Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

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Nellie Farren

Birthname: Ellen
Alias: Nellie
Nationality: British
Date of birth: 1848
Date of death: 1904
Category: actress

Identity:

Nellie Farren married the actor Robert Soutar. Their son, J. Farren Soutar, followed in their footsteps, becoming an actor, singer and stage manager himself.

Life:

She was a popular burlesque actress, particularly at the Gaiety Theatre in the West End from 1868-1893. She was particularly known for playing boy's parts in musical burlesques. Whistler was a great admirer of her in the late 1870s.

Bibliography:

Encylopedia Britannica, 1911, online edition; MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995; National Portrait Gallery website.