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{{Short description|English actress (1737–1815)}}
[[Image:Joshua Reynolds - Mrs Abington.jpg|thumb|300px|Portrait by [[Joshua Reynolds]].]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Frances "Fanny" Abington''' (1737 – [[4 March]] [[1815]]) was a [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] [[Actor|actress]].
{{Infobox person
|name = Fanny Abington
|image = Joshua Reynolds, Mrs Abington (c1737 - 1815) as The Comic Muse, 1764-68 at Waddesdon Manor.jpg
|image_size =
|alt = an elegant lady leaning on a velvet drapery on a mantel
|caption = Portrait by [[Joshua Reynolds]]
|birth_name = Frances Barton
|birth_date = {{Birth-date|1737}}<ref name=EB>{{Cite encyclopedia |editor-first=Dale H. |editor-last=Hoiberg |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |title=Abington, Fanny |edition=15th |year=2010 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. |volume=I: A-ak Bayes |location=Chicago, IL |isbn=978-1-59339-837-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/33 33] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/33}}</ref>
|birth_place = London, England
|death_date = {{Death date|df=yes|1815|03|04}}<ref name=EB/>
|death_place = London, England
|nationality = British
|other_names = Nosegay Fan
|education =
|alma_mater =
|occupation = Actress
|years_active =
|employer = [[Haymarket Theatre]], [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane]], [[Covent Garden]]<ref name=EB/>
|organization =
|agent =
|known_for =
|notable_works = Lady Teazle in [[The School for Scandal]]<ref name=EB/>
|style =
|spouse = James Abington
|partner = <!-- unmarried life partner; use ''Name (1950–present)'' -->
|children =
|parents =
|relatives =
|awards =
}}
'''Frances Abington''' ({{nee|'''Barton'''}}; 1737 – 4 March 1815) was an English actress who was also known for her sense of fashion.<ref name=EB/> Writer and politician [[Horace Walpole]] described her as one of the finest actors of their time, and [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]] was said to have written the part of Lady Teazle in ''[[The School for Scandal]]'' for her to perform.<ref name="Nussbaum">{{cite book |last1=Nussbaum |first1=Felicity |title=Rival queens : actresses, performance, and the eighteenth-century British theater |date=2010 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-0812206890 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkZlINhbj0IC |access-date=19 November 2021 |pages=226–264}}</ref><ref name=highfill/>


==Early life==
She was born '''Frances Barton''', the daughter of a private soldier, and began her career as a flower girl and a street singer. As a servant to a [[France|French]] [[milliner]], she learned about costume and acquired a knowledge of [[French language|French]] which afterwards stood her in good stead. Her first appearance on the stage was at [[Haymarket (London)|Haymarket]] in 1755 as Miranda in [[Susannah Centlivre|Mrs Centlivre]]'s play, ''Busybody''. In 1756, on the recommendation of [[Samuel Foote]], she became a member of the [[Drury Lane]] company, where she was overshadowed by Mrs Pritchard and [[Kitty Clive]]. In 1759, after an unhappy marriage to her music teacher James Abington, a royal trumpeter, she is mentioned in the bills as "Mrs Abington". Her first success was in [[Ireland]] as Lady Townley (in ''The Provok'd Husband'' by [[John Vanbrugh|Vanbrugh]] and [[Colley Cibber|Cibber]]), and it was only after five years, on the pressing invitation of [[David Garrick]], that she returned to Drury Lane. There she remained for eighteen years, being the first to play more than thirty important characters, notably [[Lady Teazle]] (1777). Her Shakespearean heroines -Beatrice, [[Portia (Merchant of Venice)|Portia]], [[Desdemona (Othello)|Desdemona]] and [[Ophelia (character)|Ophelia]] - were no less successful than her comic characters - Miss Hoyden, Biddy Tipkin, Lucy Lockit and Miss Prue. It was as the last character in ''Love for Love'' that Sir [[Joshua Reynolds]] painted his best portrait of her. In 1782 she left Drury Lane for [[Covent Garden]]. After an absence from the stage from 1790 until 1797, she reappeared, quitting it finally in 1799. Her ambition, personal wit and cleverness won her a distinguished position in society, in spite of her humble origin. Women of fashion copied her clothing, and a headdress she wore was widely adopted and known as the ''Abington cap.''
She was born Frances Barton (nicknamed "Fanny"), as the daughter of a private soldier. She began her career as a flower girl and a street singer. It was also rumoured that she recited [[Shakespeare]] in taverns at the age of 12, along with being a prostitute for a short period to help her family with financial problems.<ref name="Nussbaum" /> Later, she became a servant to a French [[Hatmaking|milliner]]. During that time, she learnt about costume and learnt French. Her early nickname, Nosegay Fan, came from her time as a flower girl.<ref name=EB/>


== Career ==
*{{1911}}
Her first appearance on stage was at [[Haymarket (London)|Haymarket]] in 1755<ref name=EB/> as Miranda in [[Susanna Centlivre|Mrs Centlivre]]'s play, ''Busybody''.<ref>[[Chambers Biographical Dictionary]], {{ISBN|0-550-18022-2}}, p. 5.</ref> She rose to become a principal actor in October 1756 when she was cast as Lady Pliant in ''The Double Dealer''at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane]]. The play's cast also included the stars [[Hannah Pritchard]] and [[Kitty Clive]].<ref name=EB/> She also appeared in Ireland, where her Lady Townley (in ''[[The Provoked Husband]]'' by [[John Vanbrugh|Vanbrugh]] and [[Colley Cibber|Cibber]]) was a success. [[David Garrick]] convinced her to return to Drury Lane, and they worked together there until his retirement in 1776.<ref name="Nussbaum" />
⚫
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Abington, Frances}}
{{Lifetime| 1737 | 1815 |Abington, Frances}}


From 1759 onwards she appeared in the bills as "Mrs Abington", following her marriage to her music tutor, the royal trumpeter James Abington. They separated shortly after their marriage as he could not cope with her popularity. They lived separately, with Fanny paying James a small annual stipend to stay away from her.<ref name="biog1888">{{cite book |title=The Life of Mrs Abington (formerly Miss Barton) Celebrated Comic Actress |date=1888 |pages=13–14 |publisher=Reader |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nf01AQAAIAAJ&dq=frances%20abington%20marriage&pg=PA14 |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> She subsequently had affairs with an Irish MP, Needham, who left her a considerable estate, and [[William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne]]. The income from her estate and her stage work made her a wealthy woman.<ref name="Nussbaum" />
⚫
[[Category:English stage actors]]

She remained at the Drury Lane for 18 years, being the first to play more than 30 important characters, notably [[Lady Teazle]] (1777) in [[The School for Scandal]].<ref>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Abington, Frances|volume=1|page=64}}</ref>

In April 1772, when [[James Northcote (painter)|James Northcote]] saw her as Miss Notable in Cibber's ''The Lady's Last Stake'', he remarked to his brother {{Blockquote|I never saw a part done so excellent in all my life, for in her acting she has all the simplicity of nature and not the least tincture of the theatrical.<ref>Letter, 8 April 1772, in William T. Whitley, ''Artists and Their Friends in England 1700–1799'' (1928) vol. II, p.289.</ref>}}

[[File:Sir_Joshua_Reynolds_-_Mrs._Abington_as_Miss_Prue_in_%22Love_for_Love%22_by_William_Congreve_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|thumb|upright|right|''Mrs Abington as Miss Prue'' by Sir [[Joshua Reynolds]]]]

Her wealth and popularity meant she influenced fashion. The press reported on her hair styles: her low hair in ''The School for Scandal'' was praised for changing the fashion.<ref name="highfill">{{cite book |last1=Highfill |first1=Philip H. |last2=Burnim |first2=Kalman |last3=Langhans |first3=Edward |title=A biographical dictionary of actors, actresses, musicians, dancers, managers & other stage personnel in London, 1660–1800. Vol. 1, Abaco to Belfille |date=1973 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |location=Carbondale, Ill. |isbn=0809305178 |pages=12–20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V8IutzpP0sYC&dq=frances+abington&pg=PA20 |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> Her performance as Kitty in "[[High Life Below Stairs]]" put her in the foremost rank of comic actresses and made the mob cap she wore in the role fashionable. It was soon being referred to as the "Abington Cap"<ref name="NPG">{{cite web |title=Frances Abington (née Barton) |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp14389/frances-abington-nee-barton |website=National Portrait Gallery |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> on stage and at hatters' shops across Ireland and England.

It was as the last character in [[William Congreve|Congreve's]] ''Love for Love'' that Sir [[Joshua Reynolds]] painted the best-known of his half-dozen or more portraits of her (''illustration, left'').<ref>[http://collections.britishart.yale.edu/vufind/Record/1669236 "Mrs Abington" by Sir Joshua Reynolds Yale Center for British Arts]</ref> In 1782 she left Drury Lane for [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]].<ref name=EB/> After an absence from the stage from 1790 until 1797, she reappeared, quitting finally in 1799.<ref name=EB/>

==Death==
Frances Abington died on 4 March 1815 at her home on [[Pall Mall, London|Pall Mall]], London. She was buried at [[St James's Church, Piccadilly]].<ref name=highfill/>

==Notes==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Cite ODNB |last=Oddey |first=Alison |title=Abington, Frances |id=51}}
*{{Cite DNB |wstitle=Abington, Frances |first=Edward Dutton |last=Cook |volume=1 |pages=53-54}}
* {{cite Q|Q115281746|editor1=Henry Gardiner Adams}}<!-- [[s:A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Abingdon, Frances]] -->

{{Authority control}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abington, Frances}}
[[Category:1737 births]]
[[Category:1815 deaths]]
⚫
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:18th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:English buskers]]
[[Category:English buskers]]

Latest revision as of 18:08, 19 July 2024

Fanny Abington
an elegant lady leaning on a velvet drapery on a mantel
Portrait by Joshua Reynolds
Born
Frances Barton

1737 (1737)[1]
London, England
Died(1815-03-04)4 March 1815[1]
London, England
NationalityBritish
Other namesNosegay Fan
OccupationActress
Employer(s)Haymarket Theatre, Drury Lane, Covent Garden[1]
Notable workLady Teazle in The School for Scandal[1]
SpouseJames Abington

Frances Abington (née Barton; 1737 – 4 March 1815) was an English actress who was also known for her sense of fashion.[1] Writer and politician Horace Walpole described her as one of the finest actors of their time, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan was said to have written the part of Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal for her to perform.[2][3]

Early life

[edit]

She was born Frances Barton (nicknamed "Fanny"), as the daughter of a private soldier. She began her career as a flower girl and a street singer. It was also rumoured that she recited Shakespeare in taverns at the age of 12, along with being a prostitute for a short period to help her family with financial problems.[2] Later, she became a servant to a French milliner. During that time, she learnt about costume and learnt French. Her early nickname, Nosegay Fan, came from her time as a flower girl.[1]

Career

[edit]

Her first appearance on stage was at Haymarket in 1755[1] as Miranda in Mrs Centlivre's play, Busybody.[4] She rose to become a principal actor in October 1756 when she was cast as Lady Pliant in The Double Dealerat the Drury Lane. The play's cast also included the stars Hannah Pritchard and Kitty Clive.[1] She also appeared in Ireland, where her Lady Townley (in The Provoked Husband by Vanbrugh and Cibber) was a success. David Garrick convinced her to return to Drury Lane, and they worked together there until his retirement in 1776.[2]

From 1759 onwards she appeared in the bills as "Mrs Abington", following her marriage to her music tutor, the royal trumpeter James Abington. They separated shortly after their marriage as he could not cope with her popularity. They lived separately, with Fanny paying James a small annual stipend to stay away from her.[5] She subsequently had affairs with an Irish MP, Needham, who left her a considerable estate, and William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne. The income from her estate and her stage work made her a wealthy woman.[2]

She remained at the Drury Lane for 18 years, being the first to play more than 30 important characters, notably Lady Teazle (1777) in The School for Scandal.[6]

In April 1772, when James Northcote saw her as Miss Notable in Cibber's The Lady's Last Stake, he remarked to his brother

I never saw a part done so excellent in all my life, for in her acting she has all the simplicity of nature and not the least tincture of the theatrical.[7]

Mrs Abington as Miss Prue by Sir Joshua Reynolds

Her wealth and popularity meant she influenced fashion. The press reported on her hair styles: her low hair in The School for Scandal was praised for changing the fashion.[3] Her performance as Kitty in "High Life Below Stairs" put her in the foremost rank of comic actresses and made the mob cap she wore in the role fashionable. It was soon being referred to as the "Abington Cap"[8] on stage and at hatters' shops across Ireland and England.

It was as the last character in Congreve's Love for Love that Sir Joshua Reynolds painted the best-known of his half-dozen or more portraits of her (illustration, left).[9] In 1782 she left Drury Lane for Covent Garden.[1] After an absence from the stage from 1790 until 1797, she reappeared, quitting finally in 1799.[1]

Death

[edit]

Frances Abington died on 4 March 1815 at her home on Pall Mall, London. She was buried at St James's Church, Piccadilly.[3]

Notes

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frances Abington.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. (2010). "Abington, Fanny". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-ak Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. pp. 33. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
  2. ^ a b c d Nussbaum, Felicity (2010). Rival queens : actresses, performance, and the eighteenth-century British theater. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 226–264. ISBN 978-0812206890. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Highfill, Philip H.; Burnim, Kalman; Langhans, Edward (1973). A biographical dictionary of actors, actresses, musicians, dancers, managers & other stage personnel in London, 1660–1800. Vol. 1, Abaco to Belfille. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press. pp. 12–20. ISBN 0809305178. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  4. ^ Chambers Biographical Dictionary, ISBN 0-550-18022-2, p. 5.
  5. ^ The Life of Mrs Abington (formerly Miss Barton) Celebrated Comic Actress. Reader. 1888. pp. 13–14. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  6. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abington, Frances". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 64.
  7. ^ Letter, 8 April 1772, in William T. Whitley, Artists and Their Friends in England 1700–1799 (1928) vol. II, p.289.
  8. ^ "Frances Abington (née Barton)". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Mrs Abington" by Sir Joshua Reynolds Yale Center for British Arts
[edit]
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