Annie Lewis ( – October 5, 1896) was an American

soubrette A soubrette is a type of operatic soprano voice ''fach'', often cast as a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". Theatre In theatre, a soubrette is a c ...

of light

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

and

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

who died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

in her twenties.

Biography

Annie B. Lewis was born and raised in Washington D.C. where her father, Charles Lewis, clerked for the U.S. Treasury Department. Early on Lewis demonstrated a talent for mimicry and by age four she was performing on stage under the eye of her mother, Amelia Lewis, a former parlor entertainer. At that age her song-and-dance routine oftentimes would be performed atop a piano to enable her to be seen by the audience.Little Annie Lewis Dead – The Evening Times (Washington D.C.); October 5, 1896; pg. 1
accessed June 27, 2012 By sixteen Lewis was touring the country with her own company as the soubrette in Lincoln A. Fisher's ''Little Trump'', and the following year with Charles Verner in ''Shamus O’Brien'', a romantic comedy from the poem by Frederick Maeder and Thomas B. Macdonough. Lewis would go on to play leading roles in productions of ''Favette'', a comedietta in one act, adapted for the stage by John Treshar from the story by Ouida; ''Our Irish Visitor''; David Loyd's ''The Woman-Hater'';

Gus Heege Augustus J. "Gus" Heege (1862 – February 2, 1898) was an American playwright and actor, whose works were popular at the end of the 19th century. Early life A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Gus Heege was the son of a prominent member of the cit ...

productions of ''A Lumber Camp in Winter'' and ''Yon Yonson''; the comic opera ''Prince Pro Tem'' by Robert A. Barnet and Lewis S. Thompson, first performed at the Boston Museum on September 17, 1894;

Frederick Hallen Frederick Hallen (1 January 1859 – 28 February 1920) was a Canadian-born vaudeville entertainer who found popularity on the North American stage. Biography Frederick "Fred" Hallen was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The New York Times, 29 Feb ...

and Joseph Hart's vaudeville skit ''Later On''; and ''A Nutmeg March'' by William Hawthorn. Annie Lewis 002

In May 1895 she supported

Camille D'Arville Camille D'Arville (June 21, 1863 — September 9, 1932), born Cornelia "Neeltye" Dykstra, was a Dutch-born light opera singer and a vaudeville performer. She was a member of The Bostonians. (Her surname is also found as Darville, d'Arville, and D' ...

at the

Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

in ''A Daughter of the Revolution'', a historical comic opera by

J. Cheever Goodwin John Cheever Goodwin (1850 – December 1912) was an American musical theatre librettist, lyricist and producer. Goodwin was born in Boston and graduated from Harvard University. He began a career in journalism before turning to writing for the ...

and

Ludwig Engländer Ludwig Engländer (October 20, 1853 Vienna, Austria – September 13, 1914) was an Austrian-born American composer of more than 30 musicals. He was born in Vienna, Austria.Passport application available in the series ''U.S. Passport Applications, ...

. A short time later ill health would force her to withdraw from performing. Lewis married William Lackey on December 22, 1886, in

Essex, Ontario Essex is a town with a population of 21,216 in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, whose municipal borders extend to Lake Erie. Essex is also the name of the largest community within the municipality. Communities The town comprises th ...

, Canada. Lackey was known on the stage as

Wilton Lackaye Wilton Lackaye (September 30, 1862 – August 22, 1932) was an American stage and film actor, who originated the role of Svengali (from the 1895 novel ''Trilby'') in both stage and film. Early life William Andrew Lackey was born in Loudoun Count ...

and would go on to have a long career in theater and film. At the time she was 17 and he 25. She died in October 1896 at her parents' Washington home, nearly a year after what was thought to have been a bad cold had developed into tuberculosis. Lewis spent some time in the months that followed in the American Southwest in a hope that the dry weather there would help improve her health. A successful benefit concert organized by her brother-in-law in the summer of 1896 in Washington D. C. raised needed funds for her care. Just two years earlier it had been reported in the press that Lewis had purchased in cash a $9,000 granite-and-brick house for her parents in the

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

, neighborhood of Washington D. C.No Title-The New York Daily Mirror; December 8, 1894; pg. 4; col. 4
accessed June 28, 2012

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Annie 1869 births 1896 deaths 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Washington, D.C. 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Washington, D.C.