Jean Aylwin, the Lady Harry Lauder #Edwardian Actress

Like many of her contemporaries on the Edwardian stage, Jean Aylwin progressed from provincial theatre to fame as a “Gaiety Girl.”  Born in Hawick in 1885 and educated in Edinburgh, she later became a fashion icon and was entertained by men of means.  She was an excellent singer earning the title of, “The Lady Harry Lauder.”

It was touring in the play “The Red Coat” in 1904 which brought her to England and she made her debut as principal in “The Spring Chicken,” two years later.  By 1907 she had joined George Edwards’ Gaiety Theatre and in 1909 she was the only British actress in the play “Our Miss Gibbs” when it opened in New York.

In 1913 Jean married Colonel Alfie Rawlinson of the Intelligence Corps, but this did not stop her touring Scotland and the north-east of England with productions of “A Careless Lassie.”  She was highly praised in the local papers, the Dundee Evening Telegraph saying, “Miss Aylwin is a clever actress and her gaiety is quite infectious.”  Fashion designers loved to dress her and she inspired a lace dress copied by many.  She starred in two films, "Winning a Widow" in 1910 and "The Greatest Wish in the World" in 1918, in which she played Mother Superior.

In 1923 she rented a flat opposite the Chelsea Theatre where she was playing “Polly.”  When her husband Col. Rawlinson discovered her there with the composer Hubert Bath, he began divorce proceedings.  Miss Aylwin announced her intention to leave the stage and travel to India to work with the Wesleyan Missionary Society, but this did not prevent the high-profile scandal of the divorce evidence.  On her return to Britain she became a radio broadcaster with a programme of "Scotch Tales and Songs" for the BBC.  She died in Kent in 1964.

You can read more about The Gaiety Girls here

Who were the Gaiety Girls?

The Gaiety Theatre introduced a new style of musical comedy to London in the 1890s.  The group of female dancers employed by the theatre were called Gaiety Girls but as time went on this term was used to describe the stars of the shows too.  The formula was created by George Edwardes, moving away from burlesque to light comedies, with songs containing witty lyrics and repartee.  The heroines wore high fashion and sang catchy songs.

The Gaiety Theatre on the corner of Aldwych and the Strand

Many productions had “girl” in the title from The Gaiety Girl to The Shop Girl, The Circus Girl and A Runaway Girl. The actresses and dancers were well spoken ladies of respectable background and they attracted many fans, from the stage-door Johnnies to the young women who collected picture postcards of their favourite leading lady.  Many noble and wealthy men took the stars to dine at Romano’s restaurant in the Strand which added to their fame and made the restaurant a popular night spot.

Many well known Edwardian actresses owed their success to their performances as a Gaiety Girl.

Gertie Millar

                                                                                                            

    

 Gertie Millar made her name as a singer and dancer in Yorkshire music halls but in 1901 she was chosen by George Edwardes as leading lady in The Toreador at The Gaiety Theatre.  In Our Miss Gibbs she became the most famous musical comedy actress in Britain.  She later married the writer of this play, Lionel Monkton, but their marriage was unhappy and he left her in 1905.  He refused to divorce Gertie and so it was only when he died in 1924 that she was finally able to marry her lover William Humble Ward, the second Earl of Dudley.

   

Constance Collier, first appeared on stage at the age of 3 and became a Gaiety Girl when she was 15.  She grew much taller than the other dancers and had an exuberant personality.  She went on to become an acclaimed actress and with the advent of talking movies she turned to a career as a voice coach in Hollywood.

Olive May was one of the Gaiety girls who married into the aristocracy.  In 1913 she married Lord Victor Paget but they divorced in 1921.  A year later she married the Earl of Drogheda. She retired from the stage in 1912.  Some found marriages between actresses and peers amusing or romantic, but many disapproved.

For a fascinating contemporary comment on this go to Stage Beauty

Marie Studholme’s stage career lasted from 1891 until 1915.  Chosen by George Edwardes for a small part in The Gaiety Girl, she went on to tour in many of his productions around Britain and abroad.  She was a favourite for post card collectors. 

Lily Elsie #EdwardianActress

“The most photographed woman in the British Empire”

Looking through my collection of Postcards of Edwardian actresses the most striking model is undoubtedly, Lily Elsie.  Her looks and demeanour immediately reminded me of the present day actress Rachel Weisz and if you google those two names together you will find many people agree.

She was born Elsie Hodder in Leeds in 1886.  Her mother (Charlotte) Elizabeth Hodder was an unmarried dressmaker.  In 1891, Elizabeth Hodder married William Cotton, a theatre “luggage man.”  Elsie became a child star in the Manchester music halls, under the name, “Little Elsie” and her mother accompanied her.  Although painfully shy, the quality of her singing was remarkable.  Aged 10, she starred in a production of Little Red Riding Hood which toured the country.  Her first performance in London was in 1898.

By the 1901 census, she had adopted the name Lily Elsie and aged 17, she joined George Edward’s company at Daly’s Theatre.  As she was prone to giggling, Edwards fired her two years later, for insubordination, but on hearing that she had no work, he re-employed her in small parts.  Lily’s career really took off in 1907 when George Edwards took her to Berlin to see “The Merry Widow”.  He intended to put on an English version in London and he wanted Lily to star as Sonia.  Lily felt that her voice was too weak for the operetta, but George persuaded her to take the part.  She came under the wing of Lucy, Lady Duff, who designed all the costumes for the production.  Lady Duff became Lily’s style consultant, and she gave Lily her distinctive hairstyle which fitted so well beneath the large plumed hats of the Merry Widow.

Despite still being shy and insecure, Lily Elsie was a huge success, as the audiences loved her.  The fashions were copied by those who could afford them and Lady Duff used Lily to advertise the clothes.  Her face also appeared on beauty products and sweets, while portrait postcards were widely collected.  But Lily found fame overwhelming and she often missed performances due to ill health.

Lily was generally unimpressed by her male fans and did not treat them well.  Her half-sister, Maudi Darrell, had married Major Ian Bullough, the son of a millionaire, but sadly Maudi died within a year, of complications after an appendicitis operation.  Subsequently, in 1910, Lily married Ian Bullough and a year later she retired from the stage.  She returned to the theatre, in 1916, to help the war effort, but had another break from 1920 until 1927.  Their marriage was not happy; Lily was frequently ill and Major Bullough drank too much.  They divorced in 1930.

 For the rest of her life, Lily stayed in nursing homes and Swiss Sanatoriums.  She finally moved to St Andrews Hospital in London, where she was said to be happy, until she died in 1962.

To see more pictures of Lily Elsie, please go to my Pinterest board Edwardian Actors and Actresses

Reblog: The Belle of Mayfair

On Lost in a Good Book the story of The Belle of Mayfair, a contemporary version of  Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been a popular choice for artists.  It has also been transposed into other settings such as the film West Side Story showing the New York street gangs of the late 1950s.

In April 1906 a musical called The Belle of Mayfair opened at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.  This was also based on Romeo and Juliet in the current time, Romeo being played by the renowned actor Farren Souter. 

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