The Postcard
A Wrench Series postcard bearing a photograph by Bassano.
The card was posted in Cheltenham on Friday the 11th. December 1903 to:
Miss E. Herbert,
28 Brunswick Street,
St. Paul's.
Local.
There was no message on the divided back of the card.
'The Toreador'
'The Toreador' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Harry Nicholls, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton.
It opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London, managed by George Edwardes, on the 17th. June 1901 and ran for an extremely successful 675 performances.
The show also enjoyed Broadway runs in 1902 and 1904 and toured internationally.
Key songs include "Captivating Cora", "I'm Romantic", "When I Marry Amelia", "Keep Off the Grass", and "Archie".
The Cast
It starred Marie Studholme, Gertie Millar, Harry Grattan, Edmund Payne, George Grossmith, Jr. and the young Sidney Bracy. Gabrielle Ray later joined the cast.
- George Grossmith Jr. played the part of Sir Archibald Slackitt, Bart. (Lieut. Welsh Guards).
- Marie Studholme played the part of Dora Selby (a Ward in Chancery) – Marie was later replaced by Adrienne Augarde.
- Lionel Mackinder played the part of Augustus Traill (of the British Consulate at Villaya).
Interestingly, Wikipedia states that the role of Nancy Staunton (friend of Dora) was played by Florence Collingbourne, not by Miss E. Sydney as recorded on the postcard.
Alexander Bassano
Alexander Bassano, who was born Alessandro Bassano on the 1st. May 1829 in London, was an English photographer who was a leading royal and high society portrait photographer in Victorian London.
Biography of Alexander Bassano
Alessandro Bassano was the second youngest child of Italian Clemente Bassano, originally a fishmonger of Cranbourne Street, later an oilman and warehouseman of Jermyn Street, London, and his English wife, Elizabeth Browne. He later anglicised his first name to Alexander.
Bassano received early artistic training with artists Augustus Egg and William Beverley. He opened his first studio in 1850 in Regent Street. The studio then moved to Piccadilly 1859–1863, to Pall Mall and then to 25 Old Bond Street in 1877. There was also a Bassano branch studio at 132 King's Road, Brighton from 1893 to 1899.
The Old Bond Street studio was decorated with carbon photographic prints and plaster busts, and was large enough to accommodate an 80-foot panoramic background scene mounted on rollers, which provided a variety of outdoor scenes or court backgrounds.
He took portraits of William Ewart Gladstone and monarchs such as Queen Victoria. Bassano's head of Lord Kitchener formed the basis of the Great War recruiting poster 'Your Country Needs You'.
Bassano retired from work at the studio around 1903, when the premises were extensively refurbished and relaunched as "Bassano Ltd., Royal Photographers".
The studio moved once again in 1921: a move written about by the Lady's Pictorial at the time. The article reported that about a million negatives, all systematically numbered, had to be moved from the cellars of the premises to the new location at 38 Dover Street.
The company became "Bassano and Vandyk" in 1964. The following year it incorporated Elliott & Fry, a photographic partnership that had been running in Baker Street since 1863. In 1977, the company became "Industrial Photographic", based at 35 Moreton Street, SW1.
Over 40,000 negatives from the Bassano Studios, including some by Alexander Bassano, are held in the National Portrait Gallery, London. The Museum of London holds a large number of the fashion-related plates.
The National Portrait Gallery held an exhibition of his work, 'Alexander Bassano: Victorian Photographer' in 2013, the centenary of his death.
The Personal Life and Death of Alexander Bassano
Alexander married Adelaide Rose Ainslie Lancaster (1825-1906) in 1850. They had a son, Clement George Alexander (1853-1899), and two daughters, Adelaide Fanny Louise (1850-1921) and Camilla Teresa ('Lily') (1859-1928).
Portraits of his wife and children are held in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Alexander died at the age of 84 on the 21st. October 1913 in West Acton, London.
Louisa Bassano
Alexander's sister Louisa Bassano was a noted singer and teacher. Louisa toured with the pianist Franz Liszt during his visit to the British Isles in 1840-1841.
She also sang the mezzo recitatives in the first English performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah conducted by the composer.
She was known as Miss Bassano until she married Frederick George Boddy Esq. in 1849, from which time she became known as Madame Bassano.
Louisa's husband died in 1853. She later taught singing, and was a member of the Royal Society of Musicians.
Lawrence Mumford
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, on the 11th. December 1903, Lawrence Quincy Mumford was born in Hanrahan, North Carolina. He was the eleventh Librarian of the United States Congress, from 1954 to 1974.
The Death of Lawrence Mumford
Lawrence died in Washington, D.C.on the 15th. August 1982.
