Ellen Terry (1847-1928) was one of the most celebrated actresses of the Victorian era. Her illustrious career saw the gradual rehabilitation of the English stage. In the early nineteenth century, public perceptions of theatres as places of lawlessness and licence and a general condemnation of the ‘immoral’ character of actresses were largely the rule. Over time, these attitudes were superseded by growing recognition of the theatre as a medium of high culture, and widespread acknowledgement of the respectability and professional probity of theatrical performers. It was a slow process. As late as 1897, the eminent theatre critic Clement Scott could still denounce the stage as an unsuitable career for a woman: ‘I do not see how she …

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Citation: Goode, Christopher. "Ellen Terry". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 January 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11940, accessed 24 November 2024.]