Phoebe Carlo
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Phoebe Ellen Carlo (30 May 1874 – 23 July 1941) was an English actress of the late
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
. She is most notable for playing
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
in the musical ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'' (1886), making her the first actress to play the titular character in a professional production of
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 ...
's ''
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'' (1865),Foulkes, Richar
''Lewis Carroll and the Victorian Stage: Theatricals in a Quiet Life''
Routledge (2005) Google Books
having been personally selected by the author for the role.


Biography

She was born in
Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...
in London in 1874, one of two daughters of William Carlo (born 1839), a packer and porter, and his wife Phoebe Emma ''née'' Rawlings (1852–1926), an actress. In 1881 she was being educated at the Walnut Tree Walk School in Lambeth.London, England, School Admissions and Discharges, 1840-1911 for Phoebe Carlo, Lambeth, Walnut Tree Walk School - Admission and Discharge Register for Girls: Ancestry.com
/ref> Already an experienced child actress having played Margery Daw in the
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
''Jack and the Beanstalk'' in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
in 1878 aged 4 years, aged 12 Carlo was cast as Alice in the original production of the musical ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'', which played from 23 December 1886 to 2 March 1887 at the
Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...
in London to positive reviews, with the critic for ''The Theatre'' writing, "Miss Phœbe Carlo being very successful as the little heroine... she played in a delightful and thoroughly artistic fashion, and in this respect she was closely followed by a tiny mite, Miss Dorothy D'Alcort, who plays first the Dormouse. ..." Another reviewer wrote, "Mr. Clarke was fortunate in securing the services of that clever child-actress, Miss Phoebe Carlo, as the heroine. Miss Carlo was safe and reliable in the part, and, by her acting, made up for her not very good singing voice." From March 1887 she continued to play the character in a regional tour until the last performance on 17 August that year, following which adverts were placed announcing that Phoebe Carlo was “at liberty” from 20 August 1887. Charles Dodgson (
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 ...
) had first seen Carlo on New Year's Day 1883 when, aged 8, she was appearing at the Avenue Theatre in Joseph Cave's
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
''
Dick Whittington and His Cat ''Dick Whittington and His Cat'' is the English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington ( 1354 – 1423), wealthy merchant and later Lord Mayor of London. The legend describes his rise from poverty-stricken childhood with the for ...
'', which he returned to see twice again. Next she played Ned in Henry Arthur Jones's '' The Silver King'', which Carroll saw three times, following which he called at her family home where he met her and her mother, receiving permission from the latter to take Carlo to the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
to see
Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolis ...
's ''Triumph of the Innocents''. She became one of his child friends and received an invitation to visit him during his holiday at
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
. On 11 July 1885 Carroll recorded in his diary: "...went to town by the 9 a.m. Called on Mrs. Carlo, and talked over plan of having Phoebe down to Eastbourne." On 24 July he travelled to London by train to fetch her, returning with her to his lodgings in Lushington Road. She was 11 years old and unchaperoned.Smith, Lindsa
''Lewis Carroll: Photography on the Move''
Reaktion books Ltd (2015), Google Books
In October 1886 Carroll saw Carlo acting in ''The Governess'' and settled on her to play Alice in his forthcoming production of ''Alice'', dressing her at his own expense and sending her for tutoring to Kate Terry. Carroll saw his "Alice" musical at least five times, commenting in his diary after his first visit on 30 December 1886 that "Phoebe Carlo is a splendid 'Alice'. Her song and dance with the Cheshire Cat was a gem." In his 1887 article "Alice on the Stage", Carroll praised Carlo's acting, writing of her performance that:
...it would be difficult to speak too highly. As a mere effort of memory, it was surely a marvellous feat for so young a child, to learn no less than two hundred and fifteen speeches - nearly three times as many as Beatrice in ''Much Ado About Nothing''. But what I admired most, as realising most nearly my ideal heroine, was her perfect assumption of the high spirits, and readiness to enjoy of a child out for a holiday. I doubt if any grown actress, however experienced, could have worn this air so perfectly.
Towards the end of the production Carroll considered Carlo was beginning "to play mechanically", and by the time of the 1888 revival he thought her "too old and too tall" to play Alice, with the role going to Isa Bowman. He wrote to
Henry Savile Clarke Henry Savile Clarke (14 February 1841 – 5 October 1893) was an English dramatist, journalist and critic. He produced and wrote the lyrics and book for the first professional dramatisation of ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and ''Throug ...
that: "Isa's 'English' is better than Phoebe's. In one special and important point, the use of the 'H', she is altogether better... Isa looks more of a lady than Phoebe." The difference in language and deportment was a matter of upbringing, Carlo being the daughter of a packer and porter while Bowman was the daughter of a Professor of Music (a music teacher) and had been educated at a convent and private schools. Carlo was one of the two Babes in the
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
''The Babes in the Wood'' produced at the
Prince's Theatre, Manchester The Prince's Theatre in Oxford Street, Manchester, England, was built at a cost of £20,000 in 1864. Under the artistic and managerial leadership of Charles Calvert, "Manchester's most celebrated actor-manager", it soon became a great popular suc ...
on 21 December 1889 with a cast that included
Little Tich Harry Relph (21 July 186710 February 1928),Russell, Dav"Relph, Harry (1867–1928)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013 professionally known as Littl ...
.Cast of ''The Babes in the Wood'' (1889)
Footlight Notes website
Phoebe Ellen Joel died in London in July 1941.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlo, Phoebe 1874 births 1941 deaths Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth English stage actresses 19th-century English actresses English musical theatre actresses Actresses from London English child actresses Lewis Carroll People from Lambeth