Mabel Love,
a beautiful child star from a theatrical dynasty, caused consternation in 1889
when she suddenly disappeared in the middle of London. The Star newspaper reported, “The
Disappearance of a Burlesque Actress.” Only 14 years old, she was described as, “of
fresh complexion, with light grey eyes and fair hair, curling and hanging loose
over the shoulders. She was wearing, when she left home, a black and white
striped fish-wife skirt, Oxford patent shoes, black plush hat and feathers, and
a terra-cotta coloured cloak trimmed with white fur round the collar and cuffs
and with large metal buttons.”
She had
already been on the stage for two years, appearing in the first play version of
“Alice in Wonderland,” in a Christmas pantomime at Covent Garden and had
recently been contracted by George Edwardes at the Gaiety to dance in the
burlesque "Faust up-to-date".
A very pretty girl, she had many admirers and a great deal of pressure.
But she had
been spotted by several people after leaving her parents house in Arundel
Street, The Strand with her payment from The Gaiety Theatre. Luckily she was traced a few days later in
Dublin and returned to Euston Station to crowds of admirers.
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| Article from "The Era" newspaper |
Mabel was the
granddaughter of entertainer and ventriloquist William Edward Love and the daughter
of actress Kate Watson (Love). Mabel's father was the brother of Robert Grant
Watson, who served in the diplomatic service and had held the posts of First
Secretary to the British Embassy in Washington, and Charge d'affaires in Japan.
Sadly Mabel
still suffered from a distressed state of mind as a few months later she made
a suicide attempt.
Mr Vaughan showed
great sympathy for her and gave her the following advice.
Subsequently
she was able to return to her career and no more dramatic events were
recorded. By the age of 20 she was even
more popular with the public as well as young Winston Churchill and Edward the
Prince of Wales. She appeared in musical
comedy and burlesque and when photographer Frank Foulsham produced postcards of
her, they were widely bought and sent.
In 1913
Mabel gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Mary, later called Mrs Mary
Lorraine. There is mystery about Mary’s
father but she was acclaimed for her bravery during the second world war.
Originally an actress like her mother, she became a secret agent for the SOE in
France and was captured and tortured by the Gestapo. After the war she suffered from mental health
problems and died in poverty, unaware that her mother had left her a substantial
legacy.
