Heroines of the Modern Stage

those actresses who stand out today as the most interesting to an English-speaking reader. The Continental actresses included are those who gained international reputations and belonged to the English and American stage almost as much as to their own. All actresses have been modern, in a sense, for the acting of female roles by women is dis tinctly a latter-day touch in that ancient insti tution, the theatre. 1 Thus a book on modern actresses might range from Elizabeth Barry to Mrs. Fiske. But while many volumes already exist that serve well to keep alive the names of the dead-and-gone heroines, 2 biographies of actresses whom we of today have seen, are, in general, insufficient or inaccessible. That is true even of such notable women as Sarah Bern hardt, Ada Eehan and Mrs. Fiske; while ac counts in English of such Continental actresses iSee Appendix: The First English Actresses, and The Change in the Actor's Social Status. 2 For the lives of actresses of earlier days the reader is re ferred to the bibliography at the end of the volume. The vi PEEFACE as Duse and Eejane are altogether lacking. The author hopes that in these chapters he has done something toward making better known the careers of those actresses and of others who present themselves either in vivid recollection or in the light of present day achievement The concluding chapter deals briefly with a num ber of American actresses of the present, who, although not rising in all cases to the eminence or popularity attained by those to whom sepa rate chapters are given, yet have made some distinct contribution to our stage. The author's thanks are due to Mr. Edwin F. Edgett for the loan of material; to Mr. John Bouve Clapp and to Mr. Eobert Gould Shaw for the use of the originals from which some of the illustrations were made; and, for as sistance of many kinds, to the editor of the series. Boston, Massachusetts, October, 1915. F. L outstanding names are: Elizabeth Barry, 1658-1713; Anne Bracegirdle, 1663-1748; Anne Oldfield, 1683-1730; Catherine Olive, 1711-1785; Hannah Pritchard, 1711-1768; Susannah Maria Gibber, 1714-1766; Margaret Woffington, 1720-1760; Mary Porter d. 1765; George Anne Bellamy, 1731-1788; Frances Abington, 1737-1815; Sarah Siddons, 1755-1831; Mary Robinson ( Perdita) 1758-1800; Dorothy Jordan, 1762-1816; Frances Anne Kemble, 1809-1893; Charlotte Cush man, 1816-1876; Helena Faucit, 1817-1898; Rachel Felix, PREFACE vii 1821-1858; Adelaide Ristori, 1822-1906; Francesca Janau scheck, 1830-1904; Adelaide Neilson, 1846 (?)-1880. Some of the names in this list are, of course, among the greatest in theatrical history. In Anne Braeegirdle and Elizabeth Barry the Restoration rejoiced in two actresses of the first order. Bracey was the Ada Rehan of her day, a blithe creature of comedy who seems to have possessed the tem perament and the charms of the typical born actress. Gibber called her the Cara,, the Darling of the Theatre. She ex celled in the comedies of Congreve, but she was versatile, and played also in tragedy. Elizabeth Barry was England's first great tragic actress. She was of the august, severe, trage dienne type that was later exemplified in Siddons and Ristori, and that has nowadays, with the decline of the poetic drama, virtually disappeared. With these women, and with a num ber of others, some of whom, like Mrs. Betterton and Mrs. Verbruggen, were skilled actresses, the standard was sur prisingly early set high. Anne r 01dfield charmed the England of Ad --This text refers to the Paperback edition.