by Mr. Martin Harvey
by Mr Forbes-Robertson
Many talented thespians had skills in areas of the arts away from the theatre stage. Reproduced below is a period magazine article discussing the alternative talents of some of the theatrical artists of the day.
If ever the moment arrives when a history of the most remarkable women the world has ever seen will be written, one name which should find a place in it is that of Madame Sarah Bernhardt. My chief difficulty in writing on the varied talents of this superb actress was to find anything that she does not do.
She paints, sculptures, writes, fences, shoots, does everything that can be done, in athletics and ordinary accomplishments, with the single exception of music. Madame Bernhardt was good enough to allow me to interview her one night after her play, and in answer to my question as to whether she continued to sculpture, said: "Mais Oui, I have just finished a bust, which I have presented to Mr. Clarkson."
Mr. Clarkson himself was there to confirm her words. It appears that Madame, Bernhardt is in the habit of having her costumes modelled on her and attending to every little detail herself, but the wonderful wig-maker and costumier designed and carried out the dress worn by Madame when she personates "Cleopatra" in Plus que Reine without any assistance from her, a feat which certainly merits the reward she has bestowed upon him.
"Do you still continue to paint, Madame?"
"Yes, I am very fond of it."
"And your biography - I am told you are writing it?"
"Of,course. I cannot tell for certain, but I hope it will be finished and published some time next year."
"Forgive all these questions, Madame, but do you play any instrument ?,"
"No, I do not do anything in the way of music," was the answer, delivered in quite an apologetic tone of voice.
"Finally, Madame, do you ever rest?"
"Pas beaucoup, pas beau coup," answered the incomparable Sarah, with one of her radiant smiles.
It was many years ago, when the great actress was sitting for her bust to the French sculptor, M. Mathieu Mensuier, that her intelligent criticisms of his work led him to suggest that she should learn to sculpture herself. No sooner said than done. Madame Bernhardt was so busy acting and rehearsing that she found her only time for learning and modelling was at night on her return from the theatre. Her models would sit to her from two to four in the morning, and in 1875 she exhibited a bust of her sister Regina at the Paris Salon, and the following year her great plaster group called "Apres la Tempete," representing an aged woman, mad with grief, who held in her arms the dead body of her son.
Mr. Forbes Robertson, had he so willed, might have been as famous a painter as he is an actor. I therefore asked him if he had ever intended to make that art his profession.
"Certainly," he replied "otherwise I should not have studied at the Royal Academy. You see you must have got beyond the novice stage to even become a probationer. Before they will accept you as a student, you have to submit certain studies, and unless they show a certain measure of promise, you are not admitted."
"And how long were you there?"
"Three years. I studied from the antique, from the nude, and from draped models."
"I believe you went in chiefly for portraits?"
"Yes, and in oils. I have dabbled in water-colours, but never done anything in that line worthy of notice. Nor, indeed, in pen and ink," he added, in response to another question.
"And you have exhibited?"
"Yes, a good many pictures. I had portraits hung in the Royal Academy before I was twenty-one."
"And what decided you to change your profession?"
"Well, art is a very slow method of making an income, and I was very fond of acting, so decided to take that up. For the first two years after I went on the stage - I was twenty-one at the time - I never used a brush at all; but then, on returning to London, I found that, whilst playing in pieces with a long run, I had plenty of time on my hands to take up my painting again, and so used to devote my mornings regularly to portrait painting.
"I got a good many commissions, Sir John Millais being amongst those who sent me clients.
"Those are three of my Academy pictures," and Mr. Robertson pointed out a portrait of Miss Ellen Terry, taken when she was playing at the old Prince of Wales's Theatre, also one of Madame Modjeska as she appeared soon after her arrival in England, and lastly, one of a child.
"Do you find that painting has helped you as a stage-manager?"
"I suppose it has," was the quick retort, "for you know all knowledge helps an actor."
Then Mr. Robertson showed me the oil paintings of his family, by himself. There were two of his mother, a very fine one of his father, and a speaking likeness of Mr. Ian Robertson, his brother and stage-manager. Lastly, my attention was drawn to an engraving of his portrait of Mr. Samuel Phelps, his master in stagecraft. The original is the property of the Garrick Club, and enjoys the distinction of being the only portrait ever purchased by them.
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| Pastel of Mr Henry Irving by Mr. Martin Harvey | Portrait of Miss Ellen Terry by Mr Forbes-Robertson |
A very versatile lady is Miss Lilian Eldee, actress, singer, writer, translator, and pianist. There is no necessity to comment on her first two talents, since she has long ago charmed the public in both roles, but it was with regard to her literary talents that I sought an interview, and this is what I learnt, with a certain amount of difficulty, for Miss Eldee makes very light of her gifts.
"Yes, I have translated Veronique, and hope to see it performed in English at no very distant date. The lyrics were the most difficult part of the libretto to handle, and I was frightfully hurried over it. Do you know, I was only given seventeen days in which to translate thirty numbers, and as I was attending the Dante rehearsals at the time, it meant that I had to work sixteen hours a day till it was finished, and oh! I was so tired."
"I should think so, indeed; but you have written plays and duologues too, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have done a good many duologues and monologues, many of them very well received by the public, I am glad to say. I wrote the words and Miss Liza Lehmann the music of a monologue called The Eternal Feminine."
"You must work frightfully hard. Have you any fixed time for writing, Miss Eldee?"
"No. I like to do it in the mornings, though of course when I want to get anything finished quickly, I do not keep to hours, but simply Work at it whenever I can."
"You have sung in Grand Opera at Covent Garden, have you not?"
"At Covent Garden, and at Stockholm. When La Bohemme was given here in 1901, I sang Musetta to Madame Melba's Mimi."
"And why did you take to drama?"
"Because my voice is a small, light soprano, and the roles which suited my voice did not appeal to my temperament, so I am trying to become an actress pure and simple, and only sing now at concerts and charity entertainments, and not on the stage."
Mr. James Hearn, who for some years has been a member of Sir Henry Irving's company, and played "Casella" in Dante, has a very remarkable talent for caricaturing.
"I want to know all about this talent of yours, please, Mr. Hearn - whether you were ever intended for an artist, or whether you have taken this up of later years?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I always loved drawing as a child, and even when I was quite small, used to delight in making funny portraits of people, or anyhow what I used to consider portraits in those days. No, I was never intended for an artist; in fact I may say that I am self-taught. There is very little time for taking up painting seriously, if one is acting; at least, such is my experience. You see I have been about a good deal with Sir Henry, and have consequently of late years had no time to study drawing properly. I often wish I had, for I am told that I am good at catching likenesses, and caricaturing comes to me so easily."
It is said that if Madame Melba had not taken up music as a profession, she would have made a name for herself in the sister art of painting, such extraordinary promise was there in pictures she painted when quite a child, and some of which she brought back with her on her return from her home in Australia.
Another operatic artiste who does more than sing and act is Miss Mary Garden, who plays both the violin and piano charmingly. The former she learnt when a child in Scotland, and she tells me that in those days even, her favourite composer was Chopin.
Mr. H. B. Stanford, the clever Juvenile Lead of Sir Henry Irving's company, employs his unprofessional hours in the pursuit of photography.
"I have," he says, "quite a large collection of views of various places in Africa, America, and of course England and Ireland."
"I suppose that was when you were touring?"
"Yes; I have got several bits of Johannesberg and Cape Town, took a photo just as we were crossing the Equator, and I am afraid took a keen joy in snapshotting the rickshaw boys at Durban."
"Why afraid? Did they object?"
"Rather. The poor little beggars believe they will die soon after their portrait is taken, so one has to catch them unawares."
"Have you ever had any adventures whilst photographing?"
"Well, I had a rifle levelled at me just as I was going to snapshot the fortress of Teneriffe. I did not know that it is forbidden to take any photo of it, and the sentry took me for a spy. I quickly hastened to reassure him, and do not possess any picture of that interesting spot."
If ever a man has artist written in his face, it is Mr.Martin Harvey, who studied drawing and painting at the Heatherley School, and also under Professor Brown. One evening I went to his house, and he was kind enough to bring out his portfolios, and show me some of his sketches. On one wall was hung a frame containing three portraits.
"Is that your work, Mr. Harvey?"
"Yes; those are three pastels I did of Sir Henry. They were exhibited at the Brasenose Club in Manchester. You see they are portraits of him in three of his best roles - Mephistopheles, Charles the First, and Louis XI"
"Do you only work in pastels?"
"No, I dabble in everything, I think - etchings, oil and water-colours. That is a portrait of my sister, that was exhibited in the Manchester Art Gallery," he added, pointing to what looked a remarkably good likeness.
"Am I right in thinking that you sketch places as well as people?"
"Yes; I love doing little bits of scenery as I pass through them. I did a lot of American sketches when I was touring with Sir Henry through the States. I had rather a funny adventure too," he added, with a chuckle of recollection.
"Oh, please tell me."
"It was on one occasion, when we were in Philadelphia, and I was very taken with one picturesque bit of the city, and thought what a nice sketch it would make. Immediately after breakfast, I hired a cab, and took all my paraphernalia with me, intending to paint from inside the cab, so as to avoid getting jostled by passers-by. I worked on steadily, hour by hour, taking no notice of my surroundings, until I heard a sort of hum of voices round me, and looking up, discovered that my cab was the centre of a huge crowd. The cabman had forsaken the box, got tired of waiting, I suppose, and concluded the horse would stand all right, and then been unable to force his way back again. I was in despair, for I had a call for rehearsal in a few minutes time, and there didn't seem any prospect of my getting to the theatre. At last a small boy crawled on to the top of my cab, and peering inside, yelled out, 'Why, it's only a painter chap after all,' in tones of intense disgust.
"I was very late for the rehearsal, for the crowd was so dense that it took a long time to clear the streets. Evidently people thought I was a lunatic, and the folk behind saw people looking and stopped, without knowing why, and so on, till the whole traffic was dislocated. My wife was sending messengers all over the place for me, thinking I had forgotten the 'call,' and messengers reported the congested thoroughfare. I never went sketching like that again."
Meantime I had been looking over numerous sketches and pastels portraying Sir Henry.
"A favourite subject with you, I should say?"
"Very. I used to love to stand in the wings, and catch the different expressions on his face. What a marvellous man he is!
It is not given to many actors to find themselves so celebrated in another profession as to be known all over the world. Mr. Brandon Thomas, one of the cleverest character-actors of the day, is the author of that most popular of plays, Charley's Aunt. He was good enough to see me in his 'workshop,' as he terms the charming study from which most of his work emanates. One cabinet in the room contains souvenirs of Charleys Aunt of all sizes and kinds, from a massive silver inkstand, surmounted by a figure of fame, which was presented to him in Germany, to the penwipers representing the Aunt, which were on sale in the shops.
"Do you write anything else besides plays, Mr. Thomas?"
"Some little songs, sometimes both music and words, sometimes the words only. Mr. Eugene Stratton once wrote that he looked on me as the father of coon song in England. He sang that one of mine, 'I lub a lubbly gal, I do,' for something between four and five thousand nights."
"May I have a look through that song-book of yours?"
"Certainly; it contains most of those I have written."
Inspection showed me "Sing along Sambo," several military ditties, among them one called "Tommy Atkins," which caused Mr. Hamilton to call his more modern tune, "Private Tommy Atkins," and two songs in The Pantomime Rehearsal, entitled "Diplomatic Fairies" and "Poor Little Fay," set to music by Mr. Edward Jones.
"About how many songs have you written altogether, Mr. Thomas?"
"Between twenty and thirty, I should say, and nearly twenty plays," added the author, with a smile.
"How you find time to do it, is the wonder to me, for you are nearly always acting."
"Well, I am a quick worker, once I have my idea. I wrote the rough draft of Charleys Aunt in three weeks, and my play Marriage only took me thirteen days.
"Oh, by the way, I was not entirely responsible for the last named. Mr. Keeling was my collaborator."
"Were not Comrades and The Colour Sergeant amongst your military plays?"
"Yes; and the last one that I have had performed is Women are so Serious, which I adapted from the French of M. Wollf."
Mr. Thomas has many art treasures, both in engravings and books, among the former being a most interesting collection of portraits of General Wolfe, and a very valuable drawing, done by one of the General's aides-de-camp, two days before the Battle of Quebec, where he died.
In his younger days, Mr. Lionel Brough was a journalist. He helped to publish the first number of The Daily Telegraph, and was afterwards on the staff of The Morning Post. Mr. Brough it was who first instituted the plan of selling papers in the streets. As a clubman, he is without a rival, for he belongs to nearly twenty of those institutions. He is also very fond of photography, and has taken many portraits and views with what he calls the old-fashioned cameras. But in answer to my inquiries as to whether he ever does any literary work now, the actor replied:
"No, I haven't done anything of the kind for many years; all my spare energies are now devoted to gardening, for though I can drive to my house from His Majesty's Theatre in fifteen minutes, I have a garden of more than an acre."
"And do you do anything in the painting line?"
"No, but I collect pictures. I have over six hundred in my house and I love them, and oh! I have forgotten to tell you that I have a mulberry tree over three hundred years old, that still yields me a goodly quantity of fruit."
So the once brilliant journalist, the now inimitable actor, spends his leisure time in scientific and practical gardening, surrounded by his dearly loved birds, beasts and fishes.
Miss Ellaline Terriss began composing fifteen years ago. Her greatest successes are "'Tis Only You," sung so often by Mr. Maurice Farkoa, as well as by its fail composer, and her "To-night," made popular by Mr. Scott Russel. Miss Terriss has never written any words to her songs; she leaves that for the most part to her husband, Mr. Seymour Hicks, himself so well known a playwright. She is very fond of the piano, and according to other people (not herself) is a very accomplished pianist. Miss Terriss prefers to work at her music in the aftemoon; nor does she confine herself to playing the piano, both the guitar and mandoline are favourite instruments of hers. As to the banjo, it will be remembered that as "Bluebell," and also in The Runaway Girl, she played this instrument on the stage.
It would be quite impossible to mention all the members of the theatrical profession who are blessed with more than histrionic gifts. Mr. H. B. Irving is the author of some learned law biographies, whilst his talented brother, Mr. Laurence Irving, is not only the translator of Sardou's plays but the author of some very charming ones. At the present time he is on tour with his latest creation, Richard Lovelace. Miss Annie Hughes recently made her debut as a playwright in the production of Lorna Doone, whilst Mr. Seymour Hicks is well known for his delightful plays. Mr. H. V. Esmond is another playwright of fame, Mr. Wilson Barrett yet another, whilst under the nomme-de-plume of Mr. Bemard Gould, one of the greatest caricature artistes of the day - Mr. Bernard Partridge - conceals his identity on the stage. Mr. James Erskine (the Earl of Rosslyn) acted as a War correspondent in South Africa. Yet again there is that clever actress Miss Elizabeth Robins, who for some years concealed her identity with the novelist C. A. Raimond. Her book "The Open Question" was the first published with her own name.
The Playgoer, Vol IV No 22, August 1903.