Priscilla Horton, la ninfa de cabellos dorados: una actriz convertida en gerente teatral en el Londres victoriano / Pricilla Horton, the Nymph with the Golden Locks: An Actress Turned Theatre Manageress in Victorian London
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Resumen
En este artículo repasamos la vida de Priscilla Horton (1818-1895), actriz y gerente de teatro del siglo xix más conocida como Mrs. German Reed. A menudo olvidada en los volúmenes dedicados al estudio del teatro victoriano, su trayectoria nos permite descubrir la situación social de las actrices de la época y las dificultades a las que debían hacer frente. Sin embargo, a diferencia de muchas otras, Horton disfrutó del favor de sus contemporáneos gracias a su talento sobre los escenarios. Además, su matrimonio con Thomas German Reed (1817-1888) y la posterior creación del Gallery of Illustration en Regent Street, Londres, le otorgó un nuevo estatus de patrona de las artes y de mujer refinada. Junto a su marido, Horton impulsó un nuevo género a mediados del siglo xix, el «entretenimiento de salón» o drawing-room entertainment, atrayendo incluso a la élite que consideraba el teatro como vulgar e inmoral.
Palabras clave: Priscilla Horton, Mrs. German Reed, actriz victoriana, teatro inglés victoriano, entretenimiento de salón.
Abstract
In this article, I scrutinize the life of Priscilla Horton (1818-1895), a nineteenth-century actress and theatre manageress, better known as Mrs. German Reed. Oftentimes forgotten in the volumes dedicated to the study of Victorian theatre, her career in the theatre scene exemplifies the social situation of the actresses of the time and the difficulties they faced. However, unlike many others, Horton enjoyed the favor of her contemporaries thanks to her talent on stage. Moreover, her marriage to Thomas German Reed (1817-1888) and the establishment of the Gallery of Illustration in Regent Street, London, endowed her with a newfound status of patroness of arts and refined woman. Next to her husband, Horton promoted a new dramatic genre in the mid-nineteenth century: the drawing-room entertainment. In the end, the Reeds’ establishment made theatre popular amongst the elite circles who claimed that theatergoing was sinful and immoral.
Keywords: Priscilla Horton, Mrs. German Reed, Victorian actress, Victorian English theatre, drawing-room entertainment.
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