1874 Shakespearean Tableau

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: London, England, United Kingdom

The Shakespearean tableaux vivants were performed on 21 and 22 April 1874 in a small theatre at Cromwell House in South Kensington, the home of Charles James and Eliza Freake, to raise money for the National Orphan Home and the Victoria Hospital for Sick Children. The scenes were presented by noted artists, including the Pre-Raphaelite John Everett Millais. There was music too, with original compositions by Arthur Sullivan. Henry Irving gave dramatic recitations. The guests of honour were the Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, and the newly-wed Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred and his wife the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia.

The tableaux were photographed by Alexander Bassano. A copy of the album is in the Royal Collection.

Play	Role	Who	Possible identification
Much Ado About Nothing	Hero	Miss Armytage	Maude Charlotte Armytage (1852-1917)
Romeo and Juliet and and A Winter's Tale'	Friar Lawrence and Camillo	Colonel Armytage	Henry Armytage (abt.1828-1901)
~	Steward	Percy Armytage	Percy Armytage (1853-1934)
Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest	Benedick and Ferdinand	Mr Lionel Benson	Lionel Solomon Seymour Benson (1848-1929)
As You Like It	Touchstone	Arthur Blunt	Arthur Cecil Blunt (1843-1896)
A Winter’s Tale	Arranged	Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890)	Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890)
Romeo and Juliet and and A Winter's Tale'	Romeo and Florisel	G.V. Boyle	George Vere Boyle (1853-1887)
Much Ado About Nothing	Ursula	Miss Brett	Lucy Emilia (Brett) Gream (1852-1896)
Hamlet	Ophelia	Miss Susan Brett	Susan Katherine (Brett) Morris (1857-1934)
Macbeth and A Winter’s Tale	a doctor and Leonato	Captain A de Vere Brooke )	Alured de Vere Brooke (1841-1926)
Macbeth	a gentlewoman	Miss Brooke	Winifred Agnes Emily Brooke (1856-abt.1946)
Macbeth	Lady Macbeth	Mrs Trüninger	Harriett Georgina (Burrell) Trüninger (abt.1838-1904)
Merchant of Venice	Gratiano	Alfred J. de Sterne	Alfred (de Stern) Stern (1850-1917)
The Merry Wives of Windsor	Arranged	Edward Dicey (1832-1911)	Edward James Stephen Dicey (1832-1911)
~	Charles James Freake	hosts	Charles James Freake (1814-1884)
The Merry Wives of Windsor	Mistress Page	Miss Gilbert	Mary Florence Alexina Gilbert (1843-1911)
The Merry Wives of Windsor	Mistress Ford	Miss Maude Gilbert	Anne Maude Gilbert (1844-1932)
As You Like It and The Merry Wives of Windsor	Rosalind and Anne Page	Miss Gunnis	Mary Ann Elizabeth Ponton (Gunnis) Lloyd (1854-1942)
Hamlet and Macbeth	Arranged	Mr C E Hallé	Charles Edward Hallé (1846-abt.1914)
King John	Prince Arthur	Master Harbord	Geoffrey Walter Harbord (1861-1946) or Assheton Edward Harbord (1861-1929)
Merchant of Venice	Portia	Miss Alice Mainwaring of Whitmore	Alice (Mainwaring) Moore (1852-1878)
Romeo and Juliet	Juliet	Miss Julia Mainwaring of Whitmore	Julia (Mainwaring) Wilkinson (1857-1907)
As You Like It and The Tempest	Arranged	J E Millais RA	John Everett Millais Bt PRA (1829-1896)
King John and Much Ado About Nothing	Arranged	Mr J. O’Connor	John O'Connor (1830-1889)
King John and A Winter's Tale	Hubert and Polixenes	Sir William Palliser	William Palliser (1830-1882)
Merchant of Venice	Bassanio	Arthur Ram	Arthur Archibald Ram (1852-1905)
Merchant of Venice	Arranged	Mr J Sant	James Sant R A (1820-1916)
Merchant of Venice	Nerissa	Miss Sant	Sarah Fanny Constance (Sant) Gye (1856-1948)
Romeo and Juliet	Arranged	Mr E M Ward RA	Edward Matthew Ward (1816-1879)
~	Eliza Freake	hosts	Eliza Pudsey (Wright) Freake (1821-1900)
Hamlet and A Winter’s Tale	Gertrude and Hermione	Miss Harriet Young	Harriet Maitland Young (1840-1923)
As You Like It	Audrey	Miss Carnegie
A Winter’s Tale	Perdita	Miss Potter
A Winter’s Tale	Mopsa	Miss Griffith
Merchant of Venice	Jessica	Miss Tennant
The Tempest	Miranda	Miss Tennant
Hamlet	Hamlet	Mr Miles
Merchant of Venice	Shylock	Mr Safe
The Merry Wives of Windsor	Slender	Mr Semple?
As You Like It	Celia	Mrs Trapmann
Much Ado About Nothing	Beatrice	Mrs Wright
The Tempest	Prospero	Mr Mould
~	Costumes	Samuel May of Bow Street, Covent Garden

Audience

• Duchess of Sutherland
• Countess of Abergavenny
• Lady Cicely Hardy
• Laura Countess of Antrim
• Lady Robartes
• Lord and Lady Suffield
• Lady Bateman
• Lady de Houghton
• Lady Palliser
• Lady Cooper
• Lord Cremorne
• Hon. and Rev. E. and Mrs. Byng
• Mr. and Hon. Mrs. Tremayne
• Hon. Mrs. Armytage
• Sir Julius Benedict
• Sir Baldwin Leighton
• Hon. Captain and Mrs. Boyle
• Hon. Colonel and Mrs. Colville
• Captain Lytton
• Professor Donaldson
• Mr. Bramston
• Mrs. Milbank
• Mrs. O. Smith
• Mr. Augustus Lumley
• Mr. Francis Stephens
• Mr. Eric Smith
• Mrs. Clifford
• Mr. A D. Clarke
• Mr. and Mrs. E. Levy
• Mr. William Russell
• Mr. Ponsonby
• Mr. Monckton
• Mr. T. Brassey
• Mr. Frederick Clarke
• Mr. Brooke
• Mr. and Mrs. Millais
• M. C. Pellegrini
• Mr. Sant