Draft:Fanny Wiseman (actress)

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Frances Jane Wiseman, also known as Fanny Wiseman, Fanny South, Mrs W. T. K. South, Mrs W. Lambert, (20 September 1846 – 25 April 1933) was an actress who lived most of her life in Australia. Her family emigrated from England to Australia in 1854. She and her siblings were child performers. Her first performance was in a pantomime at the Old Queen's Theatre Melbourne, when she was 8 years old and her last paid performance was in the role of the Third Witch in Shakespeare's Macbeth, when she was 75 years old..^[1] She was well known for playing the role of Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin an anti-slavery play. She married William Thomas King South, and then later Walter St. Valentine Lambert.

Early life

Wiseman was born in 1846 in Middlesex, London. Her parents were Richard Thomas Wiseman and Mary Ann Wiseman (née Allen)^[2]. Richard Wiseman was a master tailor and outfitter to large theatrical companies.

After a fire destroyed their home they decided to emigrate to Australia in 1854. The Wiseman family boarded the SS Saldanha in Liverpool, England, arriving in Melbourne on 16 June 1854.^[3]

Australia

Fanny and her older sister Emily first appeared on stage at the Old Queen's Theatre, Melbourne in December 1854 in the pantomime Cherry and Fairstar.^[4]

The family moved from Melbourne to Ballarat in 1857. For the next few years, Fanny and her family toured through Victoria's goldfields, spending time in Ballarat^[5], Bendigo, Back Creek^[6], and Lamplough. She performed regularly at various theatres and would often perform with her siblings.

It was during this time that she met the Edouin family, who were also touring Victoria's goldfields as entertainers. She developed strong friendships with Rose Edouin and her sister Julia. She performed alongside Gustavus Vaughan Brooke, George Selth Coppin,^[7] Avonia Jones,^[8] Lady Don, John Rodger Greville, William Hoskins and his wife Julia Harland (aka Julia Wallack) and Julia Matthews.

On 9 February 1860, when Fanny was 13 years old, she had a serious accident. She was walking to the Theatre Royal in Lamplough, Victoria, to perform on stage when she fell down an abandoned mine shaft that was 6.7 metres deep. Her body sustained a severe shock, and it took 3 months for her to recover and return to the stage. She was 142 cm at the time of the accident and never grew any taller.^[9]

Fanny and her older sister Emily accepted an acting engagement in South Australia in 1862 – 1863^[10] under the management of John R Greville. During this engagement, she performed alongside Charles Dillon Snr and his wife Clara Dillon and Joseph Jefferson.

Fanny and her sister Emily spent some time in New Zealand in the early 1960s as they were engaged by Shadrach Jones to perform at the Princess Theatre in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Asia (India and China)

Fanny and her husband William South boarded the SS Underley^[11] on the 20 July 1867 bound for Calcutta, India. They had accepted an acting engagement with Rose Edouin and her husband George Benjamin William Lewis.^[12] They arrived in Calcutta in early September 1867.

Opening night at the Lewis's Royal Lyceum Theatre in Calcutta was on 17 September 1867. The opening pieces were Tobin's comedy The Honeymoon and the farce The Quiet Family by Samuel French. Fanny played the role of Snarly^[13]

Fanny and her husband spent the next few years performing with Rose and GBW Lewis's Company. They spent the summer months in Simla (the foothills of the Himalayas) and the winter months in Calcutta. They spent some time performing in China.

England

They eventually decided to leave India in December 1871 and travelled to England. They arrived in Southampton in February 1872. They spent the next few years performing throughout England with various companies,^[14] including Irish actor and playwright Dion Boucicault (Snr) company.

They decided to return to Australia, and in August 1876 they boarded the SS Northumberland^[15] bound for Melbourne, Australia. They arrived on 22 November 1876.

Topsy

Fanny's most well-known character is that of Topsy from Uncle Tom's Cabin (anti-slavery novel by Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe).

In 1878 John Sheridan engaged Fanny to play the role of Topsy, at the New Princess Theatre, Melbourne. Opening night was 8 June 1878 and it ran for 17 weeks (109 performances). The other main actors involved in this production were Hosea Easton who played Uncle Tom, Edward B. Russell who played Simon Legree, and Belle Russell who played Eva, along with the Original Georgia Slave Troupe Minstrels.

The character Topsy is a clever, cunning little girl. She was raised with no moral or intellectual instruction. She had been abused, beaten and whipped by her slave 'masters'. Her character develops from that of a dishonest and mischievous person to one of sensibility, hope and good conduct.

The play was extremely popular, and on 19 June 1878, the Vice Regal Command Night was held for the occasion of His Excellency Sir G.F. Bowen, Governor of Victoria attending the event. Lady Bowen and their entourage also attended the performance. For this occasion, a special programme of the performance was printed. It was rectangular in shape and edged with a fine fringe and printed on cream silk, with the text in dark blue.^[16]

The play continued to be 'revived' over the following 30 years. There was no copyright on the play so it could be altered as long as the main storyline and characters were recognisable.

George Rignold produced a version of Uncle Tom's Cabin at Her Majesty's Theatre, opening night was 8 September 1888 in Sydney and engaged Fanny to play the part of Topsy.^[17]

Fanny continued to play the role of Topsy until 1908 and was often referred to as 'Australia's first Topsy'.

Personal

Fanny married the actor William Thomas King South in Christchurch, New Zealand on 7 January 1865, when she was 18 years old. William South was the son of James South (the first saddler in Ballarat in the 1850's) and Sarah Ann King. He had a brother James Anthony South and sister Eliza Anna South.

Fanny had 12 children with William South. Four of her children died in infancy. Her youngest son, Sydney South died in 1915 in World War 1 fighting in Gallipoli.

She divorced William South in 1896 and later in the year on 24 December she married another actor, Walter St. Valentine Lambert. He was the son of John Lambert and Mazilla Clarke, proprietors of one of the largest lace manufactories in Nottingham, England.

Her first husband, William South died 5 December 1896 in Melbourne Victoria.^[18] Her second husband died on the 20 December 1902 in Echuca, Victoria.^[19]

Later years

She spent the next 25 years touring throughout Australia (predominantly Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia) with various companies. She often performed with several of her children, including Charles, Laura, Lillian, Austin and Emmie.

She performed in her brother-in-law's company, South's Opera Company. She acted alongside her brother and sister-in-law, James and Eliza South (also known as Madame Anna King). For a period of time, Eliza South was the musical director of the South's Opera Company, as she was an accomplished musician.

The weekly theatre magazine The Lorgnette,^[20] printed in Melbourne, provided biographies of prominent artists which were accompanied by a photo-engraved portraits of the actors during 11 May 1889 to 6 December 1890. Fanny Wiseman's biography featured in the 25 January 1890 edition (on page 5).

She formed her own company The Miss Fanny Wiseman's Dramatic and Comedy Company in 1900. She often taught elocution lessons.^[21]

From 1920 - 1922, she was engaged by the Allan Wilkie Shakespeare Company to perform in various roles. She played the Third Witch in Shakespeare's Macbeth in September 1920 at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne,^[22] The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet^[23] and Dame Quickly in Merry Wives in March 1922 at the Palace Theatre, Melbourne.^[24] The other two witches she performed alongside were Arthur Goodsall and Edward Landor. In Romeo and Juliet she performed alongside Miss Hunter-Watts, Robert Purdie and Lorna Forbes.

Whilst Fanny was in Western Australia visiting family, a benefit was held for her on 6 December 1925. She gave a short recitation about an actor's farewell to the stage. The benefit was provided by artists from three theatrical companies; Prince of Wales, Midnight Frolics and Luxor Theatre.^[25] This was her last professional performance.

She returned to Melbourne, Victoria where she lived until her death.

Death and legacy

Fanny Wiseman died on 25 April 1933 in Kew, Victoria, Australia, at the age of 86. She was buried in the new Melbourne General Cemetery at Fawkner, Victoria.^[26]

She had 12 children. At the time of her death, 7 children had survived her:

1. William Wiseman South (1866 – 17 April 1871) was born and died in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia at the age of 4 years.
2. Richard South – details unknown
3. James South - details unknown
4. Richard South – details unknown
5. Charles Ernest South (7 October 1870 – 10 December 1947) was born in Umbala, Bengal, India and died in Liverpool, NSW, Australia. He was acting on stage at age 6 alongside his Mother and Father in Uncle Tom's Cabin. He served in World War 1.
6. Tom Llewellyn South (4 November 1873 – 3 September 1937) was born in Middlesex, London, England and died in Sydney, Australia
7. Minnie Frances Alice South (13 January 1876 – 8 October 1959) was born in Liverpool, England and died in Manning, Western Australia, Australia
8. Laura Charlotte Ann South (5 May 1878 – 14 May 1948) was born in Emerald, Victoria, Australia and died in Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia.^[27]
9. Austin Holgate Theodin South (13 August 1880 – 13 June 1956) was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and died in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His acting name was Gus Deno,^[28]. He toured in vaudeville shows throughout Australia with the Vincent M Beebe Company.
10. Sydney Anthony South (1882 – 6 August 1915) was born in Balmain, NSW, Australia and died in Gallipoli, Turkey. He served in World War 1 in the 2nd Battalion, Australian Infantry.^[29]
11. Mary Lillian South, also known as Lilly and Lillian (21 June 1884 – 7 April 1946) was born in Balmain, NSW, Australia and died in Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
12. Emily Elizabeth South, also known as Emmie, or Emilie King-South (10 October 1887 – 9 May 1943) was born in Balmain, NSW and died in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She was a radio actress and writer. She was a principal member of the Betty Ross-Clarke Company. In the 1930s, she appeared on a comedy program on radio 3UZ, Mrs Holmes and Mrs Entwistle. She had several poems and stories published in the newspaper. Her best-known novel was Wet Clay.^[30]

Further reading / Notes

• Colligan, Mimi (2013). Circus and Stage: The Theatrical Adventures of Rose Edouin and GBW Lewis. Monash University Publishing. ISBN 978-1-922235-02-2.
• The Theatre, Society and Home, January 1, 1926 http://66.51.110.70/biographies.htm
• Australharmony, Dr Graeme Skinner, University of Sydney https://www.sydney.edu.au/paradisec/australharmony/king-family.php
• Arts Centre Melbourne, Australian Performing Arts Collection, Perfect Portraits, https://performingartscollection.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/perfect-portraits/

References