Lottie Venne

Lottie Venne (28 May 1852 – 16 July 1928) was a British comedian, actress and singer of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, who enjoyed a theatre career spanning five decades.Born as Hannah Charlotte Venne, her first professional appearance came in 1867 as Miss Charbonnel in A Dream in Venice at the Gallery of Illustration in London, followed by two years touring in the provinces.[2] In London, in 1870, Venne played Susan Piper in A Bull in a China Shop, a comedy by Charles Mathews at the Haymarket Theatre.[5] In 1882, she was Nettie Milsom in The Manager and starred as Mary Ledger, with Marion Terry and Johnston Forbes-Robertson, in G. W. Godfrey's comedy The Parvenu at the Court Theatre."[7] In 1883, she was Marceline in Lurette, Fleurette in Barbe-Bleue[5] and Peg O'Reilly in The Glass of Fashion by Grundy at the Globe Theatre, with Herbert Beerbohm Tree.[10] Barrington commented, "This great little artist possesses, in addition to her many charms, a wonderful manner of speaking that kind of doubtful line which is sometimes alluded to by journalists as 'skating on thin ice'; and this power was occasionally abused by authors, much to her distress.[17] Later stage appearances included the role of Mrs Shuttleworth, with Charles Hawtrey and Gladys Cooper, in Maugham's Home and Beauty in 1919 at the Playhouse Theatre.starring Dion Boucicault, Jr., Gwen Ffrangcon Davies, Ronald Squire, Marie Lohr, Johnston Forbes-Robertson, Gladys Cooper, Gerald du Maurier and others.Others who took part in the celebration included Sonnie Hale, Henry Ainley, Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Marie Tempest, Madge Kendal (who gave the tribute to her) and George Grossmith, Jr.[21] Venne married actor Walter H. Fisher, with whom she had performed early in her career on tour, in The Happy Land and in Trial by Jury.Venne's obituary in The Times commented that her "knowing smile, a smirk that was all her own, made her a personality regarded with real affection during her long [career]".
Lottie Venne in a Rotary postcard, c. 1910
Venne in 1889
VictorianEdwardian erasmusical burlesqueF. C. BurnandW. S. GilbertCharles HawtreyGallery of IllustrationWalter H. FisherCharles MathewsHaymarket TheatreJohn Baldwin Buckstonemusical burlesquesFrancis TalfourdLittle Jack SheppardAlhambra TheatreLa Vie parisienneCourt TheatreThe Happy LandGilbert Arthur à BeckettStrand TheatreH. B. FarnieBroken HeartsPrincess TotoFrederic ClayGilbert and SullivanTrial by JurySydney GrundyDiplomacyEffie BancroftThe Red RoverRoyalty TheatreThe ZooB. C. StephensonArthur SullivanCriterion TheatreG. R. SimsYoung Mrs. WinthropGaiety TheatreComedy TheatreE. H. SothernMarion TerryJohnston Forbes-RobertsonLuretteGlobe TheatreHerbert Beerbohm TreeArthur Wing PineroThe MagistrateRobert BuchananTom JonesVaudeville TheatreW. S. PenleyMrs. BardellRutland BarringtonArthur CecilPickwickEdward SolomonT. W. RobertsonLondon AssuranceDion BoucicaultAvenue TheatretravestyOscar WildeLady Windermere's FanCharles BrookfieldSeymour HicksEdwardian musical comedyGeorge EdwardesThe Gaiety GirlAn Artist's ModelThree Little MaidsEva MooreLewis WallerLillie LangtryGarrick TheatreThe School for ScandalSavoy TheatreEric LewisW. Somerset MaughamMarie LohrPlayhouse TheatreThe RivalsRichard Brinsley SheridanLyric TheatreHis Majesty's TheatreWorld War IGladys CooperHome and BeautyA. A. MilneLyric Theatre, HammersmithJ. M. BarrieDion Boucicault, Jr.Gwen Ffrangcon DaviesRonald SquireGerald du MaurierSonnie HaleHenry AinleyJack HulbertCicely CourtneidgeMarie TempestMadge KendalGeorge Grossmith, Jr.The TimesThe StandardBritish Newspaper ArchiveThe Glasgow HeraldThe Play PictorialIllustrated London NewsNational Portrait Gallery