Adventures in nineteenth century gender bending: Lady Emilia Don in Tasmania: 1862 and 1865

Article


Anae, Nicole. 2006. "Adventures in nineteenth century gender bending: Lady Emilia Don in Tasmania: 1862 and 1865." Australasian Drama Studies. 48, pp. 30-48.
Article Title

Adventures in nineteenth century gender bending: Lady Emilia Don in Tasmania: 1862 and 1865

ERA Journal ID9869
Article CategoryArticle
Authors
AuthorAnae, Nicole
Journal TitleAustralasian Drama Studies
Journal Citation48, pp. 30-48
Year2006
Place of PublicationSt. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
ISSN0810-4123
Web Address (URL)http://www.uq.edu.au/emsah/drama/australasiandramastudiesjournal.htm#journal
Abstract

Many leading ladies of the nineteenth century stage have attracted significant biographical attention from scholars in the field of theatre history. Lady Emilia Don, however, remains largely forgotten, even though evidence of her Australian tours suggest she was a highly acclaimed figure of the stage during the 1860s. Her two visits; first with her husband in 1861, and then again as “name” star in 1864, were widely publicised for a variety of reasons, and examining her Tasmanian publicity in 1862 and 1865 offers a valuable point of entry when analysing the reasons behind this fascination. A number of important events occurred in the State that coloured perceptions of Emilia as a public figure, and these in turn, influenced her engagement with colonial audiences and her relevance to community culture. It is the aim of this article to shed new light on Emilia’s significance by examining why aspects of her tours were reported b Tasmanian media men in such sharp detail. Revisiting the content of these colonial artifacts offers a rare glimpse into the professional life of one of the most popular visiting actresses of the 1860s, as well as addressing a longstanding gap in scholarship acknowledging Emilia’s remarkable performances of gender.

KeywordsTasmania, Tasmanian, actresses, Emilia Don
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020360403. Drama, theatre and performance studies
360201. Creative writing (incl. scriptwriting)
470214. Screen and media culture
Public Notes

Copyright on all articles appearing in Australasian Drama Studies rests with the author.

Byline AffiliationsFaculty of Education
Permalink -

https://research.usq.edu.au/item/9xx10/adventures-in-nineteenth-century-gender-bending-lady-emilia-don-in-tasmania-1862-and-1865

Download files


Published Version
Anae__ADS_2006_PV.pdf
File access level: Anyone

  • 2049
    total views
  • 562
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 1
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Poses, plastiques: the art and style of 'statuary' in Victorian visual theatre
Anae, Nicole. 2008. "Poses, plastiques: the art and style of 'statuary' in Victorian visual theatre." Australasian Drama Studies.
'Belly-speakers', machines and dummies: puppetry in the Australian colonies, 1830s-1850s
Anae, Nicole. 2007. "'Belly-speakers', machines and dummies: puppetry in the Australian colonies, 1830s-1850s." Australasian Drama Studies.
'The new prima donnas': 'homegrown' Tasmanian 'stars' of the 1860s Emma and Clelia Howson
Anae, Nicole. 2005. "'The new prima donnas': 'homegrown' Tasmanian 'stars' of the 1860s Emma and Clelia Howson." Journal of Australian Studies. 28 (84), pp. 173-181.