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Frances Kemble was a British actress and writer. The Kemble family were a prominent theatrical family - the actress Sarah Siddons was her aunt. Following a short but successful career on the stage she married Pierce Mease Butler, an American who subsequently inherited several plantations in Georgia. Frances was shocked by the conditions and treatment of the slaves and the couple's differing attitudes ultimately led to an acrimonious divorce. Kemble then found success as a Shakespearean stage reader and writer of works, including plays, poetry, memoirs, travel writings and books about the theatre.
Frances Kemble was a British actress and writer. The Kemble family were a prominent theatrical family - the actress Sarah Siddons was her aunt. Following a short but successful career on the stage she married Pierce Mease Butler, an American who subsequently inherited several plantations in Georgia. Frances was shocked by the conditions and treatment of the slaves and the couple's differing attitudes ultimately led to an acrimonious divorce. Kemble then found success as a Shakespearean stage reader and writer of works, including plays, poetry, memoirs, travel writings and books about the theatre.
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| Name: | Frances Anne Kemble |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | Fanny Kemble |
| Gender: | Female |
| Nationality: | English |
| Date of birth: | 1809 |
| Date of death: | 1893 |
| Roles: | Actor; Writer; Abolitionist |
| Project person ID: | SLP192 |
| Image rights: | © National Portrait Gallery London by Richard James Lane after Sir Thomas Lawrence lithograph published 1829-1830 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ |
