Precious Brits, 1904–1912

Abstract

Whether the world was ready or not, the nineteenth century turned into the twentieth century. Britain hadn’t yet set aside its foothold in the New World, nor been fought to a standstill by the undermanned, under-armed Boers. Easier travel, the common language, and a booming American economy were bringing more British actors to North American shores. Music-hall and variety performers were turning up in vaudeville, too, at the same time as vaudevillians filtered into variety and music halls on the other side.

Vaudeville… is coming to be something like the American tour of foreign actors, a respectable way of fattening a depleted bank account.

Norman Hapgood, “The Life of a Vaudeville Artiste” (1901)¹

Americans for a long time had wanted to construct their own tradition, yet the European and English past was the only past that was available.

Henry F. May, The End of American Innocence (1959)²