Edwardian Actress - Gabrielle Ray

Gabrielle Ray (28 April 1883 - 27 May 1972) was one of the most successful actresses of the Edwardian era, and became one of the most photographed women in the world. She was famous throughout Europe, and was described as "the most statuesque beauty that ever appeared on the English stage". Gabrielle Ray is one of my favourite Edwardian actresses, partly for her beauty, her interesting life, and that her birthplace is very near that of my family. Despite being extremely popular when young, after an unsuccessful marriage, Gabrielle Ray's life went swiftly downhill, ending in  very tragic circumstances. I have included some photographs of her from different periods in life.

Gabrielle Ray was born Gabrielle Elizabeth Clifford Cook near Stockport, England, and was one of six children. Ray first appeared in London's West End at the age of ten, and from then on became a successful actress of the English stage. As well as being a celebrated beauty, she became famous for her dancing; for example in The Orchid (1903) she danced in pink pajamas while singing, and in The Merry Widow (1907) her routine included handstands and high kicks, performed on a table held by four men. Ray's image was wanted by many, and she became one of the most photographed women in the world; her beauty viewed by millions through the relatively recent invention of picture postcards. Her sister, Gladys Raymond, was also an actress; she and Gabrielle performed together as the 'Sisters Ray'.

In 1912 Gabrielle Ray announced her retirement from the stage, and left to marry the wealthy Eric Loder. The marriage was an unhappy one and soon broke down; they divorced in 1914. The time was difficult for Ray, but she returned to the stage in '15, and took parts in two final plays in the West End. She occasionally appeared in pantomimes and minor plays, but by 1920 Ray had disappeared from the English stage; her previous fame was forgotten and she lived in obscurity, suffering from depression and alcohol abuse. In 1936 she had a severe mental breakdown and was institutionalized for nearly forty years. Gabrielle Ray died in 1973, at the age of 90, in Holloway Sanatorium. 

Edwardian Actress - Lily Elsie

Lily Elsie (8 April 1886 – 16 December 1962) was a popular English actress and singer, most famous for her role in Franz Lehar's operetta The Merry Widow. Lily Elsie has to be my most favourite of Edwardian actresses, and I consider her to be, perhaps, the most beautiful of women. As well as being a talented actress and singer, and a stunning beauty, she had an interesting and ultimately rather tragic life, which is not apparent from the many photographs and postcards bearing her image. I have included a small selection of images of Elsie, from different periods in her life - it was very difficult to chose; she is so beautiful!

Lily Elsie was born Elsie Hodder in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Elsie became a well known child star, known as 'Little Elsie', though she was reported to be very shy, even as an adult. By 1898 she had her first performance in London, and featured in many plays and pantomimes, touring across England. From about 1900 she adopted the stage name Lily Elsie.

Elsie's biggest and most popular success came from playing the title role in the English version of The Merry Widow. From 1908 the show was a big success, and Elsie became a star, even in America. She received many gifts, especially from male admirers, and her image was wanted by many advertisers. She became one of the most photographed women of the Edwardian Era. In 1915 the American newspaper, Atlanta Constitution, wrote of Elsie: 

"Perhaps her face is nearer to that of the Venus de Milo in profile than to any other famed beauty. There are no angles to be found about her any place.... If she came to America, she would undoubtedly be called the most beautiful woman in America. Nature never made a more brilliant success in the beauty business than she did with Lily Elsie. It was mostly from the nobility that her suitors came. Everyone agrees that Lily Elsie has the most kissable mouth in all England... she possesses the Cupid's bow outline with the ends curving upward delicately, all ready for smiles.... Strangely enough, the women of the land were among her most devoted admirers."

Elsie appeared in many other shows after The Merry Widow, and in 1911 she left the stage to marry Major John Ian Bullough (1885–1936), but the marriage was reported to be an unhappy one. She also suffered from many health problems, such as anemia, and had many operations while she was still performing. Though her husband wished her to retire from stage, for it was obviously stressful and damaging on her health, and she did so for a few years, she continued until 1920, when she moved with her husband to Gloucestershire. There Elsie enjoyed the ten year break from performing, before returning to the theatre for a few years. Her last performance was in 1928.

In 1930 Elsie's unhappy marriage ended in divorce and her health deteriorated rapidly; becoming a hypochondriac and spending much time in nursing homes. She was diagnosed with serious physiological ailments and even underwent brain surgery which apparently improved her situation somewhat. Lily Elsie died in St Andrews Hospital in London at the age of 76, where she had spent her last years.

Edwardian Actresses

I have many interests in different aspects of history, but one of my favourite is that of the Edwardian era. It was rather a short period of time, but was a time of great change; socially, politically, economically and in fashion. One particular interest I have from this period is that of Edwardian actresses. I do not quite know from where this interest comes, but I think it is the fact that in history we know very much about the events and deeds of people of a time and little of the people themselves, and that is what is fascinating, whereas with Edwardian actresses we know very little about the plays they performed in, for there is often no footage of the performances, but there are many photographs documenting them throughout their lives. This opposite situation I find extremely fascinating. Though, often very little is known of the actresses lives - we only have photographs and reviews of their plays and performances. It is quite sad, but interesting, that the actresses only survive through the postcards or photographs of them, and they are quite unknown to us, but at the time they were the celebrities of their day. I find it hard to imagine that in, say, 100 years time, people will have very little idea of who our contemporary celebrities are, because they are so well documented today.

Over the next few weeks I plan to write a post on a certain Edwardian actress and include some photos; just a small few from the often hundreds which would be taken of the women during their careers. Like many of us who like history, we are drawn to the bygone eras, and look upon them with a certain nostalgia, even though we have never lived through those times. What I find interesting about Edwardian actresses is the differences and similarities to our actresses and models of today. I find it rather sad that today, to be considered beautiful, an actress or model should be thin. They are extremely beautiful women, but it is sad that they have to be so thin to be considered so. So, what I love about the Edwardian actresses and models is that their fame is based on their talent and their natural beauty. Yes, they did wear corsets, but that was just common practice. It is interesting to note that many of the actresses considered to be the most beautiful and famous of the Victorian and Edwardian period were often rather large ladies, often standing over six foot.
The actresses I plan to write posts about are; Lily Elsie, Maud Allan, Gabrielle Ray, Constance Collier, Maude Fealy, Lina Cavalieri and Lillian Russell.

Lily Elsie

Maud Allan

Gabrielle Ray

Constance Collier

Maude Fealy

Lina Cavalieri

Lillian Russell