Frances Abington

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Mrs. Abington as Miss Prue in 'Love for Love' by William Congreve , 1771 oil painting by Joshua Reynolds

Frances "Fanny" Abington , born Frances Barton (born 1737 in London ; died March 4, 1815 in London), was an English actress who became known primarily for her fashion consciousness .

Life

Abington grew up in poor circumstances. She initially made her living as a flower girl (hence her nickname Nosegay Fan ) and a street singer . By working for a French hatter , she acquired knowledge of fashion and the French language , which would be of great use to her later. In 1755 she made her debut as Miranda in The Busy Body by Susanna Centlivre at London's Haymarket Theater . In 1756 she moved to the Theater Royal Drury Lane , where she was, however, by Hannah Pritchard and Kitty Clivewas overshadowed. After an unfortunate marriage to her music teacher in 1759, she was known as Mrs. Abington. She spent five successful years in Ireland and was then brought back to Drury Lane by David Garrick . Here she spent another 18 years, played many important roles, e.g. B. Lady Teazle in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal (1777). She suited tragedies and comedies equally well. In 1782 Abington moved from Drury Lane to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden . She left the stage in 1790 but returned for another two years in 1797.

Abington was regarded as a style icon in her day , and ladies of the higher society in London paid her for advice on fashion and cosmetics , which gave her a generous extra income. The Abington cap she designed was worn very widely.

In 1994 the Venusian crater Abington was named after her. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg named one of his cats after the actress Miss Abington, whom he admired .

literature

  • The Life of Mrs. Abington . Reader, London 1888 ( archive.org ).

Web links

Commons : Frances Abington  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Fanny Abington. In: Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved November 26, 2017 .
  2. ^ Gertrude Aretz : The elegant woman: A description of customs from the Rococo to the present . Leipzig 1929.
  3. ↑ Venus Crater Abington in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature of the IAU (WGPSN) / USGS (English)
personal data
SURNAME Abington, Frances
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Abington, Fanny (nickname); Barton, Frances (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English actress
DATE OF BIRTH 1737
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH March 4, 1815
Place of death London