Anne Oldfield
Encyclopedia
Anne Oldfield English
actress, was born in London
, the daughter of a soldier.
She worked for a time as apprentice to a seamstress, until she attracted George Farquhar
's attention by reciting some lines from a play in his hearing. She thereupon obtained an engagement at Drury Lane
, where her beauty rather than her ability slowly brought her into favour, and it was not until ten years later that she was generally acknowledged as the best actress of her time.
In polite comedy, especially, she was unrivalled, and even the usually grudging Colley Cibber
acknowledged that she had as much as he to do with the success of his The Careless Husband (1704), in which she created the part of Lady Modish, reluctantly given to her because Susanna Verbruggen
was ill. Of her portrayal of Lady Townly his The Provok'd Husband (1728), Cibber was to say, memorably, "that here she outdid her usual Outdoing." She also played the title role in Ben Jonson
's Epicoene
, and Celia in his Volpone
. In tragedy, too, she won laurels, and the list of her parts, many of them original, is a long and varied one.
She was the theatrical idol of her day. Her exquisite acting and lady-like carriage were the delight of her contemporaries, and her beauty and generosity found innumerable eulogists, as well as sneering detractors. Alexander Pope
, in his Sober Advice from Horace, wrote of her "Engaging Oldfield, who, with grace and ease, Could join the arts to ruin and to please." It was to her that he alluded as the lady who detested being buried in woollen, who said to her maid "No, let a charming chintz and Brussels lace Wrap my cold limbs and shade my lifeless face; One would not, sure, be frightful when one's dead, And Betty give this cheek a little red."
Oldfield was forty-seven when she died on 23 October 1730 at 60 Grosvenor Street, London. She divided her property, for that time a large one, between her natural sons, the first by Arthur Mainwaring (1668–1712) who had left her and his son half his fortune on his death and the second by Lieut.-General Charles Churchill
(d. 1745). Mrs Oldfield was buried in Westminster Abbey
, beneath the monument to Congreve, but when Churchill applied for permission to erect a monument there to her memory the dean of Westminster refused it.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress, was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the daughter of a soldier.
She worked for a time as apprentice to a seamstress, until she attracted George Farquhar
George Farquhar
George Farquhar was an Irish dramatist. He is noted for his contributions to late Restoration comedy, particularly for his plays The Recruiting Officer and The Beaux' Stratagem .-Early life:...
's attention by reciting some lines from a play in his hearing. She thereupon obtained an engagement at Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
, where her beauty rather than her ability slowly brought her into favour, and it was not until ten years later that she was generally acknowledged as the best actress of her time.
In polite comedy, especially, she was unrivalled, and even the usually grudging Colley Cibber
Colley Cibber
Colley Cibber was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber describes his life in a personal, anecdotal and even rambling style...
acknowledged that she had as much as he to do with the success of his The Careless Husband (1704), in which she created the part of Lady Modish, reluctantly given to her because Susanna Verbruggen
Susanna Verbruggen
Susanna Verbruggen , aka Susanna Mountfort, was an English actress working in London. Her first recorded stage appearance may have been as early as 1681 in D'Urfey's Sir Barnaby Whig...
was ill. Of her portrayal of Lady Townly his The Provok'd Husband (1728), Cibber was to say, memorably, "that here she outdid her usual Outdoing." She also played the title role in Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's Epicoene
Epicoene, or the Silent Woman
Epicœne, or The silent woman, also known as The Epicene, is a comedy by Renaissance playwright Ben Jonson. It was originally performed by the Blackfriars Children, a group of boy players, in 1609...
, and Celia in his Volpone
Volpone
Volpone is a comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy, black comedy and beast fable...
. In tragedy, too, she won laurels, and the list of her parts, many of them original, is a long and varied one.
She was the theatrical idol of her day. Her exquisite acting and lady-like carriage were the delight of her contemporaries, and her beauty and generosity found innumerable eulogists, as well as sneering detractors. Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
, in his Sober Advice from Horace, wrote of her "Engaging Oldfield, who, with grace and ease, Could join the arts to ruin and to please." It was to her that he alluded as the lady who detested being buried in woollen, who said to her maid "No, let a charming chintz and Brussels lace Wrap my cold limbs and shade my lifeless face; One would not, sure, be frightful when one's dead, And Betty give this cheek a little red."
Oldfield was forty-seven when she died on 23 October 1730 at 60 Grosvenor Street, London. She divided her property, for that time a large one, between her natural sons, the first by Arthur Mainwaring (1668–1712) who had left her and his son half his fortune on his death and the second by Lieut.-General Charles Churchill
Charles Churchill (governor)
Lieutenant General Charles Churchill was a British Army General and a Member of Parliament.-Career:Born the natural son of Elizabeth Dodd and General Charles Churchill and so the nephew of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, Churchill spent his early career in the British Army during the War of the...
(d. 1745). Mrs Oldfield was buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, beneath the monument to Congreve, but when Churchill applied for permission to erect a monument there to her memory the dean of Westminster refused it.
Further reading
- Lafler, Joanne (1989). The Celebrated Mrs. Oldfield: The Life and Art of an Augustan Actress, Southern Illinois University Press.