# Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Thompson, Lydia

​THOMPSON, LYDIA (1836–1908), actress, was born in London on 19 Feb. 1836. Her father died during her childhood, her mother remarried, and she was compelled early to earn her living. Having a taste for dancing, she took to the stage, and was joined there by her younger sister, Clara. In 1852 Lydia made her début in the ballet at Her Majesty's Theatre. In the Christmas of 1853 she was engaged to play Little Silverhair at the Haymarket in the pantomime of 'Little Silverhair, or Harlequin and the Three Bears.' Her performance won the praise of Professor Henry Morley in the 'Examiner.' In 1854 she danced delightfully for sixty nights at the same house in Planché's Easter extravaganza, 'Mr. Buckstone's Voyage round the Globe,' and appeared on 18 Oct. at the St. James's in the burlesque of 'The Spanish Dancers,' in which she mimicked Señora Perea Nana. At Christmas she returned to the Haymarket, in the leading character of 'Little Bopeep who lost her Sheep,' and was again highly praised by Morley. At the close of 1856 it was announced that she was dancing her way through the theatres of Germany with pleasant success. In the winter season of 1859-60 she made a hit at the St. James's by her dancing in a succession of light pieces. At the Lyceum on 9 April 1861 she acted in the Savage Club burlesque of 'The Forty Thieves,' and played, among other roles, Norah in the first production of Falconer's comedy of 'Woman, or Love against the World' (19 Aug. 1861).
By this period she had begun to make excursions into the country, where she long maintained her popularity. On 31 Oct. 1864, at the opening of the new Theatre Royal, Birkenhead, by Alexander Henderson (whose second wife she subsequently became), she sustained the title character in Burnand's 'Ixion,' the first modern burlesque in more than one act. Afterwards she fulfilled several engagements under Henderson at the Prince of Wales's, Liverpool. Here, in Dec. 1864, she played Mary in 'Used up’ to the Sir Charles Coldstream of Sothern and the Ironbrace of Mr. (now Sir) Squire Bancroft. Here, also, on Whit Monday 1866 she was seen as the title character in the burlesque of 'Paris,' to the Œnone of (Sir) Henry Irving. Meanwhile, early in 1865, she had fulfilled a successful engagement at Drury Lane.
On 15 Sept. 1866 Lydia Thompson made her first appearance at the new Prince of Wales's Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, in the afterpiece of the 'Pas de Fascination,' and on 10 Oct. played with acceptance the ​the chief character in Byron's poor burlesque of ‘Der Freischütz.’ In 1868, after performing at the Strand Theatre in William Brough's extravaganza ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold,’ she sailed for America, where she was the pioneer of latter-day English burlesque and was the first ‘star’ to bring a fully organised company across the Atlantic. She was out of England six years. Her New York début at Wood's Museum (28 Sept.) in ‘Ixion,’ which ran 102 nights, was encouraging. A tour of the leading American cities in 1870 included a successful visit to the Californian Theatre, San Francisco. At New York, during the winter season of 1870–1, began Lydia's association with Willie Edouin [q. v. Suppl. II]. Her troupe subsequently voyaged to Australia and India.
Lydia Thompson reappeared in London on 19 Sept. 1874 at the Charing Cross Theatre under the management of W. R. Field. Farnie's famous burlesque of ‘Blue Beard,’ already performed 470 times in America, formed the opening bill. Thanks to the acting of Lydia Thompson, Willie Edouin, and Lionel Brough, this poor piece proved a remarkable success alike in London and the provinces.
In 1877 Lydia Thompson and her husband took another burlesque company to America, opening 20 Aug. at Wallack's Theatre, New York, in ‘Blue Beard.’ The engagement terminated on 12 Jan. 1878. Lydia Thompson reappeared at the Gaiety, London, on 13 Feb. as Morgiana in the famous amateur pantomime of ‘The Forty Thieves.’ On 25 Jan. 1879 she played Carmen at the Folly in Reece's new burlesque of ‘Carmen, or Sold for a Song.’ After some two years in retirement, she reappeared at the Royalty on 12 Nov. 1881 as Mrs. Kingfisher in the farcical comedy of ‘Dust.’
On 1 Feb. 1886 Alexander Henderson, her husband, died at Caen. (For details of his managerial career see Dramatic Notes, 1887, p. 15.) On 17 May following she began a new engagement at the Fourteenth Street Theatre, New York, and was seen again in New York in the winter seasons of 1888–9 and 1891. Meanwhile, on 21 Sept. 1886, she opened the Strand Theatre, under her own management, with ‘The Sultan of Mocha,’ then first given in London, and on 26 Jan. 1888 was heartily welcomed on making her reappearance there as Antonio the page in the comic opera ‘Barbette.’ Thenceforth her vivacity showed signs of decay. In the autumn of 1896 she was touring in England as Rebecca Forrester in Appleton's farcical comedy ‘The Co-respondent.’ In May 1899 a testimonial performance of ‘London Assurance’ was given at the Lyceum on her behalf. Her last appearance on the stage was at the Imperial in December 1904 as the Duchess of Albuquerque in John Davidson's adaptation of ‘A Queen's Romance.’ She died on 17 Nov. 1908, at 48 Westminster Mansions, London, and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery, leaving a daughter, Mrs. L. D. Woodthrope, professionally known as Zeffie Tilbury. Portraits of her, in character, are reproduced in Laurence Hutton's ‘Curiosities of the American Stage’ and in the ‘Theatre’ (Jan. 1886).
[Pascoe's Dramatic List; Prof. Henry Morley's Journal of a London Playgoer; Broadbent's Annals of the Liverpool Stage; The Bancroft Memoirs; H. P. Phelps's Players of a Century; Col. T. Allston Brown's History of the New York Theatres; John Hollingshead's Gaiety Chronicles; New York Dramatic Mirror for 28 Feb. 1891; Daily Telegraph, 20 Nov. 1908; Green Room Book, 1909.]
W. J. L.