Fanny Mary Bernard-Beere (née Whitehead)
(1856-1915), Actress and managerSitter in 5 portraits
Fanny Whitehead was born in Norwich, the daughter of the landscape artist, Francis Wilby Whitehead and a goddaughter of William Makepeace Thackeray. Made her stage debut at the Opera Comique in 1877. Bernard-Beere's most celebrated roles included Bathsheba in Far from the Madding Crowd (1882) and Fédora (1883). Toured the United States in 1892, followed by Australia and India. In 1893 she was cast as Mrs Arbuthnot in Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance. ' Mr Oscar Wilde' she told the interviewer from The Sketch, 'is a delightful author...it is very delightful dealing with a man of real intellect, who both knows what he wants and understands in a moment what is wanted.'
Fanny Mary Bernard-Beere (née Whitehead)
by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
woodburytype, published September 1880
NPG x6412
Fanny Mary Bernard-Beere (née Whitehead)
by Herbert Rose Barraud, published by Eglington & Co
carbon print, published 1889
NPG Ax5440
Fanny Mary Bernard-Beere (née Whitehead)
by Herbert Rose Barraud, published by Eglington & Co
carbon print, published 1889
NPG x5164
Fanny Mary Bernard-Beere (née Whitehead)
by Walery, published by Sampson Low & Co
carbon print, published February 1890
NPG Ax38318
Fanny Mary Bernard-Beere (née Whitehead)
by Walery, published by Sampson Low & Co
carbon print, published February 1890
NPG x8688
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