Ann Pitt (1718 – 18 December 1799) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

actress.

Life

Pitt was born in 1718 to Elizabeth. Her father, John, was a warden for London Bridge and he sold fish. Her brother, Cecil, became rich dealing in dry goods whereas Ann's career led her to acting comic parts. She is first advertised as being in the cast in 1745 for a Drury Lane production. In 1752 she joined the

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house An opera house is a theater (structure), theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a Stage (theatre), stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facili ...

company. left, Mrs Pitt as Lady Wishfort Harriet Pitt was born to Ann Pitt in about 1748 whilst her mother was acting in Richmond in Surrey. The father's name is recorded as "Henry" but this is thought to be a convenient fiction. A second child Mary Ann (Pitt) Ritchards was born in 1759 and whilst still illegitimate the father was known as the scene painter

John Inigo Richards John Inigo Richards (1731– 18 December 1810) was a British landscapist who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and was secretary to the Academy from 1788 until his death. Life He studied art at the St Martin's ...

. Mary Ann's father later married someone else but Richards acknowledged her as his daughter in his will and left her a snuff box decorated with Ann Pitt's portrait. In 1776 an engraving was published of Mrs Pitt playing ''Mrs Wishfort'' in

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a mi ...

's ''

The Way of the World ''The Way of the World'' is a play written by the English playwright William Congreve. It premiered in early March 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It is widely regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies and is stil ...

''. The engraving was made by

Daniel Dodd Daniel Dodd (fl. 1752–c.1780) was an English painter and engraver. Life Dodd was a member of the Free Society of Artists, and first appears as an exhibitor at Spring Gardens in 1761. He continued to contribute works there, to 1780. He resided f ...

.Mrs Pitt as Lady Wishfort
Daniel Dodd, V & A, retrieved 8 February 2015 This was the highlight of her career and one of her proudest moments. Ann Pitt retired in 1792 and went live with her daughter in Islington. She died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1799 from natural causes. She was buried in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

in a plot belonging to her grandson

Charles Isaac Mungo Dibdin Charles Isaac Mungo Dibdin (17 October 1768 – 15 January 1833), or Charles Pitt or Charles Dibdin the younger, as he was professionally known, was an English dramatist, composer, writer and theatre proprietor. He was perhaps best known ...

.Dwayne Brenna, ‘Pitt, Ann (c.1720–1799)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 201
accessed 9 Feb 2015
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt, Ann 1718 births 1799 deaths Actresses from London 18th-century English actresses English stage actresses