The Lorgnette, subtitled "Theatrical Journal and Programme" (later "A journal for Amusements"), was a weekly magazine in Melbourne, Australia, devoted to theatre, opera and the concert stage. The magazine was published Saturdays and sold for 2d (two pence) at the major entertainment venues (Theatre Royal, Opera House, Academy of Music, Princess' Theatre, St George's Hall and Town Hall) where it had exclusive rights, and elsewhere.
For much of its existence, a four-page supplement was issued with the Saturday two pence (from 1890 one penny) paper. The supplement was available gratis as a separate publication every other day of the week. This supplement was printed (and contents updated) daily, and datestamped.
In order to promote forthcoming productions as well as providing up-to-date theatre news and current programmes, a great deal of its content was reprinted from one issue to the next, perhaps a unique characteristic of this magazine, while some features changed with every issue, notably the illustrated biographies, a list of which forms a large part of this article.
History A sheet called The Lorgnette made its first appearance in Melbourne in July 1865, "a local Punch" without pictures" and was hailed by The Argus for its "considerable spirit".
In April 1877, following a complaint from Joseph Alfred Hildreth, publisher of rival theatrical paper L'Entracte, John J. Liddy, publisher of "The Lorgnette" at Royal lane, off 106 Bourke Street east, was fined £5 with £2 2s. costs for having an unregistered press and types in his possession.
In 1878 William Marshall, of Melbourne's The Record and Emerald Hill and Sandridge Advertiser ("The Record") newspaper, with printing works at Emerald Hill, purchased The Lorgnette and its printery, and continued running both businesses. Marshall divested himself of The Record in 1881.
The printing works was adjacent the Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, which was destroyed by fire in April 1889. Marshall suffered significant losses as did the Brough-Boucicault Comedy Company, lessees of the theatre. Members of the acting community put on a benefit performance for Marshall, which raised £582. Those involved included George Coppin, the Majeronis, J. C. Williamson, Richard Stewart, Grattan Riggs, Fred Maccabe, Alfred Dampier, Henry Harwood, and Bland Holt.
A feature of issues from 11 May 1889 to 6 December 1890 was a biography of a prominent artist, A list of featured artists; note several discrepancies. accompanied by a photo-engraved (perhaps leggotype) portrait, a list of which appears below.
In January 1889 Marshall purchased Fred E. Patey's interest in the Theatrical Courier and henceforth the Lorgnette was subtitled "With which is incorporated The Theatrical Courier".
11 May 1889 saw the first of the weekly series of biographies which continued to December 1890.
17 January 1891 was the last (Saturday) weekly issue at 1d. It was followed with an issue labelled "4th Series No. 1" dated 18 January, and was supplied gratis. It appears that, as with the Supplements mentioned above, fresh issues with updates could have been printed every day.
John Liddy, who maintained a personal (if not financial) interest in the paper, died in January 1891
In 1898 William Marshall & Co. moved from Royal Lane to new premises at 229 Little Collins Street (just above Swanston Street. The old premises had been condemned as unfit in 1895 and again in 1896. Marshall died on 12 June 1900, aged 55, fondly remembered by the theatre community.
The Lorgnette biographies Date Name aka 1889 05 11 Miss Isabel Morris UK actress 1889 05 11 Dion Boucicault Jr. IRE manager 1889 05 11 Robert Brough UK actor manager 1889 05 18 Alfred Dampier UK actor manager 1889 05 25 Grattan Riggs Thomas G. Riggs US actor 1889 06 01 George S. Coppin UK actor manager 1889 06 08 Philip BeckInsufficient material for article Phil Beck UK actor 1889 06 15 Miss Myra Kemble Mrs J. H. White AUS actress 1889 06 22 Fred Maccabe Fred McCabe UK standup comicMarried Mdlle Minnia 1889 06 29 Eduardo Majeroni ITA actor manager 1889 07 06 Thomas P. Hudson UK entertainer / manager 1889 07 13 Miss Maggie Knight AUS actressMarried H. R. Jewett 1889 07 20 Harry Lynch Lynch Family bellringers AUS bellringer 1889 07 27 Miss Emma Chambers Mrs Albert Marsh (1889–) UK actress manager 1889 08 03 Arthur Garner member, "The Triumvirate" AUS manager 1889 08 10 G. H. Snazelle UK entertainer 1889 08 17 Miss Janet Achurch UK actress 1889 08 24 Miss Jennie Lee UK actressMarried J. P. Burnett 1889 08 31 Signora Majeroni niece of Ristori ITA actress 1889 09 07 George Fawcett Rowe George Fawcett AUS actor 1889 09 14 The Royal Midgets General Mite; Mrs MiteFrancis J. Flynn (died in Broken Hill November 1898) entertainers 1889 09 21 Edward Armes Beaumont Armes Beaumont AUS operatic tenor 1889 09 28 Henry Edwards UK actor 1889 10 05 Wybert Reeve UK actor playwright 1889 10 12 Edwin F. Thorne US actor Note that a correction to the filename is pending at WM Commons 1889 10 19 Miss Edith Blande UK actress married critic, stage biographer Austin Brereton (1862–1922) 1889 10 26 Miss Olive Berkley US child actress born Olivia Venetia Berkley in New York, 1879, played Little Lord Fauntleroy 1889 11 02 Martin Simonsen AUS violinist manager 1889 11 09 Henry Bracy UK light opera 1889 11 16 Miss Elsa May Elcia May AUS operatic prima donnaMarried Boothroyd Fairclough 1889 11 23 Frank Thornton UK comedian 1889 11 30 Miss Lilian Tree UK operatic singer 1889 12 07 Knight Aston UK light opera 1889 12 14 George Sutton Titheradge UK actor 1889 12 21 W. G. Carey AUS actor 1889 12 28 Miss Lily Dampier daughter of Alfred UK actress 1890 01 04 Madame Fanny Simonsen FRA operatic prima donna 1890 01 11 Charles Warner UK actor 1890 01 18 James Allison AUS stage manager 1890 01 25 Miss Fanny Wiseman Mrs William South UK actress 1890 02 01 James F. Cathcart UK actor 1890 02 08 Mrs Robert Brough Florence Trevelyan AUS actress 1890 02 15 George R. Ireland AUS actor 1890 02 22 Benjamin N. Jones US stage manager 1890 03 01 Mrs Brown-Potter US actress 1890 03 08 Miss Gracie Warner UK actress 1890 03 15 John Lawrence Toole UK comedian 1890 03 22 Madame Marian Burton UK opera singer 1890 03 29 George Darrell AUS actor author 1890 04 05 George William Anson UK actor 1890 04 12 Percy Lyndal UK actor 1890 04 19 Miss Pattie Browne AUS actressMarried W. Baumann 1890 04 26 John Billington UK actor 1890 05 03 Jules Simonsen AUS light opera 1890 05 10 Alexander Mayne AUS manager recitations 1890 05 17 Sir Charles Hallé UK pianist 1890 05 24 Henry R. Harwood UK comedian 1890 05 31 Dion Boucicault IRE actor 1890 06 07 Miss Jenny Watt-Tanner AUS actress 1890 06 14 Cecil Ward AUS actor 1890 06 21 Professor S. S. Baldwin US entertainer 1890 06 28 George Rignold UK actor 1890 07 05 Mrs Bland Holt Florence Anderson UK actress manager 1890 07 12 William Rignold UK actor 1890 07 19 Miss Maude Williamson UK actress 1890 07 26 Cecil Forrester AUS actor 1890 08 02 Miss Roland Watts-Phillips UK actress 1890 08 09 Edward Sass UK actor 1890 08 16 A. E. Greenaway AUS actor 1890 08 23 Kyrle Bellew UK actorMarried Eugenie Le Grande 1890 08 30 A. Litherland Cunard UK stage manager 1890 09 06 Christine Darrell AUS actress 1890 09 13 George Leopold UK comedian 1890 09 20 Hubert O'Grady IRE comedian author 1890 09 27 Miss Eloise Juno SCO actress 1890 10 04 Miss Olga Nethersole UK actress 1890 10 11 Miss Maggie Moore Mrs J. C. Williamson US actress 1890 10 18 Laurence Cautley UK actor 1890 10 25 John Rodger Greville AUS comedian manager 1890 11 01 Madame Patey UK singer 1890 11 08 Mrs Walter Hill AUS actress 1890 11 15 Miss Fanny Enson UK actress 1890 11 22 Miss E. Romer UK actress 1890 11 29 William Elton UK comedian 1890 12 06 George Leitch George Ralf Walker UK comedian playwright
Digitization Photographic copies of The Lorgnette from 1 July 1878 to 1 December 1898 have been digitized by the National library of Australia and may be accessed via Trove. In the "4th Series" a representative issue from the first of each month has been digitized.
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