|
Title |
[Correspondence of Fanny Brough] |
|
Date |
Undated |
|
Creator |
Brough, Fanny |
|
Artistic roles |
Fanny Brough (Actor) |
|
Theme |
Women in 19th C. Theatre |
|
Item description |
Correspondence of English comic actress Fanny Brough (1854-1914). The letter was written in ink on blue-green stationery, then cut down to size and adhered to a piece of cardboard by a collector. Brough pledges her support to a colleague named Lily. |
|
Object narrative |
Fanny Brough (1854-1914) was born in Manchester, England to Robert Barnabus Brough, a poet, burlesque comedy writer, and periodical contributor. Her uncle, Lionel Brough, was a comic actor. Her father died in 1860, leaving the family with little money and eventually causing Fanny to turn to the stage in order to provide for her family. Brough opened in London in 1870 in the play Fernande playing Fernande and within a decade was one of the most respected and well-known comic actresses in England. She would open in such plays as Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband in 1895 (Mrs. Markby) and Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession in 1902 (Mrs. Warren). In 1903 she toured to the United States and appeared in New York in Saucy Sally and The Man from Blankley's. Other productions she appeared in included The Prodigal Daughter, The Real Little Lord Fauntleroy, and The Duke of Killicrankie. Ms. Brough was a member of the council of The Actor's Association, which had been founded by Sir Henry Irving as the first pseudo-acting union in the UK and which was active in pushing for more sanitary working conditions for actors. In addition to this, she was the first President of the Theatrical Ladies Guild, a philanthropic organization established in 1891 to collect, make, and distribute clothing and heating coal to actresses who were facing financial hardship, especially maternity cases. Over the years, this organization (which changed its name to The Theatre Guild in 2001) has grown to not only help actresses, but also men, other production team positions, and pensioners. What started as a clothing distribution effort now provides financial help for pensioners, for those who are battling cancer and other illnesses, and for members of the profession who are currently working but need emergency help. (http://www.stagebeauty.net/th-frames.html?http&&&www.stagebeauty.net/th-lguild.html) This letter, written on Oct. 17th in an unknown year, is from Fanny Brough to Lily, possibly another actress. Characteristically, Brough is pledging her support, as she was always working tirelessly for the betterment of the profession. It reads: J. R. D. Lane Oct. 17th Dearest Lily - Certainly I will attend the meeting if I am not rehearsing - & should I be able to help towards what appears a worthy scheme by sticking & speaking up for you I of course will. With Much love Yours always - Fanny Brough |
|
Type |
Text |
|
Original format |
Correspondence |
|
Original publisher |
[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified] |
|
Language |
en |
|
Contributing institution |
Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries |
|
Source collection |
MSS255 Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection |
|
Series/grouping |
6.1: Correspondence and Autographs -- Correspondence |
|
Box |
79 |
|
Finding aid link |
http://library.uncg.edu/info/depts/scua/collections/manuscripts/ead/mss255.xml |
|
Preferred citation |
[Identification of item], Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection, 1753-2006 (MSS255), Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives and Manuscripts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA. |
|
Rights statement |
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/ |
|
Additional rights information |
NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES. This item has been determined to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. The user is responsible for determing actual copyright status for any reuse of the material. |
|
Object ID |
MSS255.B79.030 |
|
Digital publisher |
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5304 |
|
OCLC number |
872280820 |
