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The Old Curiosity Shop
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| The character of Little Nell in The Old Curiosity
Shop was so beloved that Victorians trod the dance floor
in her name. |
The Old Curiosity Shop has had a peculiar
history. Well-received when first published in 1840-1841, it has since
been reviled by those who find it overly sentimental. Little Nell
has been variously described by critics as “vulgar,” “heroic,”
“noble” and “a monster with two heads.” The
American actress Lotta Crabtree had great success playing the dual
child roles of Little Nell and the Marchioness from 1866 to 1887 when
Miss Crabtree was well past 40. She is represented in this exhibition
as the Marchioness fitting Dickens’s description of “a
small slip-shod girl in a dirty coarse apron….” As a play,
The Old Curiosity Shop did not successfully survive the 20th
century.
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| In numerous productions spanning 20 years, Lotta
Crabtree played the dual role of Little Nell and the Marchioness
in The Old Curiosity Shop. |
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