Charlotte Saunders

A carte-de-visite portrait of the actress Charlotte Saunders (1825-1899), seen here habillée en civil.

Charlotte Saunders never married. She died at Kettering in Northamptonshire on 31 March 1899, leaving an estate valued at £229.

'By the death at Kettering on Good Friday of Miss Charlotte Saunders, another link with a past generation of actors and actresses may be said to have been severed. The deceased lady had attained the age of seventy-three, and had lived in retirement in the quiet little Northamptonshire town about fifteen years. Miss Charlotte Saunders was born in London, and began her professional career in childhood, making her first appearance on the stage in May, 1833, at Wakefield (Yorkshire), in the part of [the] Duke of York in Shakespeare's Richard III. Afterwards she acted many children's parts [...] After some years' practice in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham[...], Glasgow, and Edinburgh, Miss Saunders made her first appearance on the London stage at the Marylebone Theatre under Mrs Warner's management in August, 1847, as Mopsa, in A Winter's Tale' (The Era, 8 April 1899).

The obituary goes on to list in some detail many of her achievements on the British stage, and makes special mention of her 'acting what were then known as "Vestris parts" in [...] burlesque extravaganzas, and in which she gained considerable reputation.' The actress Madame Vestris had earned extraordinary success in the 1820s performing in male roles, which were known at the time as 'breeches parts' when performed by a woman.

Photographed by F.R. Window of London.

[From an album compiled by the actor and author Charles Daly.]