Charlotte Elizabeth Vandenhoff (1818 – 31 July 1860), became Charlotte Swinbourne, was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

actress who appeared in leading theatres in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, New York and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Life

Vandenhoff was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in 1818. Her parents were Elizabeth (born Pike) and the actor John Vandenhoff. Her younger brother was the elocutionist and actor George Vandenhoff. Her debut as an actress was in the role of Juliet at Drury Lane on 11 April 1836. She soon appeared at the other leading theatres of Covent Garden and the Haymarket. She played several roles in ''

The Lady of Lyons ''The Lady of Lyons; or, Love and Pride'', commonly known as ''The Lady of Lyons'', is a five act romantic melodrama written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton. It was first produced in London at Covent Garden Theatre on 15 Februar ...

'' (Imogen, Cordelia, and Pauline). In 1837 she took the role of Lydia in the first production of ''

The Love Chase ''The Love Chase'' is an 1837 comedy play by the Irish-born writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 10 October 1837 with a cast that included Robert Strickland as Sir William Fondlove, Edward William Elt ...

'' by Sheridan Knowles. Boston Playbill for John and daughter Charlotte V

In 1852, she was chosen to be in

John Tallis John Tallis (7 November 1817 – 3 June 1876) was an English cartographic publisher.Boase, F., Modern English biography'', 6 vols, 1892-1921 His company, John Tallis & Company, published views, maps and atlases in London from roughly 1838 to 18 ...

's "Shakespeare Gallery" in a painting titled ''Miss Vandenhoff as Juliet'' (with a quote from Act 3, scene ii). Engravings were made and potters in Stoke made figurines of her. In 1839 she went to America where she acted in New York. Her father had acted in New York two years before. She played the role of Julia in a production called '' The Hunchback'' at the National Theatre. She went on to the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia where she created the same role. In January 1841 she and her father were still in America. They appeared at the Tremont Theatre in Boston in a benefit for her father. Charlotte again played Juliette and her father in his "very last role" in America. Her father played Mercutio in the same play and on the same night the title role in Coriolanus. In 1845 she and her father appeared at Covent Garden in ''Sophocles''. Her father played Creon and she played, in what some thought her "great triumph", "Antigone". On 7 July 1856 she married another actor Thomas Swinbourne at St Mary's Church in Hull. Almost immediately she tried to undo the marriage. The following year she joined her father as he went to Edinburgh where he played Wolsey in Henry VIII with

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

in the role of "Surrey". Having taken ill in Birmingham, Vandenhoff died in 1860 in Handsworth, Staffordshire. Her father died in the following year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vandenhoff, Charlotte 1818 births 1860 deaths Actresses from Liverpool 19th-century British actresses 19th-century English actresses 19th-century English people