This is the fourth week of my year-long blogging project. See here for more details. Charles Stratton was born in January 1838 to Sherwood Stratton, a carpenter, and his wife, Cynthia, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At birth, he weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces (a large baby) and he continued to develop at a “normal” rate for the first … Continue reading Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Louisa Lane (Mrs. John Drew)
This is the third week of my year-long blogging project. See here for more details. Mrs. John Drew (Louisa Lane Drew, 1820-1897) was a doyenne of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century stage, as celebrated for her lengthy stage career as for her role as matriarch of the Drew family, one of the US’s oldest … Continue reading Louisa Lane (Mrs. John Drew)
Jean Margaret Davenport
This is the second week of a year-long blogging project. I’m proposing to blog on a different child actor for 52 weeks. See here for more details. Today I turn my attention towards the performer who first piqued my interest in child actors and actresses, Jean Margaret Davenport, and the scrapbooks documenting her colonial travels. … Continue reading Jean Margaret Davenport
Master William Henry West Betty
What follows is merely an introduction to Master Betty and his first appearance before London audiences. For a much longer treatment of his career, see Jeffrey Kahan’s excellent book cited below. Master William Henry West Betty is arguably the first child celebrity of the modern era. I say arguably because much depends on how you … Continue reading Master William Henry West Betty
Celebrating Child Performers of the 19th Century
This year, I’ve decided to blog each week on a different c19 child performer: 52 posts for 52 weeks, with perhaps a few additional posts thrown in for fun. While some of the children on my list are well-known among historians of theatre and childhood (e.g. Master Betty, Cordelia Howard, Charles Stratton), others are relatively … Continue reading Celebrating Child Performers of the 19th Century