Agnes Bartholomew (1885 – 10 September 1955) was a Scottish stage actress, singer, and "one of the leading elocutionists in Britain."[1]
Agnes Bartholomew | |
|---|---|
 Agnes Bartholomew, from a 1913 publication | |
| Born | 1885 Glasgow |
| Died | 10 September 1955 Glasgow |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, elocutionist |
| Spouse(s) | Harry Lumsden Holmes Herbert |
Early life and education edit
Bartholomew was born in Glasgow, the daughter of parents from Stirlingshire. She studied acting with Genevieve Ward, at Tree's Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[2][3] "My family didn't want me to go on the stage, but they have changed their minds since," she told a Canadian newspaper in 1912.[4]
Career edit
Bartholomew acted on the stage in Merely Mary Ann, Diana of Dobson’s, Mrs Gorringe’s Necklace, The Little Minister, The Professor's Love Story, The £12 Look,[1] Christina (1911),[5] Auntie Mirren (1914),[6] The Old Lady Shows her Medals (1919, 1928),[7][8] Macpherson, and Wee Macgreegor.[2] She was a member of the Glasgow Repertory Theatre.[2] She often played older women, even in her twenties.[9] She appeared on Broadway in the comedy A Scrape o' the Pen (1912).[10][4] She worked on one film, A Man Called Peter (1955), but her scenes were cut before the film was released.[11]
Bartholomew made recordings reciting the works of Robert Burns and other Scots poets, and recited at Burns dinner events.[12] As her first husband was secretary to the Trades House of Glasgow,[3] she was active in charity work for that body.[2] She sang at a 1919 benefit for blinded soldiers and sailors, in Kilmarnock.[13]
Bartholomew performed in Canada and the United States in 1922.[14][15] In 1934, while touring in Canada again, she gave a recital for the Scottish Charities of Vancouver.[16][17]
Personal life edit
Bartholomew married Harry Lumsden in 1914; he died in 1939. Her second husband was English actor Holmes Herbert; they married in 1952. She died in 1955, in Glasgow, after several months' illness.[2] Her gravesite is with her second husband's, in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
References edit
- ^ a b "Miss Agnes Bartholomew". Carluke and Lanark Gazette. 6 December 1919. p. 3. Retrieved August 24, 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive, via The Wikipedia Library.
- ^ a b c d e Fairfull-Smith, George (November 2022). "Let's Not Forget Agnes Bartholomew, a "Noted Scots Actress", Who Died in Glasgow, in September 1955". Glasgow’s Cultural History. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ a b "Miss Agnes Bartholomew, A Striking Personality". Irvine Herald and Ayrshire Advertiser. 1925-05-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "'A Scrape O' the Pen'; Graham Moffat's New Scottish Play Likened to a Series of Phil May Sketches". The Leader-Post. 1912-10-19. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wearing, J. P. (2013-12-19). The London Stage 1910-1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-9300-9.
- ^ Fairfull-Smith, George (November 2022). "April 1914: "Auntie Mirren" at the Alhambra - Miss Agnes Bartholomew, the Well-Known Scottish Actress, and Company". Glasgow’s Cultural History. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ "Our Glasgow Letter". The Caledonian. 18 (11): 492. March 1919.
- ^ "'The Old Lady Shows her Medals'; Splendid Performance by Adrossan and Saltcoats Players' Club". Irvine Herald and Ayrshire Advertiser. 1928-04-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Darnton, Charles (1912-10-26). "At 25 She Plays Granny so Only the Twinkle in her Eye Shows She isn't an 'Auld Body'". The Evening World. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "About People: A Department of Interesting Personalities". Ladies' Home Companion. 40: 13. January 1913.
- ^ Gevinson, Alan (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. p. 629. ISBN 978-0-520-20964-0.
- ^ "Scotland's Premier Elocutionist; Visit of Miss Agnes Bartholomew". The Perthshire Advertiser, etc. 1923-01-20. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Music in Kilmarnock". The Scottish Musical Magazine. 1 (6): 185. 2 February 1920.
- ^ "Miss Bartholomew to be Guest Today at Kiwanis' Lunch". The Calgary Albertan. 1922-03-02. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Caledonian Club Program Wednesday". The Morning Call. 1922-01-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Famous Scottish Entertainer". The Vancouver Sun. 1934-11-17. p. 21. Retrieved 2023-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Aids Scottish Charities". The Province. 1934-11-03. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-08-25 – via Newspapers.com.