Dorothea Baird (20 May 1875 – 24 September 1933) was an English stage and film actress.

Career

Her first stage appearance was with the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University a ...

in February 1894, when she played Iris in ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

''. She was seen there by

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

. On 26 May, he took her to London to see Ellen Terry performing, and then took her backstage to meet Ellen Terry. This inspired her to become a professional actress where she met her future husband, H. B. Irving. She went on to appear in a number of plays by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

with her husband. She made her London debut in 1894 as Hippolyta in

Ben Greet Sir Philip Barling Greet (24 September 1857 – 17 May 1936), known professionally as Ben Greet, was a British William Shakespeare, Shakespearean actor, director, impresario and actor-manager. Early life The younger son of Captain William Gre ...

's production of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''. In 1895, she played the lead role in Herbert Beerbohm Tree's stage play ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

'' at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and a Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Trilby (novel), Trilby'', featuring the char ...

. She portrayed Mrs. Darling in the original 1904 production of '' Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up''. In 1910 Baird was performing in '' The Princess Clementina'', a George Pleydell stage version of an A.E.W. novel. In her role as Jenny, Baird performed the character as a socially pointed comic relief. This is suggested by lines such as "She swore more loudly than she had wept … she struck at his head with her fist… And what do you make of me? A maggot?" In 1913, she retired from the stage, due to a miscarriage, and involved herself in charitable causes, especially with infant welfare. In her retirement Baird put her attention towards family at a London's health centre known as the St. Pancras School for Mothers, of which she was a board member for many years. The first report from the school in 1907 shows that H.B. was an honorary treasurer and Baird had contributed £2.2.00. In 1908 the second report showed that Baird was involved in organising a tea party, along with entertainment, for 78 mothers and their babies. She raised £15.0.0 with the sales of autographs and speaking at a prize event. Baird and her husband then raised £157.9s.11d with a special performance of the play ''Charles the First''. The purpose of the school was to provide mothers with advice and information along with home visits and babies health care. Baird was elected as a member of the St. Pancras Poor Law Guardians in 1913. While on this committee she used audiovisual education such as

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...

slides for a fathers evening. According to a report on Bairds time on the committee, she used these slides to show the effects bad housing conditions on infants. In 1917, Baird used her theatre and film experience to create the film ''Motherhood''. With the help of Percy Nash, Baird created ''Motherhood'' to try to help improve the living habits of mothers and infants. The film itself draws from the St. Pancras Poor Law Guardians program in which it shows a newly married Mary (Lettie Paxton), cleaning her house and breathing in laundry fumes. Mary is then violently confronted by her husband Jack (Jack Denton) which causes her health visitor, played by Baird, to intervene. Baird's character introduces Mary to a School for Mothers, where once pregnant, Mary chooses the advice of a certified nurse rather than her grandmother. This reflects the 1917 health goal of teaching women to choose good advice rather than advice passed down by an older generation. Baird used the film ''Motherhood'' to create political demands for social improvement. She used her fame and on-screen promotions to "better the women of Britain."

Personal life

Baird was the daughter of Sir John Forster Baird, a prominent English barrister-at-law. She married Henry Brodribb Irving, son of

Sir Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

, in 1896, and, together, they had two children, Laurence Forster Irving in 1897 and Elizabeth Irving in 1904. After the death of Sir Henry Irving in 1905, Baird and H.B. decided to form their own theatre company.

References

Sources

* * Holroyd, Michael (2008): A Strange Eventful History; The Dramatic Lives of Ellen Terry, Henry Irving and their Remarkable Families; Pub. Chatto & Windus

External links

* * *
Dorothea Baird
at Women Film Pioneers Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Dorothea 1875 births 1933 deaths English stage actresses Women film pioneers