Scene from the Children's Pantomime at the Adelphi. 1877. Source: The Illustrated London News of 22 January that year, p.60. Click on the image to enlarge it.
This is accompanied by the following text, under the heading, SCENE FROM “GOODY TWO-SHOES”:
Our illustration presents the pantomime characters, familiar to us of old time, as represented by professional men and women, but now, for the first time, at the Adelphi, by infant prodigies. Here we have the Clown by one Master Bertie Coote, Pantaloon by Master Meadows, Harlequin by Miss C. Gilchrist, and Columbine by Miss Carrie Coote. Novel as the business must have been to these children, they have adapted themselves to it with such cleverness as perfectly to gratify the public by exceeding all expectation in the degree of success which they have realised. The morning performances, in which they appear, continue to be patronised by appreciative audiences. [62]
The previous Saturday, 13 January, Lewis Carroll had gone up to London to see his friends, the Dubourgs, and to take their daughter Evelyn (b. 1861) to see a performance of this pantomime — "Evey," later the married Mrs. R. G. Alexander, would become his lifelong friend. At the performance, he was much taken with the young actress, Carrie Coote (b. 1870), who played Columbine. Indeed, he noted her as a future prospect to play the part of Alice on the stage. — Ray Dyer
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Image research and formatting by Jacquleine Banerjee. Click on the image to enlarge it. You may use the image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.
Bibliography
“Scene from the Children's Pantomime at the Adelphi." Illustrated London News. Vol. 70 (22 January 1877): 60. Internet Archive, digitized by the Kahle-Austin Foundation. Web. 6 September 2022.
Created 6 September 2022