New Postcards- but Alas! No jugglers

 Some interesting postcards from the NSW Postcard Collectors Fair yesterday...

Quong Tart- not associated with Theatre History, but one of Sydney's most amazing citizens during the Victorian era. He was a legend. This is an early 20th Century cigarette card. I was really surprised to see him represented on a cigarette card. 

A postcard of a drawing of the Royal Hotel in Sydney- I think the Theatre Royal was based here and that was Sydney's first theatre.

May De Sousa. An American actress who had a sad demise. She married an Australian and ended up in pauper's grave in the US. The two may have been related? 

Nance O Neil. A very famous actress who visited Australia

 Parer- a magician

A postcard from the local production of East Lynne

I hadn't seen one of these before. It's a postcard from the Orpheum Circuit in North America. This comes from Canada. 1917/18 season. 

I'm working on a new juggling article about the people below. Very interesting story..

Leann

Nance O Neil

American actress, Nance O Neil, toured Australia twice during the early 1900s. Both tours were managed by McKee Rankin a famous US theatrical manager.

When she arrived for the first tour in 1900, Nance was only 26 years old. She was just starting her career and probably came to Australia looking for experience and quick money.

She was a tall woman with long blonde hair (probably strawberry blonde) and blue eyes. She also had a good friend with her, a snow white Persian cat, which also had blue eyes. On the first tour she performed in "Magda" which was her most famous role.

Nance returned to Australia in 1905 and the white cat returned with her. She had lost weight but was the same imposing presence on stage.Below is her autograph on very stylish personalised stationery.

Nance died in 1965 at the age of 90. She acted in silent movies and made a successful transition to the talkies. However, she is best known for her friendship with Lizzie Borden, the alleged axe murderer who she met in 1904.