Constance Beerbohm
Encyclopedia
Constance Beerbohm was the oldest daughter of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm (1811–1892), of Dutch
, Lithuania
n, and German
origin, who had come to England in about 1830 and set up as a prosperous corn merchant. He married an Englishwoman, Constantia Draper, and the couple had four children. Constance Beerbohm's brother was the renowned actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree
; another brother was the engineer, author and explorer Julius Beerbohm
. A younger half-brother was the caricaturist
and parodist
Max Beerbohm
.
Constance was the only female member of Julius Beerbohm's first family. She was described as plain, unselfish and very tender-hearted. Eliza Beerbohm, who was her stepmother and also her aunt, made it quite clear that she preferred her own daughters, and to Constance's dismay, when she had grown up she had to leave the family home and set up on her own. One afternoon she called on her family, hiding a parcel containing her belongings in the bushes in the drive. Staying until nearly supper-time, her stepmother said "You had better stay to supper". After supper, Constance lingered until nearly bedtime: "You had better stay the night" said her stepmother. Constance fetched her parcel from the bushes and stayed for the rest of her life, taking on the practical management of the household, and helping to bring up her five younger half-siblings, including Max Beerbohm
.
Constance added to the family's income by writing, comedies for amateur acting societies and articles for the humbler kind of women's journals on subjects like cooking, of which she knew little, and on the Royal Family, about which she knew even less. As a writer Beerbohm contributed articles to Strand Magazine
, The Woman at Home, and Cassell's Magazine
among others. Her book, 'A Little Book of Plays for Professional and Amateur Actors', was published in 1897.
As a member of the famous Beerbohm family
of actors and writers, she corresponded with many of the eminent men of her day, including Clement Scott
and William Rothenstein
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n, and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
origin, who had come to England in about 1830 and set up as a prosperous corn merchant. He married an Englishwoman, Constantia Draper, and the couple had four children. Constance Beerbohm's brother was the renowned actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
; another brother was the engineer, author and explorer Julius Beerbohm
Julius Beerbohm
Julius Beerbohm was a Victorian travel-writer, engineer and explorer.He was the son of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm , of Dutch, Lithuanian, and German origin, who had come to England in about 1830 and set up as a prosperous corn merchant. He married an Englishwoman, Constantia Draper, and the...
. A younger half-brother was the caricaturist
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
and parodist
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
Max Beerbohm
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
.
Constance was the only female member of Julius Beerbohm's first family. She was described as plain, unselfish and very tender-hearted. Eliza Beerbohm, who was her stepmother and also her aunt, made it quite clear that she preferred her own daughters, and to Constance's dismay, when she had grown up she had to leave the family home and set up on her own. One afternoon she called on her family, hiding a parcel containing her belongings in the bushes in the drive. Staying until nearly supper-time, her stepmother said "You had better stay to supper". After supper, Constance lingered until nearly bedtime: "You had better stay the night" said her stepmother. Constance fetched her parcel from the bushes and stayed for the rest of her life, taking on the practical management of the household, and helping to bring up her five younger half-siblings, including Max Beerbohm
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
.
Constance added to the family's income by writing, comedies for amateur acting societies and articles for the humbler kind of women's journals on subjects like cooking, of which she knew little, and on the Royal Family, about which she knew even less. As a writer Beerbohm contributed articles to Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
, The Woman at Home, and Cassell's Magazine
Cassell's Magazine
Cassell's Magazine was the successor to Cassell's Illustrated Family Paper, which was published from 31 December 1853 to 9 March 1867, becoming Cassell's Family Magazine in 1874, Cassell's Magazine in 1897, and, after 1912, Cassell's Magazine of Fiction.The magazine was edited by H. G...
among others. Her book, 'A Little Book of Plays for Professional and Amateur Actors', was published in 1897.
As a member of the famous Beerbohm family
Beerbohm family
The Beerbohm family are the descendants of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm , the son of Ernest Henery Beerbohm and Henrietta Radke , and of Dutch, Lithuanian and German origin, who hailed from Memel on the Baltic coast. He came to England in about 1830 and set up as a corn merchant...
of actors and writers, she corresponded with many of the eminent men of her day, including Clement Scott
Clement Scott
Clement Scott was an influential English theatre critic for the Daily Telegraph, and a playwright and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century...
and William Rothenstein
William Rothenstein
Sir William Rothenstein was an English painter, draughtsman and writer on art.-Life and work:William Rothenstein was born into a German-Jewish family in Bradford, West Yorkshire. His father, Moritz, emigrated from Germany in 1859 to work in Bradford's burgeoning textile industry...
.
Publications
- Beerbohm, Constance 'A Little Book of Plays for Professional and Amateur Actors' George Newnes (London) (1897)
External links
- http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/lago7.htmBeerbohm in The Mary Lago Collection in Special Collections and Rare Books of the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
] - Beerbohm in The Strand Magazine No. 25 (January 1893)
- http://www.library.rochester.edu/index.cfm?PAGE=1131Beerbohm in the Clement William Scott Papers - University of RochesterUniversity of RochesterThe University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
] - http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29911/29911.txtBeerbohm's A Little Surprise on Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
] - http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~hou00491Beerbohm's Letters to Sir William Rothenstein Harvard University LibraryHarvard University LibraryThe Harvard University Library system comprises about 90 libraries, with more than 16 million volumes. It is the oldest library system in the United States, the largest academic and the largest private library system in the world...
]