Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-30
London Stage Beauties.
DOROTHY DfNE, KATE VAUGHAN, AND orHxn
QUEENS OF THE rooTLIoHrs.


DoAorHI DxNE, KATE VAUGHAN AND orHxn
QUEENS OF THE FooTLIaHrs.
London Letter to Louisville Courier-yournsl
The beauty actresses Of London are uncount-
able. Every year adds to their number. for
the stage is beauty mart, where comeliness
brings its price. We have the highest artistic
assurance that Dorothy Dene is beauty. Sir
Frederick Leighton has painted her, and that
Is the equivalent of q pronunciamento of love-
hness from the president of the ROYAL Acad-
envy; Miss Dene Is rather below the medium
she is thin. Her face is childish. with large
gray eyes; light brown hair cut short. curis
prettlly all over her poll. Her efforts as an
actress are more indicative Of desire to
please than OF an assured skill in doing SO; but
professional skill will come with the ripenino
of her still immature beauty.
II at the leading theaters Of London beauty
In the. actresses employed is the rule and not
the exception. what shall I say of the minor
piay-houses where personal comeliness is q
don exhibit such galaxies of loneliness as no
other capital ancient or modern, has ever be-
fore shown in its theaters. The supply of this
article, beautiful women, as a paid commodity
so greatly exceeds the demand for it, that the
process OF selection reduces the chosen to
troops Of Hebes whom Jupiter would have
adored.
Long burlesque queen, but now an aspirant
for comedy honors in the manner of Mrs Ban
croft, Is Kate Vaughan, the floating, fairy-like
danseuse, who captured the heart and wears
the wedding ring of Colonel, the Honorable
Frederick Wellesley, son of Earl Cawley This
marriage created some CONSERVATION, as the
general impression was that Col. Wellesley
was the heir to the dukedom of Wellington
and the prospects of a burlesque dancer fgur-
ing as duchess of Wellington rather shocked
the sensibilities of the British taxpayer. The
two Wellesley families, though consanguinous,
are distinct, however, and the Vaughan has no
prospects OF wearing a strawberry leaf coro-
net Another burlesque beauty, Phyllis
Broughton, has Just brought suit for breach of
promise against Viscount Vangan, who, oddly
enough is a nephew of Col. Wellesley.
One of the most widely discussed of London
burlesque beauties is Constance Gilchrist, Lit
tie Connie, who skipped into fame and fortune,
with her skipping rope, from off the boards Of
the Oxford Music Hall. This is no place to
discuss the question whether Miss Gilchrist is
or is not the favorite of one Of England's most
puissant dukes. Suffice it to say that the girl
is, as Pepys says of Nell Gwynne. a mighty
pretty creature; and who adds to her beauty of
person an unexpected distinction, even hau-
teur OF manner. which shows in her remark
able aptitude to seize what is best in the aris-
tocratic male society she frequents.
The names have mentioned are only those
OF few of the comparatively prominent beauty
players Of London-those who have more or
less claim 10 De considered entitled 10 dlst1nc-
ton by reason Of their artistic standing.
have made no effort to catalogue the hundreds
upon hundreds of men and women, beauties
who are artistically insignificant. If were
asked what is the best passport to London
favor on the dramatic stage should unhesitat-
ingly answer, beauty" The beauty cultus is
the maddest passion in London to-day. 1t has
been growing for ten years, and is now wildly
raging. A fascinating face will achieve
dramatic opening, will secure a passionate
alteration in all classes of spectators, of sort
which Sarah Siddons or David Garrick would
fail to command, could that mother and father
of English tragedy revisit the scenes of their
former triumphs. The player of to-day, male
or female, may or may not be dramatically
gifted; he or she must be physically fine. II
the London spectator had to choose between
genius and beauty, there is every indication to
prove that he would select beauty and let
genius go.