Edward Litt Laman Blanchard
Encyclopedia
Edward Litt Laman Blanchard, often referred to as E. L. Blanchard, (11 December 1820 – 4 September 1889) was an English
writer who is best known for his contributions to the Drury Lane
pantomime. He began writing plays and other literature to support himself as a teenager after his father died. He soon became a prolific creator of dramas and eventually gained critical acclaim for his works. He also served as a newspaper drama critic and mentored other writers.
, London
, the second son of the actor William Blanchard
. He was educated at Brixton
, Ealing
and Lichfield
, and accompanied his father to New York
in 1831. William died in 1835 when Edward was only 14 years old; Shortly afterwards, he dropped out of school and joined a travelling "oxyhydrogen microscope
" exhibition, even giving the lectures to the public himself on occasions. However, it did not pay well and he was eventually left stranded in the west of England
; fortunately he managed to borrow half a crown
from a scene-painter he had met in Bristol
, and walked back to London in 3 days.
In London, he embarked on a literary career. He soon started writing plays, and had written over 30 of them by the time that he turned 20. His initial plays were written under the pen name Francisco Frost. He was paid only £2 per play when he started writing, and wrote advertisements for businesses and comic songs for clowns to supplement his income.
Blanchard began contributing to Renton Nicholson's
The Town
at the age of 17. He began contributing articles to the paper shortly after it was launched in 1837 and continued writing for them for the next two years. He later described the articles that he wrote there as "social essays and dramatic notices". One of the first articles that he wrote for the paper described underground gambling in Leicester Square
. The articles The Town published on the gambling there were later credited with causing the London police to suppress the gambling there. Years later, after Nicholson's death, Blanchard defended Nicholson against some of his critics, contending that he was a kind and generous man who produced much "clever and utterly unobjectionable" work.
to write regularly for their plays. In 1845 a play that he wrote was staged at the Surrey Theatre
for the first time. He also served as a writer and editor for several periodicals in the early 1840s, including Punch
and The New London Magazine. He also edited a large work on William Shakespeare
by Samuel Phelps
.
Blanchard's most successful position was writing the Drury Lane pantomime
s. He contributed pantomimes for that theatre for 37 years. He was applauded for his skill in writing on a variety of different topics, including dramas, farces and burlesques. His work was often praised for good taste and moral themes, in addition to its imaginative qualities.
In 1858 he began writing for the The Daily Telegraph
. He later became the paper's dramatic critic. In that role he served as a mentor to Clement Scott
, who later became his successor. In 1859 Blanchard began writing for the Birmingham Daily Gazette, as well.
from 1876 until 1889. He had four children and often struggled to support his family due to the limited income he received from his writing. His wife Caroline was active in Louisa Hubbard's
Women's Emigration Society
that helped indigent young women from London emigrate to Australia or Canada.
He died on 4th September 1889 at Albert Mansions, Victoria Street, London, after a long illness described by the attending Doctor as "creeping paralysis". He was buried at Kensington Cemetery in Hanwell
.
In 1891 The Life and Reminiscences of E. L. Blanchard was published in two volumes. It was edited by Clement Scott and Cecil Howard and published by Hutchinson
. The book has been described as "a memorial of arduous and incessant struggles and, until near the end, of miserable pay" and "a delightful picture of one of the kindest, most genial and lovable of Bohemians - a man with some of the charm of Charles Lamb
".
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...
writer who is best known for his contributions to the Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
pantomime. He began writing plays and other literature to support himself as a teenager after his father died. He soon became a prolific creator of dramas and eventually gained critical acclaim for his works. He also served as a newspaper drama critic and mentored other writers.
Early life
Edward Blanchard was born at 28 Great Queen StreetGreat Queen Street
Great Queen Street is a street in central London, England in the West End. It is a continuation of Long Acre from Drury Lane to Kingsway. It runs from 1 to 44 along the north side, east to west, and 45 to about 80 along the south side, west to east...
, 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 second son of the actor William Blanchard
William Blanchard (comedian)
-Early life:Blanchard was born in York on 2 January 1769, and for a few years was educated at a private school in that city. Losing both his father, John Blanchard, and his mother, whose maiden name was Clapham, while he was still a child, he was left to the care of his uncle, William Blanchard,...
. He was educated at Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
and Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, and accompanied his father to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1831. William died in 1835 when Edward was only 14 years old; Shortly afterwards, he dropped out of school and joined a travelling "oxyhydrogen microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
" exhibition, even giving the lectures to the public himself on occasions. However, it did not pay well and he was eventually left stranded in the west of England
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
; fortunately he managed to borrow half a crown
Half crown (British coin)
The half crown was a denomination of British money worth half of a crown, equivalent to two and a half shillings , or one-eighth of a pound. The half crown was first issued in 1549, in the reign of Edward VI...
from a scene-painter he had met in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, and walked back to London in 3 days.
In London, he embarked on a literary career. He soon started writing plays, and had written over 30 of them by the time that he turned 20. His initial plays were written under the pen name Francisco Frost. He was paid only £2 per play when he started writing, and wrote advertisements for businesses and comic songs for clowns to supplement his income.
Blanchard began contributing to Renton Nicholson's
Renton Nicholson
Renton Nicholson was an English impresario, businessman, actor, and writer. He is best known for his Judge and Jury Society performances and for his ownership of the newspaper The Town....
The Town
The Town (newspaper)
The Town was a British newspaper that was published between 1837 and 1840. It generally covered the scandals and nightlife of London. Many of the topics written about in the paper were considered extremely vulgar at the time and it was often criticized for discussing these topics...
at the age of 17. He began contributing articles to the paper shortly after it was launched in 1837 and continued writing for them for the next two years. He later described the articles that he wrote there as "social essays and dramatic notices". One of the first articles that he wrote for the paper described underground gambling in Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
. The articles The Town published on the gambling there were later credited with causing the London police to suppress the gambling there. Years later, after Nicholson's death, Blanchard defended Nicholson against some of his critics, contending that he was a kind and generous man who produced much "clever and utterly unobjectionable" work.
Career
In 1841 Blanchard was hired by the Olympic TheatreOlympic Theatre
The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street, and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout much of its existence...
to write regularly for their plays. In 1845 a play that he wrote was staged at the Surrey Theatre
Surrey Theatre
The Surrey Theatre began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided contemporary London entertainment of both horsemanship and drama...
for the first time. He also served as a writer and editor for several periodicals in the early 1840s, including Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
and The New London Magazine. He also edited a large work on William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
by Samuel Phelps
Samuel Phelps
Samuel Phelps was an English actor and theatre manager...
.
Blanchard's most successful position was writing the Drury Lane pantomime
Drury Lane pantomime
The first English pantomime was Tavern Bilkers performed at Drury Lane in 1702. This started a popular tradition in which the annual Christmas pantomime at Drury Lane was the foremost entertainment of this kind....
s. He contributed pantomimes for that theatre for 37 years. He was applauded for his skill in writing on a variety of different topics, including dramas, farces and burlesques. His work was often praised for good taste and moral themes, in addition to its imaginative qualities.
In 1858 he began writing for the The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. He later became the paper's dramatic critic. In that role he served as a mentor to Clement Scott
Clement Scott
Clement Scott was an influential English theatre critic for the Daily Telegraph, and a playwright and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century...
, who later became his successor. In 1859 Blanchard began writing for the Birmingham Daily Gazette, as well.
Later life
Blanchard lived in Adelphi TerraceAdelphi, London
Adelphi is a district of London, England in the City of Westminster. The small district includes the streets of Adelphi Terrace, Robert Street and John Adam Street.-Adelphi Buildings:...
from 1876 until 1889. He had four children and often struggled to support his family due to the limited income he received from his writing. His wife Caroline was active in Louisa Hubbard's
Louisa Hubbard
Louisa Maria Hubbard was an English feminist social reformer and writer. She is best known for her activism for increased opportunities for women's education and employment....
Women's Emigration Society
Women's Emigration Society
The Women's Emigration Society was a 19th century English organization devoted to helping poor young women emigrate from England to the colonies of the British Empire...
that helped indigent young women from London emigrate to Australia or Canada.
He died on 4th September 1889 at Albert Mansions, Victoria Street, London, after a long illness described by the attending Doctor as "creeping paralysis". He was buried at Kensington Cemetery in Hanwell
Hanwell
Hanwell is a town situated in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, between Ealing and Southall. The motto of Hanwell Urban District Council was Nec Aspera Terrent...
.
In 1891 The Life and Reminiscences of E. L. Blanchard was published in two volumes. It was edited by Clement Scott and Cecil Howard and published by Hutchinson
Hutchinson (publisher)
Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
. The book has been described as "a memorial of arduous and incessant struggles and, until near the end, of miserable pay" and "a delightful picture of one of the kindest, most genial and lovable of Bohemians - a man with some of the charm of Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb was an English essayist, best known for his Essays of Elia and for the children's book Tales from Shakespeare, which he produced with his sister, Mary Lamb . Lamb has been referred to by E.V...
".