a palpable aspect to\npeople who have never seen him, to compare him with\nother great actors yet extant, or who have gone before.\nIn his bursts of passion, in his vehement soliloquies, in\nthe soul-harrowing force of his simulated invective, he\nis said to resemble Edmund Kean ; but how are you\nto judge of an actor who in his comic moments cer-\ntainly approaches the image we have formed to our-\nselves of Munden and Dowton, of Bannister and Suett ?\nTo say that he is a Genius, and the Prince of Eccen-\n\n(1) Mr. Sa!a penned this sketch in America, where he is the \"Spe-\ncial Commissioner\" of the London Daily Telegraph. (Publisher's Note).\nIt was published in the 41 Atlantic Monthly Editor."}, {"page_pdf": 35, "page_imprimee": "119", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.35", "texte": "tries, is perhaps the only way to cut the Gordian knot\nof criticism in his instance.\nLet me add, in conclusion, that Robson, off the\nstage, is one of the mildest, modestest, most unassuming\nof men. Painfully nervous he always was. I remem-\nber, a dozen years since, and when I was personally\nunacquainted with him, writing in some London news-\npaper an eulogistic criticism of one of his performances.\nI learned from friends that he had read the article, and\nhad expressed himself as deeply grateful to me for it.\n1 just knew him by sight; but for months afterwards,\nif I met him in the street, he used to blush crimson,\nand made as sudden a retreat round the nearest corner\nas was possible. He said afterwards that he hadn't\nthe courage to thank me. I brought him to bay at\nlast, and came to know him very well; and then I\ndiscovered how the nervousness, the bashfulness, the\nmauvaise honte, which made him so shy and retiring\nin private, stood him in wonderful stead on the stage.\nThe nervous man became the fretful and capricious\ntyrant of mock tragedy ; the bashful man warmed at\nthe foot-lights with passion and power. The manner\nwhich in society was a drawback and a defect became\nin the pursuit of his art a charm and an excellence.\nWhat new parts may be created for Robson, and how\nhe will acquit himself in them, I cannot presume to\nprophesy ; but it is certain that he has already done\nenough to win for himself in the temple of dramatic fame\na niche all the more to be envied, as its form and pattern\nmust be, like its occupant, unprecedented and original.\n\nBIOGRAPHICAL\nNOTES\nOF SOME OF ROBSON'S\nASSOCIATES\n\nJ. R. PL ANCHE.\nJAMES ROBINSON PLANCH£ 1796-\n1880, Somerset Herald, antiquarian\nand dramatist. Born Old Burlington St.\nPiccadilly, London. Son of a watch-\nmaker who was descended from a\nHuguenot refugee.\nIn 1810 he was articled to a book-\nseller ; at an early age he developed a\ntaste for the stage, and, as an ama-\nteur, acted at the Berwick St., Pan-\neras St,, Catherine St. and Wilton\nSt. private theatres.\nAt 22 he wrote a burlesque 44 Amo-\nroso, King of Little Britain\" which\nwas produced with success at Drury\nLane April 21 1818. Many other of\nhis pieces were produced.\nIn 1823 on the revival of 44 King\nJohn \" at Drury Lane by Charles\nKemble, after making histo-\nrical researches, designed the dresses\nand superintended the production of\nthe drama gratuitously. This was the\nfirst occasion of an historical drama\nbeing brought out with dresses of the\nperiod of its action.\n1826-7 he was manager of the mu-\nsical arrangements at Vauxhall Gar-\ndens : 1830 manager of the Adelphi\nfor his friend Samuel James Arnold.\nWas associated from 1831 with Mme\nVestris and the Olympic, and later\nwith Covent Garden.\nAmong his literary works are his\n44 History of British Costume \" 1834,\nand 44 Suggestions for establishing an\nEnglish Art Theatre *'1879.\n\nGEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA.\nGEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA, 1828-\n1896, author of this account of\nRobson, was a well known journalist,\nand writer. His grandfather, Claudio\nSebastiano Sala, a citizen of Rome,\ncame to England about 1776 to aisist\n\n(I)\nJOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN.\nPUBLISHER OF SALA'S MEMOIR\no OF ROBSON. o\nTOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN, 1832-\nJ 1873). Originally named John William\nHotten, publisher, was born at 45 St.\nJohn's Square, Clerkenwell, London,\n12 Sept. 1832.\nAt the age of fourteen Hotten was\nplaced with John Petheram, bookseller,\n71 Chancery Lane, where he acquired\na taste for rare and curious books.\nIn 1848 he went with his brother to\nAmerica and stayed there some years.\nHe returned to England in 1856 and\ncommenced business as a bookseller\nand publisher in a small shop, 151 a\nPiccadilly. In 1859 he produced the\nfirst edition of his Dictionary of Modern\nSlang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (reis-\nsued 1874).\nHotten* s steady perseverance soon\nplaced him among the best-known\npublishers and he took larger premises\nat 74-5 Piccadilly. In 1866 the\npublication of Mr. A. C. Swinburne's\n44 Poems and Ballads\" excited a pru-\ndish remonstrance on the score of\nindecency, and Moxon the publisher\nwithdrew the work from circulation.\nHotten boldly offered himself as the\npoet's publisher, and issued the volume\nin dispute as well as Mr* Swinburne's\nreply to his critics.\nHotten was the first to introduce\ninto England the humorous works of\nAmerican writers, like Mr. J. R. Lowell's\n44 Biglow Papers \" (1864), Artemus\nWard, his Book.\nHe died 4 Maitland Park Villas,\nHaversiock Hill, Hampstead, June 14,\n1873 and was buried in Highgate\ncemeiary.\nHotten was the author of slight\nbiographies of Thackery, 1864 (under\nthe name of Theodore Taylor) and\nDickens (1870, 1873); the 44 History\nof Signboards \" (with Jacob Larwood)\n1867. Literary Copyrights 1871, etc. etc.\n(i) Extracts from the \" Dictionary of\nNational Biography \" and oiher sources."}, {"page_pdf": 36, "page_imprimee": "120", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.36", "texte": "his godfather Sir John Gallini in arran-\nging ballets in the King's Theatre and\nthe Hay market.\nAn elder brother of George's became\na member of Macready's Company at\nthe Princess's Theatre.\nHis mother was a singer and mu-\nsician and supported her children by\nher public work.\n\nFRANCIS TALFOURD.\nFRANCIS TALFOURD, 1828-1862.\nHis first piece \"Macbeth Travestie\"\nwas originally produced at Henley-on-\nThames during the regatta on June 1 7,\n1847, and was afterwards brought out\nat the Strand Theatre on Jan. 10,\n1848 and at the Olympic on April\n25, 1853.\nAt the Olympic he brought out\n44 Ganem, the Slave of Love \" on\nMay 31, 1852, and \" Shylock, or the\nMerchant of Venice preserved \" on\nJuly 4, 1855. In this burlesque Tho-\nmas Frederick Robson gave his very\nremarkable tragi-comic representation of\nthe Jew.\nHe died at Mentone March 9, 1862.\n\nJOHN OXENFORD.\nJOHN OXENFORD (1812-1877) was a\ndramatic author, critic and trans-\nlator.\nBorn in Camberwell, he was al-\nmost self-educated, yet made himself\nwell acquainted with German, Italian,\nFrench and Spanish literature in the\noriginals.\nHe made many translations, inclu-\nding Moliere's \" Tartuffe\", and Ecker-\nmann's 44 Conversations with Goethe \"\n(London 1850) and wrote many plays,\nsome of which were translated into\nGerman and Dutch. He also wrore\nmany librettos. He was dramatic cri-\ntic of the 44 Times \" from 1850 for\nmore than a quarter of a century.\n\nROBERT BROUGH.\nROBERT BARNABAS BROUGH, was\nborn in London April 10 th 1828.\nA burlesque on the subject of the\n44 Tempest , written in conjunction\nwith his brother William and entitled\nThe Enchanted Isle produced at\nthe Amphitheatre in Liverpool was\nthe first dramntic essay of the bro-\nthers. It was seen and approved by\nBenjamin Webster, who, 20 Novem-\nber 1848 transferred it to the Adel-\nphi. This led to the establishment of\nthe brothers Brough in London, where\nthey became constant and well-known\ncontributors to the press.\nAlone or in conjunction with his\nbrother Robert wrote a series of bur-\nlesques which were played at the Adel-\nphi, Lyceum, Olympic and other\ntheatres.\nHis best-known burlesques in con-\njunction with his brother are : 44 Ca-\nmaralzaman and Badoura \", 44 The\nSphynx \" and 44 Ivanhoe \", and of\nthose he wrote alone 44 Medea \" to\nwhich the performance of Robson gave\nmuch celebrity, 44 Masanieilo \" and\n44 the Siege of Troy\nHe died at Manchester June 26\n1860, leaving a widow and three\nchildren, two of whom went on the\nstage. Three of his brothers, William,\nJohn Cargill Brough, a writer, and\nLionel Brough the comedian, are well\nknown.\n\nJ. PALGRAVE SIMPSON.\nJOHN PALGRAVE SIMPSON 1807-\n1887, dramatist and novelist, was\nborn at Norwich June 13. He \"pro-\n44 duced in London and the provinces,\n44 upwards of sixty dramatic pieces,\n44 including comedies, melodramas, far-\n44 ces, operas, and extravaganzas\nHis 44 Daddy Hardacre \", in two acts,\nwas given at the Olympic May 26 1857.\n\nWATTS PHILLIPS.\nWATTS PHILLIPS 1825-1874,\nDramatist and designer, was\nof Irish extraction.\nHe became a pupil, it is said the\nonly pupil, of George Cruickshank.\nHe wrote the \" Dead Heart \" produ-\nced at the Adelphi Nov. 10 1859\nwith Webster, Mr. Toole, David\nFisher and Mrs Alfred Mellon in the\nprincipal parts, and revived by Sir\nHenry Irving at the Lyceum in 1889\nwhen Mr Gordon Craig made his\nfirst appearance as Arthur St. Valery.\nHis piece, 44 Camilla's Hushand \"\ngiven at the Olympic Dec. 14, 1862\nis noteworthy as the last piece in which\nRobson, who played Dogbriar, ap-\npeared.\n\nSHIRLEY BROOKS.\nCHARLES SHIRLEY BROOKS.\n(1816-74) was Editor of 44 Punch \"\nand son of William Brooks, architect.\n44 In association with John Oxenford \"\n44 writes Mr'G. A. Boase \", 44 he sup-\n44 plied to the Olympic 26th Decem-\nber 1861 an extravaganza which\n44 had the sensational heading 44 Ti-\n44 mour the Tartar, or the Iron Master\n44 of Samarkand the explanatory let-\n44 icrpress significantly stating that a\n44 trifling lapse between the year 136!\n44 and the year 1861 occasionally oc-\ntt »»\n• curs .\n\nHENRY MAYHEW\nHENRY MAYHEW, 1812-1887.\nAuthor, son of a London at-\ntorney, Educated at Westminster. He\nbegan his career as a dramatist with\n44 The Wandering Minstrel \" at the\nRoyal Fitzroy Theatre, 16 January\n1834, a one-act farce in which was\nintroduced the well-known cockney\nsong 44 Villikins and his Dinah\nHe wrote many other plays.\nIn December 1847 his 41 Plum Pud-\nding Pantomime \" wa3 brought out at\nthe Olympic.\n\nCHARLES DANCE\nCHARLES DANCE, 1794-1863.\nAlone or in collaboration with\nJ. R. Planche or ethers he wrote many\npieces, chiefly of the lightest descrip-\ntion, which were produced at the\nOlympic theatre or other theatres.\n\nWILLIAM FARREN\nWILLIAM FARREN, 1786-1861.\nActor. Born in London May 13.\nHis father had been a tradesman who\nthen became an actcr of some reputa-\ntion chiefly in tragedy.\nAmple details may be found in the\nDictionary of National Biography.\n\nHENRY COMPTON\nHENRY, COMPTON, 1805-1877.\nComedian, whose real name was\nCharies Mackenzie.\nIn 1847 he was at the Olympic\nwhere he remained three years. When\nit was burnt he migrated to the Strand.\n\nWILKIE COLLINS\nWILLIAM WILKIE. COLLINS, 1824-\n1889. Novelist and playwright.\n\nTOM TAYLOR\nTOM TAYLOR. Born October 19,\n1817, died 1$80. Dramatist and\nedi{. or of 44 Punch . he was fond of\ntheatrical life in all its aspects, and was\na devoted friend of the Terry family."}, {"page_pdf": 37, "page_imprimee": "121", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.37", "texte": "FROM A PARLAMENTARY\nREPORT 1866.\nWITH REFERENCES TO FREDERICK ROBSON.\n\n| N 1866 Mr. Benjamin Webster, Mr. Buck-\n£ stone, Mr. Dion Boucicault, Mr. Wigan\nand Mr. Holingshead, all famous theatre ma-\nnagers or journalists of the time, appeared\nbefore a Select Committee in the House of\nCommons to testify for or against certain\nproposed reforms. In the course of the\nexamination Mr. Robson's name came to be\nmentioned several times.\nWhat was said serves towards a clearer\nunderstanding of his career and is worth\nreprinting. It is to our knowledge the first\ntime that it has been printed since the\nexamination yielded its report in 1866.\nThe Committee consisted of:\nLord Ernest Bruce . . Mr Locke\nSir Arthur Buller . . Mr O'Beirne\nLord Eustace Cecil. . Mr PotOell\nMr Clive Mr Selwin\nMr Du Cane. . . . Colonel Sturt\nMr Goschen .... Mr Walpole\nWITH THE RIGHT HONOURABLE\nGEORGE JOACHIM GOSCHEN, IN\nTHE CHAIR.\nApr. 27th 1866.\nBENJAMIN WEBSTER, ESQ «> called;\n2892. Chairman.) You are Lessee of the\nAdelphi Theatre, are you not? — No;\nsole proprietor and manager ....\n2980. Do you recollect the late Mr Robson?\n— Yes.\n2981. Where did he commence his career?\n— i have heard that Mr Robson commen-\nced his career at the Grecian; then he went\nto Dublin to refine himself, and he became\nan actor.\n2982. Was he not an actor at the Grecian?\n— Not a great actor; he learned his pro-\nfession more when he went to Dublin.\n2983. But still his success had gone to that\nextent at the Grecian that he obtained an\nengagement in Dublin? — Yes, at a small\nsalary; not more, I believe, than he had\nat the Grecian.\n2984. But did he not learn to act at the\nGrecian, in the first instance? — I do not\nknow. The first knowledge that I had of\nhim was at the Grecian, but I should think\nthat he had acted before.\n2985. How long was heat the Grecian? —\nI do not know, but I should think that he\nhad acted before he went there.\n2986. But he was there for a considerable\ntime, was he not? — I am told so.\n2987. And then he went to Dublin? — Yes.\n2988. And then he became one of the most\nsuccessful actors who ever appeared on\nthe stage? — Yes; he was seen by the\nlate Mr Farren, who engaged him for the\nOlympic.\n2989. Probably if Mr barren had taken the\ntrouble to go to the Grecian he would\nhave taken him from there? — I cannot\nspeak upon probabilities.\n2990. We can, at all events, in a great\nmeasure attribute the enjoyment which we\nhave obtained from the acting of Mr Robson\nto his having been an actor at the Grecian?\n— All actors have commenced in a humble\nway. I began in a barn, and Elliston and\nKemble did the same; in fact Elliston looked\non barns as the hot-beds of genius.\n2991. You would not give the Music halls\nthe chance of being the hot-beds of ge-\nnius? — I think talent there would retro-\ngrade ; but a barn is another thing; the\ngentlemen and the ladies of the neigh-\nbourhood patronise them.\n2992. Do not ladies and gentlemen go to\nmusic halls? — I should not term them\nso; I think they are very doubtful people....\nand so on.\nJOHN BALDWIN BUCKSTONE/2'\nESQ, CALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nApr. 27th. 1866.\n3361. Mr Locke.) You are proprietor, I\nbelieve, of the Haymarket Theatre? — I\nam lessee.\n\n(l) 1797-1882.\n(2) I8O2-I879«"}, {"page_pdf": 38, "page_imprimee": "122", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.38", "texte": "3362. And manager? — Yes.\n3363. Have you been so for a great many\nyears ? — This is my fourteenth year\n3428. You knew the late Mr Robson, 1\nsuppose? — Yes.\n3429. He performed at the Grecian, did he\nnot? — I never saw him there, but I be-\nlieve he did.\n3430. He performed at the Grecian for a\ngood many years ? — That was 15 or 16\nyears ago, I think.\n3431. Mr Webster has stated that at the\nGrecian Theatre, at the time Mr Robson\nperformed there, there were no refresh-\nments supplied in the auditorium? — I be-\nlieve there was a sort of bench where you\ncould put your glass. Mr Rouse was the\nproprietor. ♦ . . .\n3436. Can you say how long Mr Robson\nperformed there during the time that they\nhad those refreshments in a similar way to\nthe music halls? — My impression is that\nit was not very long; perhaps a couple of\nyears. Mr Robson went from there to the\nDublin Theatre Royal, where he improved\nin his profession and where the elder\nMr William Farren engaged him for the\nOlympic when Mr Farren was Lessee.\n3437. But, however, he commenced his\ncareer at the Grecian Saloon? — He com-\nmenced his career at the Grecian Saloon\nand various other little places.\n3438. Places of that description? — Yes;\nplaces of that description.\n1439. At all events that did not prevent him\nfrom being a very eminent actor ? — Yes;\nbut that was an exception.\n3440. But exceptions prove the rule some-\ntimes? — No; this exception proves that\nthere cannot be any rule.\n3441. There being no rule, why not let\npeople do as they like ? — Not to the degra-\ndation of the drama; why should they do so?\n3442. But Mr Robson went there, and he\ndid not degrade the drama? — But you\nmust understand that he did not obtain\nthis reputation at the Grecian; he was\nobliged to leave and go to a theatre, and\nat that theatre he earned a reputation which\nbrought him to London.\n3443. Now at those theatres in Dublin they\nsmoke, do they not? — No.\n3444. At some of them they smoke? — Not\nat the Theatre Royal.\n3445. They are rather noisy there, are they\nnot? At the Theatre Royal I never found\nthem so, and I was there three weeks last\nautumn. I had a very aristocratic audience\nevery night, and there was no disturbance.\n3446. What is the name of the other theatre\nin Dublin? — There Is a minor Theatre\ncalled The Queens.\n3447. Do they smoke there? — I never went\nthere except once, about seven or eight\nyears ago.\n3448. Was the Theatre Royal the only\nplace where Mr Robson went? No he\nwent to the Queen's Theatre after he had\nmade his reputation in London,\nDION BOUCICAULT, ESQ./3)\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nApr. 30th. 1866.\n4023. Mr I believe that at present\nyou are not manager of any theatre? — I\nam not at present manager of any theatre.\n4024. What theatres have you been manager\nof in London? — I have been manager of\nDrury Lane for a short period, and of the\nAdelphi in connection with Mr Webster,\nand I have also shared the profits in other\ntheatres without being titular manager, in\nconsequence of my always charging in that\nway for my pieces; I receive one half of the\nnet profits.\n4025. Chairman) As an author, I presume?\n- Yes, as an author.\n4026. Mr Lock&) You are a dramatic\nauthor? — Yes\n4239. Do you recollect Mr Robson coming\nout of the \" Grecian \"? — Yes.\n4240. Did he come out there originally? —\nYes he was a waiter there.\n4241. He performed there did he not? —\nHe learned his art there.\n4242. It is not correct to say he learned his\nart in Dublin is it ? — He did not; he\nwas a great actor before he went there; I\nrecommended Mr Charles Kean to take\nhim before he went there, or certainly\nduring his first season.\n4243. Can you mention the name of any other\nactor who commenced his career in the \" Gre-\ncian \"or a similar place?— No, I cannot*\n\n(3) lS20 (?) - 189O."}, {"page_pdf": 39, "page_imprimee": "123", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.39", "texte": "HORACE WIGAN, ESQ.\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nMay. 4th. 1866.\n4564. Chairman) You are manager of the\nOlympic Theatre, I believe? — Yes.\n4565. And a dramatic author? — Yes.\n4566. Have you written many pieces? — I\nhave had about a dozen successful pieces\nproduced in London.\n4567. Has the Censorship of the Lord\nChamberlain given you any trouble? —\nNone whatever.\n4568. Have you had any passages in your\nplays changed or modified? — No.\n4569. Do you think that the censorship acts\nin the way of hindering the efforts of dra-\nmatic authors? — No; on the contrary, I\nthink it is extremely beneficial. Etc: . . . .\n4694. At the Eagle Tavern is where Mr\nRobson came out, is it not? — No, it\nis a mistake to say that he came out\nthere.\n4695. Where did he come out ? — He was\na very experienced actor before he went\nthere. The Eagle was not a saloon when\nhe acted there; the first license for that\nsaloon was in November 1843, and Mr\nRobson did not appear there until 1844.\nI can give a list of the places that he\nplayed at. The first place that he acted\nat was a minor Theatre in Catherine-\nstreet, Strand; the second was the Bower;\nhe was then in the Kent circuit, the Bedford\ncircuit, the Oxford circuit, the St. Alban's\ncircuit, Jackman's Company, Tonbridge\nWells, Chester's Company, Rogers's Com-\npany, the Standard Theatre, and the Gre-\ncian Saloon. Then he went to Dublin to\nthe Queen's Theatre, and then to the\nRoyal Theatre; then he came to Mr Far-\nren, and then to me. I was very intimate\nwith him. He was never a waiter; it is\nquite a mistake to say that he was ; he\nwas an engraver's apprentice in Bedford-\nCourt, Covent Garden, and he used to go\nto that minor theatre which I have referred\nto in Catherine-street, Strand.\n4696. He went to the Grecian, and likewise\nto the Bower? — Yes when they were\ntheatres; at least the Grecian was a\ntheatre.\n4697. There was smoking, eating and drink-\ning going on, was there not? — No, not\nwhen he was there.\n4698. Not at the Eagle? — No. The first\nlicense was in November 1843; the tables\nhad been removed in 1844. The tables\nhad been put outside the theatre.\n4699. The tables were round about outside?\n— Yes, formerly there was a slab to put\nthe glass on, and that was carried out.\nMr Robson was not the production of\nmusic halls at all; he was a regularly\neducated actor, who had to go through all\nthe misery of the early part of an actor's\ncareer.\nH. J. TURNER, ESQ.,\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nMay. 7 th. 1866.\n5044. Chairman.) You are a Theatrical\nAgent are you not? — I am.\n5045. Can you tell the Committee what\nbusiness that involves? — Receiving from\nmanagers their instructions with regard to\nwhat actors or actresses they require, and\nfurnishing them with them.\n5046. The managers let you know what\nkind of actors and actresses they require?\n— They do.\n5047. You act between the two? — Yes. . . .\n5072. It is considered infra dig. for an\nactor to go to a music hall ? — Certainly;\nthe theatres are never recruited from music\nhalls.\n5073. It has been stated that Mr Robson\ncame from the Grecian Saloon? — The\nGrecian Saloon was a theatre at the time\nMr Robson was there.\n5074. You know of no other cases? — No;\nbut Mr Robsons's is scarcely a case in\npoint.\nJOHN HOLLINGSHEAD, ESQ.,(5>\nCALLED IN; AND EXAMINED.\nMay 7th 1866.\n5214. Mr Locke) What are you by profes-\nsion? — I am an Author and Journalist,\nand a member of the Dramatic Authors'\nSociety\n5300. Now with regard to actors who have\n\n(4) l8l8 (?) • I885.\n(5) 1827-1904."}, {"page_pdf": 40, "page_imprimee": "124", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.40", "texte": "come out at music halls; do you know\nany actors who have commenced their\ncareer at a music hall ? — It is difficult to\nsay where an actor has commenced his\ncareer; he may have performed in a tent\nor a barn, which some people think is\nmore elevating than a music hall. I re-\nmember Mr Robson's appearance at the\nGrecian; I lived in the neighbourhood\nand went there frequently; 1 make no\nmistake about the Grecian Saloon, what 1\ncall the Saloon; it is a building which\nwas no Theatre, but a music hall in 1844,\nwhen Mr Robson went there, and it did\nnot cease to be a music hall until 1848;\nthat is in evidence before the Committee\nby the Lord Chamberlain's statement: and\nduring those four years Mr Robson perfor-\nmed in an atmosphere of tobacco smoke ;\nand before audiences who sat before ledges\nin front of each seat (there was no table)\non which the drink was placed. He per-\nformed most of the familiar characters that\nmade him popular at the Olympic, and\nsang nearly all the comic songs which\nmade the fortune of that house; it was to\nall intents and purposes, a music hall.\nMiss Carlotta Leclercq, and Miss Stevens\n(now at the Olympic, I think), and Mr\nFlexmore were there; and I believe that\nMr Sims Reeves was in the chorus.\n5301. Among the smoke? — Yes; the per-\nformances were very perfect, and of a\nrefined character; I was young at the time;\nthey had little cperas and burlettas; it was\nnot much like a theatre, it was more of a\nsuburban comic opera house; people went\nthere from all parts of the town. A piece\nof Mr Shirley Brooks was put on the stage\nthere, which Mr Keeley had made a hit\nin at the Lyceum Theatre; they went\ndown there to see it, and their impression\nwas that Mr Robson was better in it than\nMr Keeley, and that it was better per-\nformed. I think it had been withdrawn\nat the Lyceum.\n5302. But Mr Keeley had done it at the\nLyceum previously to Mr Robson doing\nit at the Grecian? — Yes: I do not know\nwhether the fact is of much value, but it\nis a fact; I am speaking from my own\nknowledge.\n5303. The Grecian was to all intents and\npurposes a music hall, was it? — Yes, I\nsaw Mr Robson about three times a-week\nduring the whole of those four j'ears, when\nit was essentially a music hall: it was\ncalled a saloon, but with all the conditions -\nof smoking, eating, and drinking in the\nauditorium.\n5304. And at that time many persons pre- -\nferred Mr Robson's performance to Mr\nKeeley's, in the same character? — Yes.\n5305. That was before Mr Robson went\nto Dublin? — Yes, before he went to\nDublin.\n5356. 1 hen it cannot be correct to say that\nhe never learned to be a good actor until\nhe went to Dublin? — I know that at a\ntheatre people cannot smoke; but I should\nhardly say the audience at the Queen's\nTheatre in Dublin was of the quietest.'\nThe lowest price at the Grecian was 6\nand the lowest price at the Queen's was\n3d. There was no smoking, eating, and\ndrinking at the Queen's but the audience\nwas rather a rough Irish audience.\n5387. You saw Mr Robson full of art before\nhe went to Dublin? — Yes, full of art at\nthe Grecian.\n\nA SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIRCKI."}, {"page_pdf": 41, "page_imprimee": "125", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.41", "texte": "FREDERICK ROBSON.\nReproduced from,the Reminiscences of J. L. Toole published by Messrs Hurst & Blackett."}, {"page_pdf": 43, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.43", "texte": "IN BOOTS AT THE INN.\n\nAS DADDY HARDACRE.\nROBSON IN TWO OF HIS ROLES.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928\n\nPlate 17."}, {"page_pdf": 45, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.45", "texte": "ELLEN TERRY WITH MARION TERRY HER SISTER,\nin 1911, seated in the old school desk (a little wooden affair with wooden seat\nand with two flap-lids for sloping writing places) made for her children\nEdith and Edward.\nA Note on the back of the picture in Ellen Terry's handwriting reads:\n\"For my book but it never appeared in her book. The print is excessively\nrare, not reproduced befor e and by no means a clear print; but very pretty\nof both sisters.\nPlate 18.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928"}, {"page_pdf": 47, "page_imprimee": "127", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.47", "texte": "STAGE DESIGNS\nIN LONDON,\nTHE EXHIBITION OF\nGORDON CRAIG'S\nDESIGN'S FOR IBSEN'S\n\"PRETENDERS\".\n\nSIR GERALD DU MAURIER\nO OPENS THE EXHIBITION. O\nAn Exhibition of Stage Designs by Gordon\nCraig for \" The Pretenders \" by Ibsen,\nas produced at the State Theatre, Copenhagen,\nNovember 17th 1926, with Etchings and other\nDrawings, was opened at the St. George's\nGalleries, Hanover Square, London on June\n26th by Sir Gerald Du Maurier who spoke\nwith considerable force and grace on the\ncondition of the English Stage.\nSir Gerald said in part: —\n\" In my opinion the literal art of the\ntheatre no longer exists on the London stage \".\nAfter humbly dismissing himself from con-\nsideration as no more than a \" dinner-jacket\ncomedian \", Sir Gerald continued :\n\" When Craig came to me the other day\nand said \" Let us get together \", I almost\nblushed, as I know the modern conditions\nand commercial demands of the stage. You\ncannot get a theatre under £ 500 a week; a\nyoung actor after quite moderate success im-\nmediately asks for £60 a week. When I\nfirst went on the stage playing and understudying\nleading parts I was given £ 2 a week in the\nprovinces, and £ 8 a week in America.\n\" What Craig wants me to do, and what\nall of us should do, is to get a big theatre\nwhere he can produce plays and show his\ngenius. But who is to do this, and where\nis the money to come from? The State will\nnot help us, and it has to be done by some\nmillionaire who loves and understands the\ntheatre, and it is to be hoped that all of us\nhere gathered before these scenes will soon\nmeet this man \".\n\" There could hardly be a more striking\ninstance, continued Sir Gerald, than Mr. Craig\nof the truth of the saying that a prophet is\nnot without honour except among his own\npeople. Sir Gerald enlarged upon the fact\nthat in England, and in England alone of all\nthe countries which have claims to count,\nartistically speaking, Craig is recognised at\nfar less than his true value. In Moscow, in\nFlorence (and, indeed, all over Italy), and\nin Germany, his name is a household word.\n\" It was forty years ago when I first saw\nhim \", said Sir Gerald. \"He was then\nplaying with his mother, Ellen Terry, and he\nwas taking the part of a young man on his\nway to the scaffold. She tickled him under\nthe arm, and he roared with laughter, so much\nthat the audience said \" Sh! \". (I-\n\nAT THE ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION.\nTHE collection of drawings later passed\nfrom the St. George's Gallery and were\nhung in one of the lovely Adams rooms at\nthe Architectural Association in Bedford\nSquare.\nThe Exhibition was visited by some\nthousands of visitors.\nThe Catalogue contained a Foreword by\nMr. Ashley Dukes, which is printed below.\n\nPREFACE TO THE CATALOGUE\nBY ASHLEY DUKES.\nEDWARD Gordon Craig is an actor, a man\nof the theatre, and a dramatic artist.\nEdward Gordon Craig is also the founder of\n\" The Mask\" and writer of books on the\nart of the theatre. These two Edward\nGordon Craigs, who are one and the same,\nare surely enough to go on with. Who would\nsuppose that there is a third Edward Gordon\nCraig, a would-be producer of plays, who\nhates actors like the devil and whose sole\nambition is to bury them under stacks of stage\nscenery, mountain-high, designed and painted\nby himself at a cost so outrageous that Mr.\nShubert himself could not afford to engage\n\n(i) We reprint this report of Sir Gerald's speech from\nthe \" Daily Telegraph\" of June 27th, from which we also\nreprint Mr. H. M. Walbrock's Notes upon the Designs exhi-\nbited."}, {"page_pdf": 48, "page_imprimee": "128", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.48", "texte": "his services, and under artistic conditions so\nextravagant that no one can possibly work\nwith him? Yet the legend of this third\nEdward Gordon Craig was invented at least\ntwenty years ago, and it has been industriously\nkept alive by people who cannot understand\nthe other two, or prefer not to understand\nthem.\nYou would suppose that by this time\nthe dramatic critics, at least, would have\nfound out the truth about this legend. But\nthe dramatic critics see so many plays that\nthey have no time left even for reading books\nabout the theatre (I know this, for I was\nfifteen years a dramatic critic), and also they\nhave had no recent opportunity of judging Mr.\nCraig's work as a dramatic artist, his pro-\nductions having been made in other coun-\ntries and not in England. So the dramatic\ncritics are hardly to be blamed if they accept\nthe legend of the third Mr. Craig as one of\nthe conventions of their trade.\nMeanwhile, the first and second Edward\nGordon Craigs have been going quietly about\ntheir business as artists and writers and thin-\nkers for the theatre. 1 do not mean by\n\" thinkers \" people v/ho argue about sex or\nreligion or politics on the stage in the guise\nof playwrights, but people who examine the\nfoundations of dramatic performance — who\nperceive, for example, that dramatic literature\ndoes not include the whole of drama, and\nthat the presentation of a play should not be\nregarded as a sort of accretion to the literary\nwork. Such people are especially needed at\nthe present time, when the intellectual theatre\nis perishing of its own superfluity of ideas,\nand theatrical art enjoys some hope of resto-\nration.\nOne of the two Mr. Craigs, who has\nproduced plays by Ibsen as well as plays by\nShakespeare, was lately invited to make a\ntheatrical production. Ibsen's \" The Preten-\nders \", which had been first performed at\nChristiania in 1864, was seen at the Royal\nTheatre, Copenhagen in 1871, when the\ntragic actor, Emil Poulsen, distinguished\nhimself in the part of Bishop Nicholas. In\n1926 the sons of Emil Poulsen, Adam and\nJohannes, resolved to celebrate the twenty-\nfifth anniversary of their own work on the\nDanish stage by a gala performance of the\nsame play. The directors of the State Thea-\ntre invited Mr. Craig to direct successfully\nthe new production, and the designs now\nshown in London were realised on that stage\n(November 17th, 1926). They represent in\ntheir present form the practical accompani-\nment of thirty days' rehearsals, carried on\nwhile the ordinary routine of the State Re-\npertory Theatre was in progress. An\naddress was presented by the artists of the\ntheatre to their visitor in these charming\nterms:\nThe artists of the Royal Danish Theatre\nwho under your leadership have performed\n\" The Pretenders hy Henrik Ihsen, hereby\nwish to salute you as their master and to\nthank y°u f°r the enrichment wh'ch your\nmind and imagination have brought to the\ncommon task of dramatic performance on this\noccasion. In Stanislavsky s Words, We trust\nthat you may have perseverance to fulfil your\nmission of beauty.\nThe Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen.\nNovember, 1926.\n€J The etchings shown in the present\nexhibition are dedicated \"To Old Bach\"\nby way of emphasising the idea in which\nthey originated. They represent Mr. Craig's\nbelief that when the patrons of the theatre\nare willing, the artists of the theatre will be\nable to create a medium of their own — an\nart which will be to vision what music is to\nsound.\nPerhaps it is now plain that there is only\none Edward Gordon Craig.\n\nNOTES ON THE DESIGNS\nBY H. M. WALBROOK.\nMR. Edward Gordon Craig has come to\nLondon, bringing his sheaves with him.\nIn other words, his designs for the decoration\nof the recent revival of Ibsen's tragedy,\n\" The Pretenders \", at the famous old Royal\nTheatre, Copenhagen — the theatre of the\ngreat Ludwig von Holberg of long ago —\nare now on view at the St. George's Gallery,\nHanover Square, where every student of\ntheatrical decorative art should make a point\nof seeing them.\n\" The Pretenders \"is a very long and\nvery grand tragedy. Henry Irving once had\nserious thoughts of producing it and playing\nthe part of the doomed Duke Skule. Had"}, {"page_pdf": 49, "page_imprimee": "129", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.49", "texte": "he done so he would probably have given\none of the grandest of his performances, and\nthe play would have become as familiar\n-in England as \"The Master Builder\". As\nit happened, however, its only production in\nthis country took place in the Haymarket in\nFebruary 1913, when, in spite of some me-\nmorable acting by Mr. William Haviland in\nthe part of the diabolical old Bishop Nicholas,\nan intellectual impersonation by Mr. Laurence\nIrving as the Duke Skule, and a very tender\nand poetical Margrete by Miss Netta West-\ncott, the play had only a short run. Now\nthat I have seen Mr. Gordon Craig's designs\nfor its decoration, and also listened to his\nimpressions of the acting of Johannes Poulsen,\nand the rest of the Copenhagen cast, I can\nonly groan at having missed this Danish pro-\nduction.\nMr. Craig's pictures, as they hang in their\nframes on the gallery walls, are of the sort\nthat the playgoer should delight in. Needless\nto say, his vision of the thirteenth-century\nsaga is a poet's as well as a painter's.\nSoaring towers and lofty chambers, sweeping\nprocessions, spears and banners, splashes of\nsplendid- colour, figures ghostly and ghastly as\nwell as heroic, battle, murder, and stormy\nskies — in short, every element in Ibsen's\ncolossal tragedy — are presented.\nThere is, of course, far more in these\ndesigns than their poetry and drama — and\nhere, like Agag, I shall have to tread deli-\ncately, for it is an element in such work that\nI can only dimly apprehend, though I think\nI realise its importance. It is a technical, a\n- scientific something — the touch, shall I say,\nof the mathematician, the engineer. Again and\nagain the visitor finds himself in the presence\nof a problem; and here, as on the aesthetic\nside, the exhibition will cast its spell. It is, of\ncourse, an old story that brain, equally with\nbeauty figures in all Mr. Gordon Craig's work\nfor the theatre; and it is that combination on a\nhigh level that has ensured him his renown\non the Continent. It is easy to realise as\none looks at these designs, with their mea-\nsurements and their pencilled notes, how\n.complete must have been their effect on the\nstage, not of grandeur only, but of simplicity;\nand surely that is the crowning touch in all\nsuch work.\nIt is strange indeed that we see so little\nof this artist's work in the London theatre.\nMr. Dukes makes a subtle reference to\nthis in his introduction. He quotes, with\ndue irony, a weird legend to the effect that\nto engage Mr. Gordon Craig as a producer\nis to risk an expenditure of millions! Wri-\nting with some knowledge of such legends, I\nshould say that probably this is the silliest\nthat ever emerged from the mind of man.\nThere is not a hint of any sort of extrava-\ngance in these designs; and, grand as it was,\n1 feel sure that the Copenhagen production\n- . L O I\nof \" The Pretenders \" did not cost a quarter\nas much as many a London production of\ninfinitely less moment has cost during the\npast ten years. After all, it is not, as a\nrule, brain that brings about bankruptcy, but\nthe lack of it; and, like most real poets, Mr.\nGordon Craig, 1 venture to surmise, is also\none of the most practical of men. Let Lon-\ndon's Theatres \"see to it!\"\n\nA FORTHCOMING VOLUME.\nTHE Oxford University Press is at work\non a volume by Mr. Craig entitled \"A\nProduction \", and this will contain facsimiles\nof the designs for \" The Pretenders\" in\nblack and white and in colour.\n\nA SILHOUETTE BY DANIEL CHODOWIECKI."}, {"page_pdf": 50, "page_imprimee": "130", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.50", "texte": "A LOST COLLABORATION\nBY GORDON CRAIG.\nONE hundred years ago on November 8 th\nnext died Thomas Bewick, that most\ndelightful English craftsman who engraved\nso well that if only he had allied himself to\nthe artist-engraver William Blake — there I\npause, not knowing what more to say.\n\" And why these two ? \" you ask ? —\n\" and why together ? — and why not each\non his own ? \"\nWell , as they were born almost in the\nsame year and died one year after each other,\nand were forgotten for a century and never\nbecame the fashion and made too little to live\nwell on and apparently had to drudge like\ndray horses in order to get a living, possibly\nhad they joined partnership the machine would\nhave gone along easier for both.\nBlake's\n14 A Robin redbreast in a cage\nPuts all Heaven in a rage \"\nwith Bewick's \" The Redbreast \" which mea-\nsures only 2 X 3 1/16 inches — what could\ngo better together ?\nBlake could engrave a bit on wood but\nengraved very little on wood — and wood,\nif a harder medium than Blake's pewter and\nacid, does prove much easier to print; and\nif Bewick had only shared the labour of the\ncraft with Blake we should all of us have\noriginal copies of Blake today and there would\nbe none of this £ 3050 for a copy of Blake's\n\" Visions \" just because of their tragic rarity.\nBewick showed himself able, for \" The\nChillingham Wild Bull \" engraved in 1789\nwas done as Blake's \" Songs of Innocence \"\nwere coming out of the press.\nIt is a mighty good wood engraving, that\nBull; but the whole thing lacks Blake's gui-\ndance. Bewick with Blake would have shown\nEurope something so well worth showing\nthat I am surprised that the Fates didn't help\nthe matter on.\nBut I am even more surprised that people-\nin England do not bring such men together\nmore often than they do.\nIn 1767 Bewick was apprenticed to Ralph\nBeilby of Newcastle, and the very same year\nBlake began to study art at Par's Drawing\nSchool in the Strand ; four years later he was\napprenticed to the engraver Basire.\nWhat a waste of time for Blake when\nBewick was pegging away at the craft — and\nwas the very man born to serve Blake's genius.\nFor no one can accuse old Bewick of\npossessing genius — and no one can praise\nBlake as sufficiently a master of the wood-\nengraver's technique. I think most will agree\nthat some of his pupils —or disciples were they—?\nbeat him easily in technical powers.\nIn 1 776 Blake was just finishing his \" Poe-\ntical Sketches \" begun in 1769 — in fact\neither wasting time that he might have given\nto engraving or wantonly gambling on a ter-\nrible risk with two strings to his bow, belie-\nving that two strings were better than one.\nBewick could have saved a calamity had\nhe popped in one day during his year's trial\nin London at No. 28 Broad St. Carnaby\nMarket, Golden Square and found Blake at\nhome, or gone to see him and his work at\nBasire's shop in Great Queen St., Lincoln's\nInn Fields.\nAnd didn't he go there ? — and didn't\nhe come face to face with Blake — and fail\nto recognize something ? \" He recognized\nLondon's attractions \" wrote the excellent de- -\nsigner and engraver Mr. Selwyn Image (1)\n\" and its advantages, yet essentially the place\nand its life were abhorrent to him ''.\nI longed to see Tyneside again\" he\nwrote himself of this London visit; and in\n1777, midsummer, he sailed from the Thames\nback to Newcastle.\nIt was this going back which is so cha-\nracteristic of Bewick: it is the everlasting\ngoing on which characterizes Blake.\nNot till he was two-and-thirty did Bewick\nmarry Miss Elliot of Ovingham ; before twenty- ,\nsix did Blake dash in and marry his Catherine.\nBut it was something exceptional which\n\n(i) It is from his very interesting essay in 44 The Print\nCollector's Quarterly \" for 1925 that I get my information about\nBewick."}, {"page_pdf": 51, "page_imprimee": "131", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.51", "texte": "delayed Bewick and hastened Blake ; the for-\nmer had long made up his mind, he writes,\n\" not to marry whilst my father and mother\nlived, in order that my undivided attention\nmight be bestowed on them and only when\nthey died did he marry.\nBlake's genius carried him away.\nYes, it is a pity that these two extremes,\nalike in much, never worked together.\nIn 1790 Bewick designed, engraved and\npublished his \" The Quadrupeds ;it passed\nquickly into three editions.\nIn the same year (1790) Blake designed,\nwrote, engraved, printed and coloured by hand\nhis \" Marriage of Heaven and Hell \".\nIn 1797 Bewick did his \" The Birds \",\nBlake his \" The Four Zoas \". Why, it's like\ntwo bells ringing in the sea at different points,\nboth warning of peril.\nBewick was by now — 1797 — beco-\nming something of a success; Blake was in\n1797 \"suffering from lack of employment as\nengraver \". (0\nBut now in 1928 it is Blake who is held\nas a great master and Bewick as a little master.\nThe first is still thought of as not quite sane:\nthe second is obviously utterly sane.\nFor my part I would see many more\npeople in England working together: for we\nEnglish are curiously eccentric in our compo-\nsition : this I have learned to understand better\nafter many years spent in Italy. We are made\nup of queer contraries.\nThis bit of our nature makes us extreme-\nly able : that bit renders us utterly futile:\nhere we shine, there we merely smoke. Thus,\nunless we are equipt at all points, we do not\nsucceed in our art or our work; — and very\nfew in England are so equipt.\nAnd so it comes about that cooperation,\ncollaboration and firm friendships in work are\nmost desirable for us English artists : and it\nwould even render England herself stronger.\nImagine for a moment Shakespeare without\nBurbage ! I wager his plays would not have\nbeen written without him, and I believe that\nit is due to the presence of Burbage with a\ntheatre on his hands that Shakespeare became\nShakespeare.\nGilbert and Sullivan is another collabo-\nration productive of great things for England.\n- Dryden and Purcell; Ben Jonson and Inigo\nJones; And it is essential that one of the\npartners shall be the man of genius and that\nhis collaborator shall be the compliment to\nhim, filling up what needs completing without\nany talk, with perfect understanding.\n\" Love and justice are compliments each\nof the other \" is the example given us in our\nOxford Dictionary.\nThe Germans who are in some ways almost\nas eccentric as the English, have discovered\nhow to work together so that even a Goethe\nand a Schiller could do this ; and the Brothers\nReinhardt and the artists around them show\na useful collaboration to effectual, if not the\ngreatest, ends.\n\n(i) John Sampson. Oxford Press.\n\nTHEATRICAL ACTION.\nMRS. OLDFIELD CANNOT CALL IT AN ART.\nMemoirs of the Life of Mrs Oldfield; by\nWilliam Egerton. 1731.\n\nTHEATRICAL Action is to be esteemed as a liberal\nAccomplishment, except it be objected, that we can-\nnot call that an Art which cannot be attained by Art.\nVoice, Nature, Motion, and other Gifts, must be very\nbountifully bestowed by Nature, or Labour and Industry\nwill but push the unhappy Endeavourer, in that way, the\nfarther off his Wishes\n\nA SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI."}, {"page_pdf": 52, "page_imprimee": "132", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.52", "texte": "AN ACTOR'S\nPETITION.\nTRANSLATED FROM THE\nORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT\nREPRODUCED IN PLATE 19.\n\nTo the most Illustrious and Most Excellent\nPrince.\nThe Company of the Comici Confidenti\nhaving recently been at and,\namong them, ihe most faithful servant of your\nExcellency Battista Vanda Bimino, who\nacts the part of the Zanni which is an essential\none in the commedia, it happened that the\npolice of the illustrious Signor Podesta (I) of\nCremona came to the playhouse to arrest\ncertain people suspected of being thievesand\nthere was a boy there of twelve years old,\nwho, seeing the police, ran up into a garret\nof the said house where he concealed himself..\nThen, when the police were gone, he asked\nthe suppliant to help him to come down from\nthe said garret, and thus the said Suppliant\nhelped himt and in this way he got down into the\nstreet, and immediately the said boy ran away.\nFor this reason the suppliant was forced\nto give himself up in Cremona, where he was\nexamined and then released on bail.\nAfter this, the Suppliant being with his\nCompany at Pavia, his surety, being molested\nat Cremona on account of being bound to de-\nliver up the Suppliant, this Surety had the\naforesaid Suppliant seized afresh in Pavia ;\nbut he was again immediately set at liberty,\nhaving first supplied another surety to the same\neffect as in the said Pavia.\nThus the Suppliant, being here with his\nCompany, was with them summoned by his\nHighness the most illustrious lord Don Giovanni\nto provide some amusement and diversion as\nthey were wont; and to render this service\nthey departed for Milano where we now are\nfor that purpose: and the Suppliant, fearing\nto be further molested on the aforesaid charge,\nand being innocent in the matter, and having\nalready been examined as to his having mere-\nly assisted that boy to come down from the\naforesaid garret, and the examination having\nyielded no suspicion of any guilt whatever\nattaching to the said Suppliant, he comes hum-\nbly to appeal to your most illustrious Lordship.\nImploring that you will deign to order\nthat the aforesaid case of the aforesaid Sup-\npliant may be transferred and brought here\nto Milano and put into the hands of the most\nillustrious Captain of Justice or into those of.\nwhomsoever it shall best please your most il-\nlustrious Lordship to commit it, to the end\nthat he may administer and do justice; so\nthat the present suppliant may the more con-\nveniently, first defend his cause and .\nstrate his innocence, and may also faithfully\nserve in the plays for your most illustrious\nlordship and for the universal pleasure of the\nillustrious Signori of this Magnificent City\nof Milano. Otherwise there would result, in\naddition to the injury to the present Suppliant?\nthe deprivation also of much honest and de-\nlightful entertainment. Hoping to obtain this\nboon from your most illustrious Lordship, to\nwhom may felicity be long preserved.\nrT\",HE writer of the above petition, Battista ■\nX da Rimino, Zanne of the Company of\nthe Confidenti, is assumed by Luigi Rasi (in.\nhis \" Comici italiani \") to be \" without doubt \"\nidentical with that Gio. Battista Vannini\nreferred to by the actor Bartolomeo Rossi of\nVerona, in a \" discourse to readers \" which,\nprecedes his pastoral \" Fiamella (Paris,\nAbel l'Angeliero, 1584).\nIn this \" discourse \" Rossi writes as fol-\nlows, relative to certain liberty of speech\naccorded to those who take the comic or\n\" ridiculous \" parts :—\n. as Bergamini, who, if he does not\nobserve the true Bergamese speech it matters\nlittle, because his part is like that of Pedro--\nlino, of Buratino, of Arlechino, and others\nwho imitate similar ludicrous personages, each\n\n(1) The governing official of the city, the title has been\nrecently revived. . , ,. _\n(2) Probably in Via de' Rastelli facing the Palazzo di Corte"}, {"page_pdf": 53, "page_imprimee": "133", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.53", "texte": "of whom speaks in his own way, without\nobservance of language, unlike M. Simone,\nZanne of the Signori Gelosi, and M. Battista\nda Rimino, Zanne of the Signori Confidcnti,\nwho observe the true decorum of the Berga-\nmese speech\nDr. Paglicci-Brozzi published in the \" Scena\nlllustrata \" of October 15th 1890 this 44 -\nplicatione\" which we have reproduced for\nthe first time and which is addressed by Bat-\ntista da Rimino to the Marchese d'Aya-\nmonte don Antonio de Guzman, governor in\nItaly on behalf of 44 his Catholic Majesty \"\nthe King of Spain, and dated June 25th 1 574.\nThe famous Company of the 44 Confiden-\nti \" would be shown by this letter to have\nbeen during that year in Cremona, Pavia and\nMilano.\nThe petition bears appended to it the\nwords: 44 II Podesta di Cremona faccia giu-\nstizia \", (let the Podesta of Cremona judge\nthe case \") and signed 4 4 Neyra \", which\nshows that Rimino's petition failed to pro-\ncure the favour he so humbly asked.\n\nA SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI.\n\nJOHN PALMER\nA SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON AN\nEIGHTEENTH CENTURY ACTOR\nJOHN PALMER, actor, born in the parish of\nSt. Luke's, Old Street, London, about\n1742, was the son of a private soldier who\nsubsequently became a bill-sticker and door-\nkeeper at Drury Lane Theatre.\nWhen about eighteen John recited George\nBarnwell and Mercutio before Garrick, but\nGarrick found no promise in him.\nOn May 20th 1762 he made his first\nappearance on any stage, playing 44Buck \" in\nthe 44Englishman in Paris \".\nIn 1785 Palmer, \" yielding to his own\nambition and the counsels of friends began\nto build the Royalty Theatre \" in Welclose\nSquare. He opened it on June 20th 1787\nwith a performance of 44 As You Like it \".\nHe died August 2nd 1798 at Liverpool\nwhile playing in the \" Stranger\nIn very low spirits after the death of his\nwife and a favourite son, \" He went through\ntwo acts with great effect. In the third act\nhe was much agitated and in the fourth, at\nthe question of Baron Steinfort relative to his\nchildren, he endeavoured to proceed, fell\nback, heaved a convulsive sigh, and died, the\naudience supposing until the body was re-\nmoved and the performance arrested, that he\nwas merely playing his part \" (I).\nThe story that he died after saying the\nwords \" There is another and a better world \"\nis, according to Lowe, entirely false.\nHe was known as 44 Plausible Jack \"\nand was the original Joseph Surface in the\n1 777 production, which part, says Lowe, he\nacted in private as well as on the stage.\nThe silhouette published here is not very\nwell known. In fact in twenty years we have\nnot come across a copy.\n(i) Joseph Knight, from whom the above extracts are\ntaken, contributes a biography of about eight small-type co-\nlumns to the Dictionary of National Biography."}, {"page_pdf": 54, "page_imprimee": "134", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.54", "texte": "A SILHOUETTE BY CHODOWIECKI.\n\nDANIEL NICHOLAS\nCHODOWIECKI.\nA. C.\n\nDaniel Nicholas Chodowiecki (1726-1801)\nwas, says a writer in the \" Encyclo-\npaedia Britannica\", a German painter and en-\ngraver of Polish descent born at Dantzig.\nLeft an orphan at an early age, he de-\nvoted himself to the practice of miniature\npainting, the elements of which his father had\ntaught him as a means of support for himself\nand his mother.\nIn 1743 he went to Berlin, where for\nsome time he worked as clerk in an uncle's\noffice, practising art, however, in his leisure\nmoments, and gaining a sort of reputation as\na painter of miniatures for snuff-boxes.\nThe Berlin Academy, attracted by a\nsmall engraving of his, entrusted to him the\nillustration of its yearly almanac.\nBefore long there were few books pu-\nblished in Prussia without a plate or vignette\nby Chodowiecki.\nThe catalogue of his works (Berlin 1814)\nincludes over 3000 items.\nHe became director of the Berlin Aca-\ndemy in 1797.\nThe title of the \" German Hogarth \" ;\nwhich he sometimes obtained, was the effect\nof an admiration rather imaginative than cri-\ntical, and was disclaimed by Chodowiecki\nhimself he showed skilful drawing and\ngrouping, and considerable expressional po-\nwer, but no tendency whatever to the use of\nthe grotesque.\nHis brother Gottfried (1728-1781) and\nson Wilhelm (1765-1803) painted and en-\ngraved after the style of Daniel, and some-\ntimes co-operated with him.\nMax Von Boehn, in his fascinating vo-\nlume on \" Miniatures and Silhouettes \" (;) re-\nlates that while still a child at Dantzig Da-\nniel Chodowiecki \" painted dozens of small\nportraits of Stanislaus Lesczynski, the Polish\nking \" and adds that \"Frederick the Great and\nChodowiecki are inseparably linked together \",\nso many portraits did the artist produce of\nthe Prussian king: \"for years he produced\nenough portraits of his king to earn 100 tha-\nlers a month \" ; and \" faithfully preserved for\nhis own day and for posterity the features,\nmien and appearance of ' old Fritz'\nTo compare Chodowiecki with Hogarth\nis the ridiculous gasp made by criticism when\nit doesn't know what to say.\nChodowiecki is comparable to no one-\nelse. Me he delights infinitely more than\nHogarth has ever delighted me.\nHis mastery of the grotesque is peculiar\nto him—but he doesn't overdo it as do most\nartists. They are siezed by the spirit of\nGrotesque—he siezes it—and holds it down. -\nTo speak of his showing \" considerable\nexpressional power \" as does the writer in\nthe \" Encyclopaedia Britannica \" is to speak\nin safety instead of stuttering, To stutter\nabout Chodowiecki would be more seemly.\nChodowiecki was a genius—a very rare .\nartist indeed, and a delight for ever.\n(l) An English translation of this work has been lately\npublished by Messrs J. M. Dent & Sons.\nSilhouettes by Chodowiecki appear on several pages 01\nthis number."}, {"page_pdf": 55, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.55", "texte": "REDUCED FACSIMILE OF RIMINIO'S PETITION.\nPlate 19.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928"}, {"page_pdf": 57, "page_imprimee": "n. p.", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.57", "texte": "JOHN PALMER. ACTOR.\ncirca 1742 - 1798.\nPlate 20.\n\nTHE MASK\n1928"}, {"page_pdf": 59, "page_imprimee": "135", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.59", "texte": "BOOK REVIEWS.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE THEA-\n- TRE by Glenn Hughes. Illustrated.\nSamuel French. New York & London.\nPrice 5 Dollars.\nWE have here all Mantzius's six vo-\nlumes contained and something\nmore, for Mantzius's 44 History of Thea-\ntrical Art \" did not deal with the last\nhalf of the nineteenth and the early\nyears of the twentieth centuries.\nBut to be fair on Maatzius Mr.\nHughes after ail doesn't linger as the\nDanish actor-scholar did and so he\nomits to give us many hundreds of\nlittle facts and hints which are so va-\nluable to the stage minds which come\n• to ponder such facts and hints.\nBut what stage minds do care to\ndo this ? and 1 ask myself whether of\nthis book as many as fifty copies will\nbe bought by members of the Ame-\nrican and English Theatrical profession.\nIf fifty, will twenty read the book ?\nJf they don't ...and indeed it's less rea-\ndable than Mantzius, ...they may refer\nto it readily for its more concise.\nBut will they? What is the matter\nwith the members of the English speak-\ning theatrical profession that it likes to\nremain innocent of the knowledge of\nwhat has happened in its theatres of\nthe world ?\n44 Ever hear of Garrick ? \" I asked\nan English actor. He withered me\nwith a scornful glance. 44 Where did\nhe live? \" I -added. His glance\nbroke, scattered and he looked quite\ndistressed. 44 I never thought of that \"\nvhe said quite charmingly. 44 Where\ndid he live?\" We were standing on\nAdelphi Terrace in front of Garrick's\nHouse. 44 There \" I said, looking at\nnumber 5. Had I asked him if he\nknew that Talma had come once or\ntwice to London — been educated\nthere — or that Rachel had played at\nSt. James's Tneatre, or that it was an\nactor that had created the greatest se-\nries of Eastern plays in existence he\nwould have not liked me. Yet I would\nhave loved to talk with him on such\nthings and hear what he had to say.\nActors have very little to say; but\nby talking of nothing very bril-\nliantly cause the time to pass very de-\nlightfully. But it passes empty away.\nThat's why it would be quite a\ns blessing ail round if actors would buy\nMr. Hughes's very excellent and re-\nliable book.\n\nTHE DEVELOPMENT OF SCE-\nNIC ART AND STAGE MACHI-\nNERY compiled by W. B. Gamble.\n/ 928. New York. Price $ 2.50.\nTHIS is a list of references in the\nNew York Public Library; a list\nof books and of articles preserved in\nthat library. It appeared in 1920 but\nnow has been revised and is much\nmore valuable.\nIt's such a wide-awake notion to\ntake trouble to keep lists. Lists help\nus all so much; and if few are born\nwho can write, everyone (except the\ngreat writer) can help a list without\nexception.\nNo theatre library can be without\nthis volume: no lover of stage-work\ncan afford to be without it.\nThis phrase is so old: — never\nwas it used with more truth than now\nand here.\n\nTHE WOMAN OF THE 18TH\nCENTURY by Edmond and Jules de\nGoncourt; translated by J. Le Clercq\nand R. Roeder. George Allen. Price\n18/—. Illustrated.\nIS this really the first time that this\nremarkable and charming work ha3\nbeen translated into English ?\nif we could all read French easily\nwhat would it matter; but as so many\nof us cannot it comes over me in a\nkind of grief that at twenlyfive I wasn't\nable to get what is offered to me by\nthese delightful brothers in this book of\ntheirs.\nNow somehow it doesn't matter\nmuch. I am already familiar with\nwhat they wrote about through the\npages of other books whose authors\nhave gone to these two de Goncourts\nfor reference after reference.\nThe passages which touch upon the\nstage are worth careful scrutiny by every\nstudent of the Theatre of Paris.\nAs for woman herself, she will\nwonder what it's all about, this por-\ntrait of a series of portraits of herself\nin the 18th century.\nShe will wonder and grieve that\nsuch a time i3 gone . . . unless she dis-\ncover that today is just the same as\ntwo hundred years ago.\nThat, I will admit, is not so easy\nto discover; one can guess it, but as\none reads de Goncourt one has one's\ndoubts.\nThe fine manners, for example,\nwere clearly such an important part of\nlife that now that they are barely man-\nners at all one does begin to put the\nquestion \" Is it all different now and\nnot as good? \"\nBut for my part I believe this can\nbe asked of any lime since the year\none. Then like a quickly written\nverse, like a brilliant sketch, like a fresh\negg, this world came into being, deve-\nloped until the year one was reached.\nWhen exactly that year happened\nhas never been clearly defined, but it\nwas then — in fact in year Two —\nthat things began to crumble.\nCrumbling ever since, it is still fai-\nling from the rich man's table and La-\nzarus is happy to fill his mouth with a\nlittle du3t.\nLazarus and the 13th century knew\neach other well.\nIt was quite as cruel an age as today\nbut the manners made a difference then\neven to Lazarus.\n\nALL THE BRUXELLES\nTHEATRES AND ONE IN\no SAB B I O N E TA . o\nMRenieu is a historian of the\n• Th eatre not by profession but\nbecause he is devotedly fond of Thea-\ntres. He is Rot the kind of man\nwho says, that he regrets he has no\ntime to do the work better: but indeed\nthat he finds time to do it as well as\nhe does is extraordinary.\nFor this book (0—there are two\nvolumes—is packed tight with infor-\nmation.\nYou know those Histories which\nare padded out with anecdotes and in\nwhich you can find everything except\nthe History of the Theatre dealt with:\nwell, M. Renieu's book is no such\nHistory. It is about all the Theatres\nof Bruxelles, Cinemas as well as Play-\nhouses of every genre, and about each\nplayhouse and each cinema you have\nevery fact. It is well illustrated and\nnicely printed!. The two volumes are\nbulky although the type is not spread\nout but carefully compressed in com-\npact format.\nNo reader of \" The Mas\\ \" who\nis a student of the History of the\nEuropean Stage will fail to get these\nvolumes, and then he will be able to\njudge how excellent is th3 news that\nM. Renieu has almost completed a\n\n(i) L' Histoire des Theatres de Brux-\nelles by Lionel Renieu. Editions Du-\ncliartre and Van Jduggenhandt. Paris."}, {"page_pdf": 60, "page_imprimee": "136", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.60", "texte": "like History of The Theatres of Pa-\nris and is beginning a work upon The\nTheatres cf London.\nAnd a few men have this ability\nor coping successfully with immense\nthemes such as these : but I hope that\nthe scholars and students of less abi-\nlity will not be led to emulate this\nauthor : I hope they will devote their\ntime to subjects which are smaller,\nfor it is these smaller tbemes we still\nneed to know more of.\nOne such has just been splendidly\nhandled by Signor Tomaso Buzzi the\nMilanese architect who has given us a\nhistorical essay of considerable value\nupon Scamozzi's Theatre at Sabbic-\nlieta.\nIt was printed first in an Italian\njournal, and is, 1 hear, to be transla-\nted into Erglish and published in a\nLondon magazine.\nIt is a thorough piece of work il-\nlustrated by many drawings by the\nauthor — delightful drawings—as well\nas by seme excellent photographs.\nSignor Buzzi ccmes of an ancient\nfamily of architects cf renewn, and he\nknows what he is writing about, and\nall his sketches aie alive, yet as sober\nas they are sprightly.\nIt is not often that such talent is\nto be found, ncr such a combination\nof qualities in so ycurg a man,\n\nGREAT SHORT NOVELS OF\nTHE WORLD selected by Barrett\nH. Clark. Heinemann. Price 8/6 net.\nTHIS volume fours a companion to\nthe previously published collec-\ntion of 44 Great Short Stories of the\nWorld ' ', which George Mccre des-\ncribed as 44 a miracle, a triumph of\nbeck-making \".\nMr. Earreft Clark, always a careful\nworker, has here, with the aid of\nscholars and specialists, been able to\nassemble abundant material, including\nin some cases tales which have never\nbefore been translated.\nThe range of period, nationality,\nand subject covered is a wide one,\ncomprising Ancient Greece, Rcme and\nIndia, Arabia, China, Japan, Great\nBritain, A merica, Germany, France,\nItaly, Finland, Poland and mcst cf\nthe other European countries.\nBeginning with the stcry of Judith\nfrom the Apochryphal scriptures, tie\nseries follows down thicugh many ages\nand lands to examples of such recent\nwork as Hergesheimer's 44 Tubal Cain \",\nPirandello's 44 In Silence \" and So-\nmerset Maugham's 44 Rain, and includes\nthe wriiings of men as widely differing\nas Dandin, Gide, Reymont, Aho,\nGjalski and Bang.\nContaining 1316 closely printed pa-\nges, it gives much at small ctst, and\nin a compact and convenient form.\nThe volume would be a good compa-\nnion for a traveller who desires va-\nried reading in small compass.\n\nCOLLECTED ESSA V5, PAPERS,\nETC of Robert Bridg es. II, Hum-\ndrum 'and Harum Scaium, a Lecture\non Free Verse. Ill. Poetic Diction.\nOxford University Press. Price 2/6.\nTHE author— our Poel-Laureafe—\nmust know what he is talking\nabout, and people will have had little\ndifficulty in knowing what it was he\nwas saying when he delivered this\nlecture on Free verse; Iut when it\nccmes to printing it it leeks a bit\ncd.\n1 have noticed that 44 The Mail? \"\nhas now and again held a printer's\nerror cr two ; you may have no-\nticed it—hut ycu will spot the above\nword cd.\nIt's not the printer's fcrlt this\ntime : it's using the symbols (the ABC)\nin the way Dr. Bridges uses them—\nor it's trying to do so.\nForlt too. I haven't come across\nthese two words, but there I noted\nsome such as colleg for college : ha-\ntin for having (though here a new\nshaped a with a bit of hang dog\ntail does anyhow slur the g) ; eny for\nany; hav for have; (whether luv is\nto stand for love and duv for dove I\nhave not yet discovered) ; grat for\ngreat: fell in place of fail : main be-\ncomes mein greet, graty\nBecause remains as it was, and dees\nnot become bcceuse or belies, nor is\nfield changed to jceld, and verse is\nleft verse when it might easily have\nbecome vers cr verce.\nOnce I considered myself to be a\nbad speller; new I begin to think that\nin this matter I was in advance cf my\ntime.\nTrue, I put Gs on to the end of\nthe words hanging, going, seeing, hea-\nring ; but that was only frcm a pro-\nbably too modest desire not to ape\nthe little ways cf the most upper\nclass. I dreaded to hear someone say\nin my hearing one day 44 Takin him-\nself to belong to tbe Edwardian cir-\ncle\nIt was so happy a trick with\nEdward Prince of Wales, in 1881 :\nand it was a trick that suited the\ncharming ladies who did it without\nthinkin.\nDr. Bridges discusses Free Verse\nand the question, and discusses lucidly.\nOxford sees light. I would too, but I\ncannot,\nDr. Bridges begins by saying he\nwill •' rot discuss the difference be-\ntween poetry and prose, but merely the\ndistinctive forms of verse and prose \" ;\nand before a page or two is done he\nutters the name Moliere. If he hadn't\ndone so perhaps I should have remain-\ned grave to the end; but as the\nname sounded I went off into the\ngiggle\n1 hese men — these Mo!i£res— should-\nn't have been nllowed to live, for\nthey are so wise they can in a pas-\nsage of ten lines render me and pos-\nsibly you unable to stop laughing until\none has cried : they are so wise they\ncan in a few words silence all one's\ndoubts and fire the smoke of even our\nbiggest stupidities ;— but in doing so\nthey burn up lovely leaflets like this\ndiscourse of Dr. Eridges's on Free -\nVerse,\nIt's awfully wrong of them some-\nhow ; but 1 can't put my finger on\nthe spot where it's wrong.\nBut from today forth I will be\nfeeling freer and stronger, for I too\nmay and shall now spell like a Dock.\n\nU ANTE TEATRO —1L CJNE-\nMATOGRAFO COME ARTE by\nS. A. Luciani. La Voce \". Roma.\nPrice 10 lire.\nANYTHING Ante puts my back\nup, and, Reviewer though I may\nbe, all is up with my back up.\nSo I car not do justice to ibis most\ninteresting bcokkt about the Cinema\nas an art.\nSignor Luciani will be ever talking ~\nof Corot, of Daubigny, of Manet,\nPisarro, Turner, Carevaggio and Rem-\nbrandt, Pee, Dostojevsky and Balzac,\nsaying for example, of these two,\n44 Cosi una scena cinemalografica pub\nessere pari per profundita di oescri-\nzicne e di introsf ezicne ad una pa-\ngina de Dostojevsky o di Balzac\nWhat has Cinema to do with these\nor they with it ? Nulla.\nWhy should the readers of such\nbocks be annoyed by talk which is so\nfar from all point ?\nSignor Luciani is most intelligent—\nadmitted : but to do this disservice\nto the people's ait is unkind of him.\nCinema deserves its success—im-\nmense and profitable: mere than that,\nit deserves to be left free,— free from -\nan undesirable association with the\nFine Arts."}, {"page_pdf": 61, "page_imprimee": "137", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.61", "texte": "FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH\nOPERA by E. /. Dent. Cambridge\nUniversity Press. Price 12/6 net.\n'TWERE is nothing the matter it\n«*• would seem with the foundations.\nMr. Dent has inspected them and\nseems more or less exact in his report\nthat nothing is wrong there.\nBut it isn't a very thrilling book,\nthis ambling talk on Purcell and others.\n7 he style is not exactly happy,—less\neven than that: but when he dodges\nround any corner Mr. Dent dodges\nwith distinction.\nSomehow or other a book on an\nart has to be really very profound or\nvery brilliant, and this book is neither\n— and has bored me, and I must say\nmusical things are a bore—or Pur-\ncell and Foundations bore.\nSince they never do so I cannot\nsay so : since this book does I do.\n\n% TWOPENCE COLOURED by\nPatrick Hamilton. Constable. Price\n7/6 net.\nWHEN such a master of story-\ntelling as Mr. W. W, Jacobs\nk says of a book that it ' * is one of the\nbest novels I have read for a long\ntime and when Mr. Pett Ridge\nconsiders that the author (Mr. Hamilton)\n\" shares with Charles Dickens the\nachievement of writing about ordinary\npeople, and making them extraordinarily\nw interesting \", the reviewer, surrounded\nnorth, south, east and west by learned\nand impressive volumes, may feel a\npleasing sense of relaxation and need\nonly say ditto to Messrs. Jacobs and\nRidge.\nThis book of Mr. Hamilton's is\nt all about the theatre and the life\nof the theatre, the agencies and the\nrehearsals and the ins and outs and\nups and downs and successes and re-\nverses of ordinary stage life as thou-\nsands live and know it.*\nThe slightly stage-struck would not\ndo badly, to read M Twopence Co-\nloured\nIt would enlighten them as to certain\naspects of \" the Profession \" and the\nprobable lot of aspirants not specially\nendowed : and actors and actresses\nand producers and agents would not\ndo ill to read it either, and observe\ncertain little foibles in themselves as\nothers see them.... and they see\nothers : for Mr Hamilton has a keen\neye, and a sense of humour, and ap-\nparently no small intimacy with the\ninside life of the modern English\ntheatre.\n\nHAKLUYTS VOYAGES. With\nIllustrations. Volumes 9dr 10. J, M.\nDent & Sons. Price £ 3. / 5 net the set.\nWITH these two final volumes,\nwhich supplement the former\neight by the addition of 44 The Fo-\nreign Voyages Messrs Dent com-\nplete their excellent leprint of Hak-\nluyt's great work.\nThe tenth volume also contains a\ncomprehensive name-and-subject index,\nand the entire series is illustrated with\nphotogravure reproductions of old prints,\nand with drawings made by Thomas\nDerrick from prints in the British Mu-\nseum, the Bib!ioth£que Nationale of\nParis and other sources.\nThere are portraits of early explo-\nrers, ancient maps and views of ci-\nties, costume designs and many other\nabsorbing and delightful things, and,\nin the final volumes, an illustration of\na wooden dancing rattle showing a\nmask-like head from the Queen Char-\nlotte Islands, and a 14th century mask\nof hard volcanic stone representing the\nGod Xipe from Mexico.\nAnyone with 3.15.0 to spend\nwill get his money's value, and a vast\namount of entertaining reading in the\nEnglish of a fine period, if he adds\nthese ten volumes to his library.\n\nBONTSHE THE SiLENT by /.\nL. Peretz. Stanley Paul. Price 2/6\nnet. Limited library Edition of 500\ncopies, 8/6 net).\nISAAC LOEB PERETZ has been\ndescribed by Anseio S. Rappoport\nas 44 One of the most modern and\nmost powerful of authors \" and as\npossessing 44 the master hand of a\nMaupassant and he has also been\nestimated as 44 one of the most po-\nwerful writers in Yiddish \".\nThis volume, containing twenty-five\nimpressionistic sketches of Yiddish life\nand tradition, is often painful is its\nvivid presentation and realisation of\nsuffering, physical, mental and spiritual,\nbut it is a judicious and interesting\naddition to that 44 International Li-\nbrary \" through which Messrs Stanley\nPaul are bringing within reach of the\nEnglish reading public so many works\nof recent European writers,\n\nEDITORIAL NOTES\nJULY: AUGUST: SEPTEMBER\n\nFREDERICK ROBSON.\nWE are indebted for the portraits\nof Frederick Robson, reproduced\nin plates 15 and 16 to the courteous help -\ntulness of his only surviving son, Mr.\nE. M. Robson, the actor, who kindly\nlent us his own original copies.\nMr. Robson also drew our attention to\nthree numbers, August, September and\nOctober 1907, of a rnidmonthly maga-\nzine called 44 Britannia \" which contained\nthree consecutive articles on Frederick\nRobson by Sir Francis Burnand with\nseveral illustrations, one of which, a\nprivate portrait, has what he describes\nas 44 a very good facsimile \" of his\nfather's autograph, 44 and one or two others\nin character, also extremely good **.\nMr. Robson also writes : 44 The Gar-\nrick Club has, I've been given to un-\nderstand, an oil painting, of him pre-\nsented to the Club when Robson s widow\ndied and his estate realized in 1699\".\n\nTHE MATERIAL.\nON REREADING THE \"DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEATRE\"\nBY DR. NICOLL.\nTOUCHING this matter of the mere-\nly material — the building of\ntheatre, the scenical things, the pre-\nparation made for the spectators, the\nmise-enscene and the front cf the house\n—it is curious to note that they who\nmake light of these things, who would\nsomewhat contemptuously urge us all\nto pass on over such triflings and 44 come\nto Hecuba \", who would open a theatre\nand ring up the curtain without any\nproper preparation, have from the first\navoided the whole subject, shirking these\ntrifles as though utterly worthless.\nWe must come back to this at every\nexamination of a dramatist's worth : —\nhow far did he learn the material side\nof the playhouse and its entertainment.\nIt may be that they are possibly very\nslight matters, but that they are utterly\nworthless and beneath the commonsense\nof the play-writers who possess that\nrare coraodity can hardly be supposed."}, {"page_pdf": 62, "page_imprimee": "138", "url_page": "https://bluemountain.princeton.edu/bluemtn/?a=d&d=bmtnaau192807-01.1.62", "texte": "LAST WORDS.\n\nKONX OMPAX AGAIN!\nMr. James Douglas on Stratford upon\nAvon and the Shakespeare Me-\nmorial.\n,4 T have been dreaming dreams and\n| seeing visions at Stratford upon\nAvon.... I have set foot on its sacied\nsoil.... 1 have heard the bells ringing,.,.\nI have walked m the birthday proces-\nsion. 1 have eaten the birthday lunch.\nI have drunk the birthday toast \" ....and\nhe ought to have added \" I have drunk\nand I was well pleased ! I have said\nKonx ompax, and it is finished ! \"\nWhen Shelley made his solemn ha-\nrangue to the rowdies in Covent Garden\nMarket which ended thus, he was not\nmore ludicrous than is our James Dou-\nglas when recently holding forth to his\nreaders in the Daily Express,\nAnd his readers were doubtless spell\nbound.\nGlorious old journalism!\n\nTHE TWO ALFREDS,\no BUNN AND BUTT. o\nONCE upon a time there was a ridi-\nculous but important Theatrical Ma-\nnager called Mr. Bunn ; he was lessee\nof the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and\nCovent Garden for over ten years.\nMr. Alfred Bunn was most absurd\nfor every reason, but especially absurd\nwas he for squatting in either of these\n; two British Theatres.\nThat is all he did—squatted.\nButt does it today.\nBunn and Butt are as like as two\npeas.\nOf Bunn's direction we read that\nthere was not a style of entertain-\nment that Bunn did not essay; he be-\ngan with legitimate drama, and descen-\nded in 1839 to tight rope dancers, and\nto Van Aniburg the Lion Tamer.\nIn. 1840 he became bankrupt, pro-\nphetic of the Norwegian actor Mr. Oscar\nA sell e.\nWe read further that 44 he was a\nstrange compound —by 110 means bad\nhearted.... but....\nAh Butt ! —\ni4 What natural talent he possessed\nwas uncultivated ; his language and man-\nners coarse and his taste deplorable.\nOur Butt is cultivated, with refined\nlanguage and manners, but his taste is\nas bad rs Bunn's any day.\nRecently our Butt imported \" The\nShow Boat an American affair.\n44 The play has been so stupendous\na task\" he told Argonaut the well\nknown writer on Dramatics, 4' that I\nshall never put on another like it \".\nGod bless the man for that promise,\nbut also God bless him for his innocent\nidea that it was he putting it 011. All\nthat was being done because of his stage\ncarpenters. The wits in the work were\nimported from America.\nWe wish our Butt well ; but what\non earth possesses London with its com-\ninonsense and its fair amount of good\nfeeling to allow our old Butt inside\nDrury Lane Theatre at all?\nPeckhani is the place for Butt; he\nwould adorn Peckham—Peckham would\nadore Butt. Or he would he topping as\na managing director at a Thames wharf:\nwe don't know that he wouldn't suit\nthat position better than anything else.\nIt's the cruelest thing London could\nhave devised, to place him at Drury\nLane. And there he does such a deu-\nced lot of harm too. whereas at some\nbarge wharf be couldn't hurt a fly.\nOne of the worst things poor Butt\never did was to engage Basil Dean and\nthen get rid of him within the first year.\nWe wish Butt real well ; but when\nwe think of that Dean business we wish\nhim an exceeding lot of ill. Because,\nthough Dean may have his faults, he is\nall for bettering our British Theatre; —\nall Butt is for is betting on * the British\nTheatre and he backs the right ass every\ntime.\n\no foreigners: q\nVIENNESE ACTORS FOR ENGLAND\n\" Tt seems queer 14 wrote a London Daily\nJ not long since \" to have our Shake-\nspeare taken to Vienna, turned into Ger-\nman, and brought back to us in the fo-\nreign tongue. Heyr Raoul Asian, the\nnoted actor of the Tdurg theater, has con-\nceived the idea of showing us, not how\nShakespeare's plays should be\nbut how they are presented in Vienna.\n\"He is coming, 1 believe, early in\nJuly, and I have no doubt that he will\nfind plenty of people in London interested\nin his work.\n\" Frau Bleibtreu, the great German\ntragedienne, is among those who will\ncome with him \".\nWE feel too that Wertheim, the big\nBerlin stores, ought to be specially\ninvited to come over and build a huge\nshop in London next to Peter Robinson's,\nand that Le Priniemps should erect a\nstill larger shop 011 the other flank of\nPeter Robinson's.\nWhy not, we ask ?\nHUNGARY EXPLAINS WHY NOT.\nTwo women in the stalls of a Budapest\ntheatre in which an American per-\nformer was appearing, were burnt by a\ncorrosive fluid being thrown by four stu-\ndents from the gallery into the audito-\nrium. The fumes made most of the\naudience weep.\nThe students told the police that they\ndid so as a protest against the employ-\nment of foreign artistes at a high salary,\nwhile Hungarian dancers were idle.\nGERMAN OPERA FOR LONDON.\no 1928. o\n\\T7HEN London's season of so-called\nVY Grand Opera opened at Covent\nGarden this past spring it was NOT\nwith Purcell's 44 Dido and .Eneas \",\nNOT with Purcell's 44 King Arthur \"\nnor with anything by any English com-\nposer, but as usual with a performance\nof the 44 Rheingold \".\nWonderfully well organized, the thing\nis wretchedly conceived ; for until operas\nby our great English composers are gi-\nven, and given on the opening nights of\nthe season too, it will be a disgrace to\nEngland.\nPresumably it is still foreignersr\nmoney which turns the scale in favour\nof German, French and Italian opera in\nEngland.\n- . >\nAND WHAT COMES OF IT.\n<< r . He day is not far distant when\nI the Opera House will fall into\nthe hands of the house-breaker\nExtract from a paper of\nMay 6 1928.\nITALY AND FOREIGN ARTISTES.\nAn English singer, having secured an\nopportunity to sing in one of the\nlarge Italian Theatres, writes that all went\noff well, and no one dreamed that she zuas\na foreigner, — showing that lo be a fo-\nreigner is not the way to win an Italian\naudience's applause, as unfortunately\nseems to be the case in some lands.\n\no THE MONEY SNARE, o\nA young actor, writing recently to the\npapers, asserted that he was in the\nTheatre for money's sake, not for Art's\nsake.\nA sound notion perhaps (for anyone\nover thirty-five) ; but, when we read of\nan actor^manager, who had received\nmore than «£ 100,000 from royalties from\na single play, having recently passed\nthrough the Bankruptcy Court, we rea-\nlize how expensive and dangerous it is\nto try and make money out of the Theatre.\nIf the sort of thing goes on, if this „\nvicious kind of teaching that money is\nthe aim, gains ground, we shall soon have\nno good actors left, — and we are short\nof them as it is.\n\nBULWARK, i\\OT BARRIER. .\nA great Italian Prime Minister, Fran-\ncesco Crispi, wrote many years ago ;\n44 I do not believe in the immutability of\nthe \" Staluto \" ; history and common sense\nare both against it ... . The \" Stcituto \"\nis a bulwark to prevent us from going\nback; not a barrier to prevent us from\ngoing forward\nIn theatres as in all else the rules of\nthe game are 44 a bulwark to prevent us\nfrom going back; not a barrier to prevent\nus from going forward\".\nIn London every other word uttered\nby the laziest section of the Theatrical\nProfession is some argument to prevent\nus going forward,\nThese lazy-minded people fancy that\nthey would protect the profession: all\nthey do is to harm it.\n\nAll Rights reserved, September 1928.\nDirettore responsabile Antonio Maraitii.\nTipograjia Ginntina, Firenze."}]}