Mrs. Mowatt went to England in the autumn of 1847, where her success was
as marked as in her own country, and more, perhaps, to her professional
credit. She had to contend with a certain prejudice against her
nationality, which still existed in Britain; she was compared with the
leading English actresses of long experience in their own familiar
_roles_, and she could not depend upon the social popularity and personal
good-will which were so strongly in her favor at home. Her English _debut_
was made in Manchester a few weeks after her arrival. Her first appearance
in London was at the Princess's Theatre on the 5th of January, 1848; Mr.
Davenport, who had played opposite characters to her during her American
tours, giving her excellent support during her English engagements. She
returned to America in the summer of 1851, greatly improved in her
personal appearance and in her art. Her subsequent career here, as long as
she remained upon the stage, was marked with uniform success, the
reputation she had acquired on the other side of the water establishing
even more strongly her claims on this.
Mrs. Mowatt, after nine years of experience as an actress, took her
farewell of the stage at Niblo's Garden on the evening of the 3d of June,
1854. As her _Autobiography_ was published during the preceding year her
reason for this step is not given, unless it was her marriage to Mr.
Ritchie a few days later. The occasion was very interesting. A
testimonial signed by many of the leading citizens, and highly
eulogistic, was presented to her, and her last appearance created as great
an excitement in the dramatic and social world as did her first. The play
selected was _The Lady of Lyons_, the same in which she made her _debut_.
Old play-goers who still remember her consider her one of the most
satisfactory Paulines who have been seen in this country, and the part was
always a favorite of her own. On the last play-bill which contains her
name are found as her support the names of Walter G. Keeble, who played
Claude; of George H. Andrews, then a favorite "old man," who played
Colonel Damas; of T. B. De Walden, who played Glavis; and of Mrs. Mann,
who played Madame Deschapelles. Mrs. Mowatt never again appeared here, or
elsewhere, in any public capacity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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