In the 18th and early 19th centuries, an actress was considered little more than a prostitute. In the mid-19th century, attitudes began to change. It became popular among the wealthy to entertain leading actors and actresses.
The life of actors and actresses was difficult, requiring great physical stamina. In addition to a grueling performance schedule, actors had to withstand stagecoach, early riverboat travel, and makeshift lodgings. Actors often rehearsed three plays a day and then prepared for the night’s performance. By the Civil War, the season was varied and demanding. A season could consist of 40 to 130 plays, changing nightly. Utility actors in a company might be expected to know over 100 parts. The famous actress Charlotte Cushman could offer 200 different lead roles. Actors often had only two days or overnight to learn a new script.
In the antebellum period, beginning actors’ salaries ranged from $3 to $6 per week; utility players’ salaries from $7 to $15 per week; “walking” ladies and gentlemen, $15 to $30; and lead actors earned anywhere from $35 to $100 per week. Traveling stars could command $150 to $500 per 7- to 10-day engagement, plus one or more benefits. Except for the lowest ranks of actors, salaries were good at this time, especially for women, though they were paid less than men in comparable roles and must furnish their own costumes.
Many 19th-century actors and actresses came from theatrical backgrounds and started as child actors. “Child stars are an American tradition…but no period surpasses the mid-1800s for the sheer number of children appearing in live theatrical events or the degree of seriousness with which they were taken.
“Because the theatre has been remarkably free-thinking, women in the profession have always been relatively equal to their male colleagues. Bad managers have absconded with their salaries equally; audiences booed them equally; they starved equally between engagements; and their contributions to the traditions of the theatre have been equally forgotten.”(Turner) Women’s roles became somewhat ambiguous. Tradition required women to be delicate, fragile, and dependent. But, to withstand the rigors of the acting profession, they needed to be resilient, independent, strong-willed, and determined.
One more almost pleasant expectation was the dealing with fashions of the day. Clara Morris recounted that long trains on dresses were particularly vexing. She tells a story of Fanny Davenport moving continually on a crowded stage during a comedy scene and ending up with her trailing skirts tangled around a chair so that when she exited the stage, the chair went with her.
Neither Bernhardt or Duse had a promising start. Duse was born to a family of street musicians, making her professional debut at age four when she was pushed onto a stage to play Cosette in an early Les Misérables. Bernhardt, the daughter of a high-class courtesan, used her mother’s connections to get a spot with the famed Comédie-Française, only to suffer such terrible stage fright that she was let go.
Bernhardt excelled in the dramatic poses and exaggerated gestures early 19th-century actors used to convey character’s emotions so that even audience members in the cheap seats could follow what was going on. Her mastery of the technique won her devoted fans. Oscar Wilde wrote Salome for her, and Mark Twain raved, “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses—and then there is Sarah Bernhardt.”
Bernhardt traveled with a menagerie of exotic animals, marketed merchandise bearing her likeness from souvenir cards to bottled drinks, gave provocative interviews about her sex life, had herself photographed sleeping in a coffin, and, during her first U.S. tour in 1880, demanded $1,000 a performance (about $25,000 today).
Less flashy, Duse’s name might have been less familiar to modern audiences, but some considered her acting style more influential. Fourteen years younger than Bernhardt and more of an introvert by nature, Duse adopted a form of acting that sought to disappear within the characters she played. Thus, her gestures tended to be smaller and more naturalistic than most. Instead, she relied on the expressiveness of her face, which the newly introduced gas lighting helped illuminate.
But despite their acclaim, both women faced obstacles in pursuing their careers. Bernhardt, whose mother was Jewish, experienced anti-Semitism. Duse suffered from depression and bad choices in men, several of whom spent her money and left her in debt.
Men saw actresses either as mystical goddesses or trollops to socialize with in a more dignified way than visiting the local whorehouse.
From 1870-1880 the number of women listing “actress” as their profession rose from 780 to 4,652 (596%). By 1910, 15,432. This influx of women saw 25 new women to every new man, indicating economic opportunity, social and sexual independence. Women obtained wealth, mobility, and social power through the theater.
Stars could command a salary of up to $150 a week, while most chorus or ballet girls made between ten and twenty-five. Few were paid for rehearsal time, and players had long layoffs since the theater season lasted for thirty to forty weeks a year. Costumes cost between three hundred and four hundred dollars a season.
For all the apparent drawbacks of life on stage, there was also glamour, excitement, and public admiration. The theater lured women and gave those usually stuck in unrewarding jobs money, fame, and an opportunity to become a star.
Do you like reading about women trying to become actresses in the old west?
Would you have liked to be an actress in the old west?
I will do a giveaway of one ebook of my latest western, LULA MAE, one of my fantasy, A KISS AND A DARE, and also, a $5 Amazon card. Each of three winners will get one of these.
Charlene likes to say she began her fiction career in the third grade when she told the class, during Show and Tell, that a black widow spider came down from the garage roof and bit her (non-existent) little sister to death.
After two years of college as a fine arts major, and a divorce, she moved to Utah, planning to wow the world with her watercolor landscapes—until her sister introduced her to romance novels. She never picked up a paint brush again.
Originally published by Kensington in the ‘90s, Charlene is an Indie author now. She writes Victorian/western historical romance, except for one unpublished contemporary fantasy. It’s a frog princess story about a man napping beside a pond, who awakens when a frog jumps on his chest. The frog kisses him and voila!—he has a naked medieval princess sprawled over him. Charlene has a vivid imagination and a romantic soul.
Please excuse her now. She just heard a husky whisper from one of the dusty, shadowed corners of her office. Someone lurks there, someone long, lanky and lascivious, beckoning to her. She has no intention of playing coy.
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I find it fascinating. But, I don’t think it’s a job I would have wanted.
Me either, Denise. Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas
I’m not particularly fond of reading about actresses in the old west and I definitely wouldn’t want to be one. Give me a homestead any day!
I feel the same way. Privacy, please. Thanks for dropping by.
I do like reading about actress in the old west but not as a lead character. No I would not of wanted to be one.
I think most of us feel that way, Kim. I would die if I had to go up on a stage.
I like strong, independent women that go after whatever they want. An actress’s life sounds challenging with all the speculation and misconceptions about their lives and morals.
I would never want to be an actress. I would hate the lack of privacy, the negative criticism, the traveling and the hours.
Thanks for all the interesting information about an actress’s life.
Merry Christmas!
I would hate the lack of privacy too, the notoriety. I hate being in the spotlight. Thanks for reading.
I enjoyed this article very much but I don’t think I would have wanted to be an actress.
You’re not alone, Rhonda. If you put me on a stage, I’d hide behind the curtain.
Thanks for the great post. I Would have wanted to be an actress but I think carefully.
I wonder if it was as hard to get into the business as it is today. Somehow I doubt it. Thanks, Debby.
How interesting,; would not have wanted to be an actress.
Hi, Julie. Merry Christmas. Thanks for coming.
I do like to read about them wanting to be an actress, but I could never be one myself.
Me either. I’d rather write books. Thanks for reading my post.
I do NOT want to ever be an actress – being in the limelight is not for me! Thanks!
Some people thrive on it, but not me. Thanks.
Happy Birthday Charlene !!!
I do not ever want to be an actress back then or now. I do enjoy reading about them though.
Thank you, Quilt Lady. How sweet of you to remember. Merry Christmas.
Although I did play a part in a couple of school class plays, I do not believe I would have made a good actress as I used to be kind of shy around strangers, but more open and energetic around those I knew. I do like reading about the history of this profession as well as many others. History like this is very interesting.
In high school I was in a production of Carouseli, but in the choir so in the background. That’s where I belong.
In the Old West, it might have been fun to try it but doubt I would have made the cut. Too clumsy and i can’t sing.
Me either, Joye. Love how you spell your name, so unique. Thanks for reading.
welcome today what a fascinating post today. these women really seemed to have a hard life. no I would not like to be an actress. even today. I am an introvert and have been quite happy being in the back helping with makeup and clothes when my husband and son would perform. that is so funny about her skirt getting tangled on a chair and her dragging the chair off stage with her. unfortuately I can not accept either e-book right now. my tablet needs to be replaced. arrrgggghhhh what a time for this to happen. oh well. I would love to read Lulu Mae. On my list for when I do have a tablet. Merry Christmas to you and yours
Hi, Lori. So your husband and son perform? How interesting. Do they do local theater or what? Sorry about your tablet.
I would not want to be an actor. I had wanted to be a model though. No speaking in public! However, I didn’t want to have my body criticized to nth degree. A friend of mine went to an agency and they told her she needed to lose weight in her thighs! I thought”no way am I going to go through that!”. These books look interesting and I’ll be looking up others you’ve written!
Thanks, Gloria. I could never act. Too bashful. I’d shake to death on a stage.
It sounds interesting,but it’s a job I would never want. I tried out in school onetime and decided I was happy I didn’t get the part.
That’s how I would be too. When I was a Golden Heart finalist, I went to the conference and when they were getting ready to announce the winner I prayed it wouldn’t be me so I wouldn’t have to go up on that stage
haven’t read any yet, not me
Thanks for commenting and reading my blog.
Charlene, welcome back, lady! This is so interesting. I’ve never known much about actresses back then. Some are very pretty. I’m glad they found something respectable to make a living at. I never had any desire to act. It terrified me to get in front of people. Wishing you much success and I’m hoping you can find another project like the Love Train. That was fun. Merry Christmas!
Hi, Linda. I wish I could come up with another Love Train series. I miss communicating with all the authors and being active in a series. Merry Christmas to you too.
Happy birthday, Charlene!! I loved your blog – and I’m glad the actresses finally overcame the stigma of their profession. I could never be one, for sure. My throat would close up, and I’d forget my lines!
Merry, merry Christmas, my friend.
Thanks, Pam. I could never act either. Love having my books noticed but not me. Merry Christmas to you too.
This post is fascinating and wonderful. Being an actress at that time would have been extremely entertaining but fraught with problems too. Anything about the Old West interests me greatly.
Glad you enjoyed the blog, Anne. I don’t think I could have dealt with the problems of acting back then. I’m too bashful.
What a most interesting historical. The era and living in the Old West has always captivated me. The characters and their life choices and the future. An actress at anytime is at her peril.
Yes, I love the old west. Wouldn’t want to really live in that time though. I like modern plumbing too much.
I enjoy reading about actresses back then, but I don’t think I’d want to be one. It sounds quite exhausting.
I would freeze on a stage and forget my lines. Thanks for reading, Megan.
I have a huge amount of respect for women with talent and the perseverance to become actresses during that time. I would not have had the courage to do it, especially since I also lack the talent.
I’m with you on that, Cherie. I have no acting talent and wouldn’t enjoy being on a stage. Thanks.
It has always been hard for women in entertainment in the past. In Shakespeare’s time the standard was to have a man play the female’s roll.
History in general is an interest of mine. Stories of women making their way in the world are of special interest. They have had their paths blocked so many times to prevent them from succeeding. I can see how acting would be an attractive option. Women were needed for parts and in “modern” times those roles were not able to be played by men. Since a degree of independence was apart of the job, it allowed them something they would have in few other areas. It would be interesting to find out more about just what their way of life was in addition to other options they had.
Thank you for the quick lesson. I hope you have an enjoyable Holiday Season and a wonderful 2023.