(Mrs Bernard Beere as Fedora)
Fedora is a play by French author Victorien Sardou who originally wrote it for the legendary French actress Sarah Bernhardt. I was unable to find the plot of the play, if anyone knows please let me know! It opened in France in 1882 and within a year an English translation by H. Merivale was ready to be staged in London starring both Mr and Mrs Bancroft the actor-managers of the Haymarket theatre. Mrs Bernard Beere starred as Fedora. Mrs Beere had made her debut on the stage in 1877 and moved from company to company until signing up with the Bancrofts in 1883. By the 1890s Beere had joined Wyndham's company of actors and played in many productions including Wildes' 'A Woman of No Importance' opposite Herbert Tree. Beere passed away in 1915 at the age of 59.
I found the photo above in the V&A's Theatre collection, you can read about the photo and a little about the history of theatrical photographs by clicking on this link... here.
There is online at www.abebooks.co.uk a programme for sale of the 1883 production of Fedora at the Haymarket... imagine that, a piece of Theatrical Ephemera from 129 years ago... so if you're interested in the item please click here.
Of course reading this you are probably wondering 'Does Fedora the play have anything to do with the hat?'. The answer would be yes. Sarah Bernhardt was such a trendsetter that when she wore the Fedora hat onstage, at the time the Fedora was a feminine style hat, it wasn't until the very late 1800s that it became more of a men's style.
I like this post. It is very interesting to find out about how this show was so popular in Paris that there was an English translation produced very quickly. I was also intrigued by the idea that we can still buy a programme for this show from an online bookshop. The only thing I wish I knew more about was your final paragraph which talks about Sarah Bernhardt's popularity. You say she was such a trendsetter that when she wore the hat onstage... but you do not finish the fact. It is something I would really like to know, please could you edit and update your post?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great blog!
Mr Squire