Nellie Stewart
Nellie Stewart, born Eleanor Stewart Towzey[1] (20 November 1858 – 21 June 1931) was an Australian actress and singer, known as "Our Nell" and "Sweet Nell".
Born into a theatrical family, Stewart began acting as a child. As a young woman, she built a career playing in operetta and Gilbert and Sullivan operas. In the mid-1880s, she began a long relationship with the theatrical manager George Musgrove. In the 1890s, Stewart had fewer successful roles. Overwork had taken a toll on her voice, and she took several years off from performing, giving birth to a daughter with Musgrove.
In 1902, Stewart had one of her greatest successes in the title role in Sweet Nell of Old Drury, and found another success at the end of the decade in Sweet Kitty Bellairs. After this, she continued to perform in both comedy and drama, and worked in theatre management, through the 1920s.
Life and career
Stewart was born in
Early career
At about five years of age, Stewart played a juvenile role with Charles Kean in The Stranger, and as the years went on took children's parts in pantomime. In 1877, she sang and danced through seven parts in a family production called Rainbow Revels,[7] and in 1878 she played Ralph Rackstraw in an early production in Melbourne of H.M.S. Pinafore. In the following year she was a member of her father's company which toured India, and then went on to the United States to play a small town tour.[2]
Towards the end of 1880, she received an offer to play the principal boy in Sinbad the Sailor at Melbourne, which she accepted, and the pantomime had great success, running for 14 weeks and earning Stewart some recognition.
On 26 January 1884, Stewart married Richard Goldsbrough Row – "a girl's mad act" she called it in later years, for she discovered at once that she did not really care for her husband. They parted within a few weeks, and Stewart resumed her theatrical work. Among her principal parts in the next three years were Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Phyllis in Iolanthe, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, the title role in Princess Ida and Clairette in La fille de Madame Angot. She was a great favourite with the public, but her immense vitality led to restlessness and mannerisms which were commented on by the more intelligent of her critics, whom she afterwards thanked in her autobiography. About this time she formed an association with the well-known theatrical manager, George Musgrove, which lasted until his death.[9] She had an unbounded affection and admiration for him, and he was the "great and good man" to whose memory she dedicated her autobiography My Life Story.
In 1887 she retired from the stage for 12 months and went to London with Musgrove, returning to Australia in January 1888 to play in
In 1889 she played for a successful season in Paul Jones. She then went to London and played Susan in the unsuccessful Blue-eyed Susan, a burlesque written by George Robert Sims. The play was not a good one, and Stewart had difficulty overcoming her nervousness in London, seldom singing her best there. She felt depressed and later wrote that she was unable to give her natural vivacity full play. She retired for two additional years, during which time she gave birth to a daughter, Nancye Doris Stewart (1893–1973), the child of her lover Musgrove,[10] before returning to Australia. In September 1893, Stewart began playing a repertoire of nine operas including Gianetta in The Gondoliers and the title role in La Cigale. During the next two years, the principal parts in Ma mie Rosette and Mam'zelle Nitouche were among Stewart's successes.[2]
Later career
In 1895 she returned to London and, except for one small part in an unsuccessful play, did not appear on the stage for four years. During that period Musgrove had a great success in producing
When the
In 1904 and 1905, Pretty Peggy and Camille were added to the repertoire. A visit to America followed and Sweet Nell proved a great success in
A lean period followed and the effect of
In 1923 Stewart published her autobiography, My Life's Story, an interesting record of her life. In later years she made occasional appearances for charities, on one occasion at over 60 years of age playing Romeo in the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet to the Juliet of her daughter, Nancye. When nearly 70 years of age she played an astonishing revival of Sweet Nell of Old Drury, and took the emotional part of Cavallini in Romance in July 1930.
On 24 March 1931 by the Columbia Graphophone Company recorded Stewart and others performing extracts from Sweet Nell and the monologue "Nellie Stewart Addresses Her Public". Two months after Stewart's death, in August 1931,Columbia presented the Mitchell Library, in whose collection they now reside, with engraved silver canisters containing the original recordings.[15]
Summary
Stewart held a place by herself on the Australian stage. Beautiful in face and figure, full of vivacity, a natural actress, she had also an excellent
Death
Stewart died, aged 72, on 21 June 1931 at her residence, "Den o' Gwynne", Thompson Street,
Recognition
"Nellie Stewart bangles" became a popular fashion accessory for young Australian and New Zealand women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Usually worn on the upper arm, they were an emulation of Nellie Stewart's style. In 1886, as a token of thanks for her support of a fund to commemorate the death of General Gordon of Khartoum, Stewart was presented with 25 gold sovereigns. She had them made into a simple bangle which she wore on her upper arm for the rest of her life.[19][20] Jewellers, such as Angus and Coote, marketed the bangles.[21]
In 1930, a portrait of Stewart was painted by
In 1989, a $1 postage stamp was issued by Australia Post honouring Stewart together with J. C. Williamson.[28] In 2001, an exhibition at the Arts Centre, Melbourne, marked the 70th anniversary of Stewart's death.[19]
References
- ^ "Today's Yesterdays". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 17, 946. Victoria, Australia. 20 November 1934. p. 6. Retrieved 11 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ISBN 0-7269-9266-6
- ISBN 978-0-7022-3488-0.
- ^ Obituary, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 December 1936
- ^ "Death of Nellie Stewart". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 26, 474. Victoria, Australia. 22 June 1931. p. 7. Retrieved 11 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Rainbow Revels". The Ballarat Star. 8 April 1878. p. 2. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ a b Eime, Roderick. "Nellie Stewart – Australia's first star of the stage and screen". Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Australia's Idol – Nellie Stewart". Rowville Lysterfield History Project. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ "Lynton, Nancye Doris (1893–1973)", Australian Dictionary of Biography
- ^ "Programme of Celebrations". State Library Victoria. 1901. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Boyd, Annita (24 October 2014). "The Private and Public Life of Nellie Stewart's Bangle". Journal of Popular Romance Studies.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 August 2019). "Australian Movie Stars". Filmink.
- ^ "Nellie Stewart". Papers Past. 24 April 1915. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ Shirley, Graham. "The lost film of Nellie Stewart" (PDF). Openbook. Summer 2020. State Library of NSW: 72.
- ^ "Death of Nellie Stewart", Sydney Morning Herald, 22 June 1931, p. 10
- ^ "Late Nellie Stewart", Sydney Morning Herald, 24 June 1931, p. 12
- ^ "Miss Nellie Stewart", Melbourne Argus, 26 June 1931, p. 8; and "Miss Nellie Stewart", Melbourne Argus, 29 June 1931, p. 8
- ^ a b Van Straten, 2007
- ^ "Australian actress", Adelaide Advertiser, 23 February 1924, p. 20 (extract from autobiography)
- ^ Advertisement, Angus and Coote, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 April 1906, p. 3
- ^ "Miss Nellie Stewart", National Gallery of Victoria, 1930, accessed 26 January 2013
- ^ "Junior theatre league", Sydney Morning Herald, 11 June 1934, p. 5; "Nellie Stewart", Sydney Morning Herald supplement, 8 March 1934, p. 2; and "Junior playwright", Australian Women's Weekly, 7 December 1935, p. 33
- ^ "Nellie Stewart", Sydney Morning Herald supplement, 8 March 1934, p. 2
- ^ "Coming events" Sydney Morning Herald, 30 March 1934, p. 2; and "Nellie Stewart Memorial", Sydney Morning Herald, 27 April 1934, p. 4
- ^ "Garden of Memory", Sydney Morning Herald, 1 December 1936, p. 4
- ^ "Memorial unveiled", Sydney Morning Herald, 22 June 1938, p. 7
- ^ $1 postage stamp, Australia Post, accessed 27 January 2014
Sources
- Power, Bryan (2004). "Australia's idol – Nellie Stewart" in the Rowville-Lysterfield History Project.
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Stewart, Nellie". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
- Van Straten, Frank (2007). "Nellie Stewart 1858–1931", Live Performance Australia Hall of Fame website, retrieved 26 January 2014.
- Moratti, Mel. "Nellie Stewart", Melbourne "Table Talk", 12 April 1889, the Gilbert and Sullivan Down Under website. A search for "Nellie Stewart" on this site reveals many details of her career.
Further reading
- Stewart, Nellie (1923). My life's story, Sydney: John Sands.
- Warden, Ian (December 2008). "Nellie Stewart" (PDF). National Library of Australia News. XIX (3): 7–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- Shirley, Graham (Summer 2020). "The lost film of Nellie Stewart" (PDF). Openbook. 1 (1): 70–73.
External links
- Biography by Ailsa Craig from Australia Album – The Past in Pictures
- Nellie Stewart Collection in the Performing Arts Collection, the Arts Centre, Melbourne (costumes, news clippings, photographs, programmes, record sleeves etc.)
- A Nellie Stewart theatre poster at the State Library of Tasmania image collection.