A Production of The Beggars' Opera at Benham in 1805
I am very grateful to Jill Kamp for sending me this fascinating and little-known picture of an entertainment at Benham Park, the Berkshire home of Elizabeth Craven, in 1805.
It is a drawing done by one of Elizabeth Craven's friends, John Nixon, a keen amateur actor who appeared in many of her productions at Brandenburgh House. This picture shows that she sometimes put on theatrical entertainments at Benham as well. The date, January 7th 1805, is very close to Twelfth Night and this must have been part of the Christmas fun that Craven loved to organize for her house-parties. The singers and actors were all guests of hers, and quite likely many of the musicians were too.
John Gay's operetta The Beggars' Opera was written in 1728, so it was already a classic by the time Craven decided to revive it. The story is all about thieves, cut-throats, bawds and whores, so the choice indicates Craven did not care a hoot about her reputation or the notion that private theatricals were improper.
The drawing does not depict an actual performance. What it shows is a green-room, where actors and singers are dressing and getting ready, before going on. It is a crowded, somewhat comical scene, and the figures are almost like caricatures. Some are preening themselves, others being helped to dress, while others are ready and chatting to each other as they wait.
On the reverse of the picture, a lot of the cast are identified. The rather stumpy man in the middle, being helped into a dress by two women, is John Nixon himself, taking the role of Lucy Lockit. We can see his breeches under the skirt and despite his mob-cap he has a visible moustache. His helpers are Lady Elizabeth and Lady Louisa Forbes, Elizabeth Craven's nieces. Behind them stands a very tall, thin man in a top hat; this is Elizabeth's son, Berkeley Craven, in the role of MacHeath, the highwayman and leader of the robber-gang. The stout woman seated on the far right is Mrs Peachum, acted, most incongruously, by General Madden. A shapely young miss is putting on her make-up in front of a looking-glass on a table. The very tall woman in the wedding dress must be Polly Peacham, acted by a man, Mr Mercer; a rather diminutive woman is attempting, as well as she can, to help adjust her veil. Meanwhile a man carrying a tray of drinks, not looking where he is going, is about to walk into them. The face of the old lady in a large bonnet behind him is full of alarm. Another very tall "woman" standing at the back, in front of the fireplace, could be Keppel Craven, who took the role of Mrs Slammekin. Most of the women's roles seem to have been acted by men, as Joseph Madocks acted Moll Brazen.
We are told that the production took place in the drawing-room of the house, and the actors have taken over one of the adjacent apartments as a dressing-room. What the Margrave thought about this we can only guess.
The sketch gives us an agreeable glimpse of the atmosphere Elizabeth Craven created around her, buzzing with lively activity, enthusiasm and fun. It's a riot! Her theatricals attracted a miscellaneous cross-section of society; actors, singers, musicians, artists and writers rubbed shoulders with foreign exiles and the more louche members of the upper classes. Hilarity and creativity prevailed. This was the Alternative Society of the Regency period, where people let their hair down.
John Gay's operetta The Beggars' Opera was written in 1728, so it was already a classic by the time Craven decided to revive it. The story is all about thieves, cut-throats, bawds and whores, so the choice indicates Craven did not care a hoot about her reputation or the notion that private theatricals were improper.
The drawing does not depict an actual performance. What it shows is a green-room, where actors and singers are dressing and getting ready, before going on. It is a crowded, somewhat comical scene, and the figures are almost like caricatures. Some are preening themselves, others being helped to dress, while others are ready and chatting to each other as they wait.
On the reverse of the picture, a lot of the cast are identified. The rather stumpy man in the middle, being helped into a dress by two women, is John Nixon himself, taking the role of Lucy Lockit. We can see his breeches under the skirt and despite his mob-cap he has a visible moustache. His helpers are Lady Elizabeth and Lady Louisa Forbes, Elizabeth Craven's nieces. Behind them stands a very tall, thin man in a top hat; this is Elizabeth's son, Berkeley Craven, in the role of MacHeath, the highwayman and leader of the robber-gang. The stout woman seated on the far right is Mrs Peachum, acted, most incongruously, by General Madden. A shapely young miss is putting on her make-up in front of a looking-glass on a table. The very tall woman in the wedding dress must be Polly Peacham, acted by a man, Mr Mercer; a rather diminutive woman is attempting, as well as she can, to help adjust her veil. Meanwhile a man carrying a tray of drinks, not looking where he is going, is about to walk into them. The face of the old lady in a large bonnet behind him is full of alarm. Another very tall "woman" standing at the back, in front of the fireplace, could be Keppel Craven, who took the role of Mrs Slammekin. Most of the women's roles seem to have been acted by men, as Joseph Madocks acted Moll Brazen.
We are told that the production took place in the drawing-room of the house, and the actors have taken over one of the adjacent apartments as a dressing-room. What the Margrave thought about this we can only guess.
The sketch gives us an agreeable glimpse of the atmosphere Elizabeth Craven created around her, buzzing with lively activity, enthusiasm and fun. It's a riot! Her theatricals attracted a miscellaneous cross-section of society; actors, singers, musicians, artists and writers rubbed shoulders with foreign exiles and the more louche members of the upper classes. Hilarity and creativity prevailed. This was the Alternative Society of the Regency period, where people let their hair down.
Another, earlier picture by John Nixon of musicians practising.
John Colley Nixon (1755-1818) was a very versatile man. A successful businessman who worked in the City of London, he nevertheless found time to paint landscapes, illustrate books, draw caricatures and become a well-known amateur actor. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and was a friend of the painter J.M.W. Turner, with whom he went on sketching tours. His drawings have an affinity with those of Rowlandson, his contemporary. Nixon appeared in several of Craven's productions, and was valued as much for his wit and conviviality as for his undoubted acting skills.
To find out more about Elizabeth Craven, and the plays she wrote, produced and acted in, read
by Julia Gasper
published by Vernon Press.
https://vernonpress.com/book/334
AND
The Modern Philosopher, by Elizabeth Craven, translated and edited by Julia Gasper, published by Cambridge Scholars Press October 2017.
http://www.cambridgescholars.com/the-modern-philosopher-letters-to-her-son-and-verses-on-the-siege-of-gibraltar-by-elizabeth-craven
Beggar's Opera at Benham, January 1805 | National Gallery of Canada...
https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artwork/beggars-opera-at-benham-january-1805
John Nixon, Beggar's Opera at Benham, January 1805, 7 January 1805, pen and grey and reddish-brown ink with watercolour over traces of graphite on wove ...
Title
Beggar's Opera at Benham, January 1805
Date
7 January 1805
Medium
Drawing
Materials
pen and grey and reddish-brown ink with watercolour over traces of graphite on wove paper, mounted on modern wove paper
Dimensions
14.7 x 23.3 cm
John Nixon (1750-1818) Beggar's Opera at Benham, 7 January 1805. 15x23cm
Nationality
British
Credit line
Purchased 1977
Accession number
18886
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