Mary Anderson, A Friend of Sir Henry Irving
This black and white photograph is of Mary Anderson, the American Actress. Born in California in 1859, she made her first stage appearance as Shakespeare’s Juliet, at Macauley’s Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1875. She continued to perform in America, including New York, until 1883, when she appeared in London for the first time, performing at the Lyceum Theatre. She remained in London for six years, to perform to much acclaim including at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon.
In 1889, she collapsed on stage due to severe nervous exhaustion during a performance at Albaugh’s Theatre in Washington. Following this, she announced her retirement at the age of 30. Ordered to rest, she visited England once more, and married Antonio Fernando de Navarro, and they settled in the Cotswolds. She resisted encouragements to return to the theatre, but did a number of fund-raising performances during World War I in Worcester, Stratford and London. She died in Broadway, Cotswolds, aged 80.
