There is an old wives' saying, that pretty children often grow up plain, and _vice versâ_; but, as our readers may determine for themselves, Miss Ellen Terry has been always charming. And she has always been an actress. At the age of eight, as our first portrait shows her, she was playing as the child _Mamillius_ in the "The Winter's Tale," with Charles Kean's company, at the Princess's, and was already giving promise of the mingled power and charm which perhaps have never been more fully manifest than in the part of _Lucy Ashton_, which all London is now crowding the Lyceum to see. For all the photographs here reproduced we have to thank the kindness of Miss Terry. [Illustration: _From a Photograph by Messrs. Walker & Sons._ AGE 29.] [Illustration: _From a Photograph by Messrs. Lock & Whitfield._ AGE 30.] [Illustration: _From a Photograph._ AGE 39.] [Illustration: _From a Photograph by Mr. S. A. Walker._ AGE 42.] HENRY IRVING. BORN 1838. Mr. Irving wearing a moustache presents an unfamiliar aspect; but such was his appearance when, in 1867, he had just made his great success in "Hunted Down," at Manchester. The year after, Mr. Irving deprived himself of his moustache in order to play _Dorincourt_ in "The Belle's Stratagem," and appeared as in our second portrait--which, however, he assures us, is a shade too plump to be his accurate presentment. Ten years later, when Mr. Irving was preparing to amaze the world as _Hamlet_, at the Lyceum, his features had assumed the well-known aspect which they wear in our third portrait, and which is still more visible in the last of the series, which has been selected as one of Mr. Irving's favourites among the stock of photographs which he has very kindly placed at our disposal. [Illustration: AGE 29. _From a Photograph by Messrs. Elliott & Fry._] [Illustration: _From a Photograph by Messrs. Elliott & Fry._ AGE 52.] ALGERNON C. SWINBURNE. BORN 1837. It has been said that every poet destined to become famous has written a great poem before five-and-twenty. Mr. Swinburne is, however, an exception to this rule. He was seven-and-twenty when, 1864, he published "Atalanta in Calydon," his first great work, and the finest imitation of a Greek play ever written. Two years later, the first series of "Poems and Ballads" proved conclusively that the new singer who had arisen must be classed with Shelley at the head of all the lyric bards of England. Mr. Swinburne's appearance at that time is given in the first of our two portraits, which is said by those who knew him to be an admirable likeness. Nearly a quarter of a century has since elapsed, and it is interesting to notice how the course of years, which has failed to tame the fiery vigour of his verse, has wrought the younger aspect of the poet into the older and still finer one. [Illustration: _From a Photograph by Messrs. Maull & Co_. AGE 19.] [Illustration: _From a Photo. by Messrs. Sayer & Bird, Norwich_. AGE 28.]