Charles Kean (1811-1868), actor, threw in his Eton education when his mother was deserted by his penniless father, the tragedian Edmund Kean. Although dogged by his father's fame Charles built his own thespian reputation before sealing it as Hamlet at Covent Garden in 1838. He married Ellen Tree, the leading actress of her generation, and in 1848 Queen Victoria appointed him director of her private theatrical entertainments at Windsor Castle. From 1850 he also managed the Prince's Theatre, London, mounting an expensive series of innovatively-lit, historically faithful productions of Shakespeare. In late 1863 Kean and Ellen came to Melbourne under contract to George Coppin. After a month's performances in Melbourne they moved to Sydney, where they were entertained by Governor Young. In Ballarat they played ten nights in February 1864, reaping rich rewards from appreciative miners. After a series of illnesses and other vicissitudes in Melbourne they left Sydney in early July, pleased to see the back of the colonies. For Australians, however, the sober and respectable Keans provided an introduction to serious theatre.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010
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