The Postcard
A postally unused Rotophot postcard that was published prior to June 1918. The photography was by Bassano. The card, which has a divided back, was produced in Berlin.
Miss Kitty Gordon
Kitty Gordon, who was born in Folkestone on the 22nd. April 1878, was an English stage and silent film actress.
Her first professional stage appearance was at the Princes Theatre in Bristol in 1901 in the touring production of 'San Toy'. She appeared in 'The Duchess of Dantzic' in 1903, the operetta 'Véronique' in 1904 and 'The Three Kisses' in 1907.
In 1909 she moved to New York City, where she became a regular on the New York stage.
She made her first film appearance in 1916 in 'As in a Looking Glass'. During the next three years she made twenty-one films.
On the 19th. October 1911, she starred in the debut of composer Victor Herbert's musical 'The Enchantress' at the New York Theatre. She continued her stage work from 1919 onwards. She also later made television appearances.
Being around Kitty was not healthy:
- Her first and never-mentioned husband was Maxwell James with whom she had a child, Vera. After his death, she married theatre manager Michael Levenston on the 10th. December 1903. He died on the 29th. March 1904, less than four months later.
- In October 1904, Kitty married Captain Henry Beresford (Born 1876, died 28th. January 1924 aged 47). Kitty's child became Cynthia Vera Beresford, who became an actress. In 1932, Kitty married Ralph Ranlet.
- On the 25th. June 1920, during a vaudeville performance in Chicago with her then-husband, Jack Wilson, and her daughter Vera, Gordon's stage gun discharged a live round and shot Joseph A. Hack, an offstage acrobat. He was injured in the arm and chest, but recovered.
Death of Kitty Gordon
Kitty died in a nursing home at the age of 96 on the 26th. May 1974, in Brentwood, New York.
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.
Her husband died in 1853. She later taught singing, and was a member of the Royal Society of Musicians.