May 24, 1895, it was announced that Henry Irving, famous English actor/Manager of the Lyceum Theatre of London and friend and sponsor of Buffalo Bill Cody, would be knighted, the first time an actor was given such an honor. Irving was a well-known Shakespearean actor in 1878 when he took over the management of the Lyceum Theatre in partnership with Ellen Terry, a famous actress with whom Irving had a long-time love affair. When Buffalo Bills Wild West and Congress of Rough Rider of the World arrived in London in 1887, Irving already knew the famous scout and actor, having met him the year previously during a performance of the Wild West at the Erastina resort on Staten Island while Irving was performing on Broadway with his own company. Irving took Cody to the Savage Club a famous mens club comprised of artists, poets, actors and authors, and sponsored his membership in the club. Upon Irvings death a photo of himself was found in his wallet with the photo of a lady glued to the back of it. For nearly one hundred years it was thought ot be a photo of Ellen Terry, his lover. But it has recently been determined to be a photo of Zare Thalberg the famous singer who lost her voice in early youth and became an actress. Here is a photo of the first man knighted for being an actor from the Library of Congress, showing him in a dark image that helps us to understand how he could serve as the inspiration for his longtime friend and employee Bram Stokers book, Dracula. . A carte de visite for Ellen Terry from the Meserve Kunhardt Collection. Also from Meserve Kunhardt a visiting card for Zare Thalberg and finally the Pocket book photo carried in Henry Irvings wallet, glued back-to-back with his own. Im sorry, I dont have a photo of Irvings wife.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 17:00:27 +0000
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