Francis Henry Thackeray (January 18, 1854 - 28 June 1931) known professionally as Lieutenant Frank Travis was an English

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

and music hall artist. With a career spanning over forty years, he dedicated his life to furthering the art of ventriloquism, becoming world renowned and touring globally.

Background

Frank Travis was born 18 January 1854 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The eldest of four children, he began working for his father Jeremiah Thackeray as a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

. Members of the

Primitive Methodist Church The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primit ...

, his mother Mary Thackeray (née Knaggs) was a preacher. As a teenager he left home to join a travelling show, beginning his career

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

and acting in

melodramas A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

, before developing his solo ventriloquist act. Early in his barnstorming days he went solo using ''‘The Talking Hand’'' in which he painted his hand to resemble that of an old lady. Speaking in his memoirs he writes:

''I flattered myself that I could do it to perfection for it did not matter how close a person came to me, they could not perceive the slightest movement, the deception being complete.''

Life and career

His first recorded appearance as Lieutenant Frank Travis was at Ben Lang's in Manchester. Gaining fame after a successful tour of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

in 1879, spending thirteen months in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, with three months at the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

. His act often consisted of a group of figures seated around a table, each having a distinctive and well defined voice, this was supplemented by the arrival of other figures all of whom would sing while Lieutenant Travis smoked and sipped water, giving the impression that he is but a listener himself. FrankTravisAlfredBryan

Travis performed widely throughout the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, performing alongside music hall greats such as

Marie Lloyd Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922), professionally known as Marie Lloyd (), was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as " T ...

and

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall a ...

. Performing at many of the prestigious music halls of his time including th
Paragon Theatre,
https://www.manchestertheatrehistory.co.uk/2018/09/27/the-folly-theatre-manchester/ The Folly Theatre,
Royal Cambridge Hall of Varieties,Camberwell Palace of Varieties,
Glasgow Gaiety Theatre
Brighton Aquarium,
and the Alhambra Theatre of Variety. It was claimed on his behalf that he was the originator of the feats of smoking and drinking while talking in a ventriloquial scena. While ventriloquising, Travis maintained immobile lips throughout and according to the ''‘Performer’'' was one of the best known ventriloquists of the old school. His figures were crafted to his instructions and specifications and came to him in a basic state where he did all of the finishing touches himself. After a break from the Music Halls he was introduced to Dick Warner a leading variety agent in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

who persuaded him to resume work and he opened at the

Royal Aquarium The Royal Aquarium and Winter Garden was a place of amusement in Westminster, London. It opened in 1876, and the building was demolished in 1903. The attraction was located northwest of Westminster Abbey on Tothill Street. The building was design ...

that afternoon. Warner & Co being his agent from this point on. Upon accepting an engagement at th
Theatre Royal
he met his first wife Betsy Tate (1854-1907). They married on the 31st of August 1874 in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. Travis taught his wife the art of ventriloquism, making her debut at the

as Madeline Rosa, billing herself as the ''‘world’s first lady ventriloquist’''. In her act she skillfully manipulated six figures and received favourable reviews. A huge favourite in Australia touring from 1898 to 1899 in the

Tivoli circuit The Tivoli Circuit was a successful and popular Australian vaudeville entertainment circuit featuring revue, opera, ballet, dance, singing, musical comedy, old time black and white minstrel and even Shakespeare which flourished from 1893 to th ...

established by

Harry Rickards Harry Rickards (4 December 1843 – 13 October 1911), born Henry Benjamin Leete, was an English-born baritone, comedian and theatre owner, most active in vaudeville and stage, first in his native England and then Australia after emigrating in 1 ...

. He also toured the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

twice, each of 36 weeks duration. Appearing at private drawing room entertainment for

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

, Princess Mathilde, Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich and others. Writing of this in his memoirs:

''I have in my time appeared before a large number of Royal Folk, and five years ago gave my entertainment before H.R.H. the Prince of Wales (later to be King Edward) and a distinguished company, I intermingled my show on that occasion with English, French, and German sayings and songs, and it was wonderfully successful and evidently much enjoyed by the aristocratic Royal present.''

He was an early member of the

Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership an ...

and

Variety Artistes' Federation The Variety Artistes' Federation (VAF) was a trade union representing variety performers in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded on 18 February 1906, after discussions between the show business social club and charity the Grand Ord ...

Later Life

In 1910 Travis returned to Australia accompanied by Miss Marjorie Dean, a music hall dancer, and together they performed their act ''‘The Tramp Ventriloquist’'' at the Tivoli Theatre. Marjorie Dean (born Margaret Daniels) lived with Frank in their

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 ...

home until his death, having two children together. Frank Travis died on the 28 June 1931{{Cite web , title=Civil Death Index , url=https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/7579/images/ons_d19312az-0902?pId=33188816 , access-date=2023-08-15 , website=www.ancestry.com.au after a long illness and was cremated at

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

. Several of his children went on to become performers themselves with his daughter having a ventriloquist act and his son starring in silent films.

Gallery

File:Frank Travis & Figures.jpg, link=, Frank Travis c.1910 File:Frank Travis 1910.jpg, Caricature of Frank Travis c.1910 File:Little Don & FrankTravis.jpg, Frank Travis & Little Don c.1880 File:Miss Madeline Rosa, Ventriloquist - Evanion collection (1883) - BL.jpg, Madeline Rosa, first wife of Frank Travis c.1883

References

Ventriloquists 1854 births 1931 deaths Music hall performers