Bertha Galland
Encyclopedia
Bertha Galland was an American dramatic stage actress remembered for her romantic roles.
merchant and later found success as a manufacturer of fashionable women’s lace undergarments.
Anna Galland (aka A.M. Galland), born in Harford, Pennsylvania, was a talented marine and landscape artist. Anna’s sister, Effie Julia Hawley, was the wife of Louis Arthur Watres
, a onetime Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.
Galland took to the stage about age twenty after studying drama for several years in Europe and later in America as a student of George Edgar, a former instructor of actress Margaret Mather
. In the summer of 1895 it was widely reported in the press that the following season Galland would debut playing Juliet
, Lady Macbeth
and Frou-Frou
in a tour of New England
Two months later though, the tour was cancelled after her father and uncle withdrew their financial support for the venture. Later in 1896 she formed a stock company with George Edgar performing “Comedy and Tragedy” in engagements such as their December, 1896 presentations at the opera house in Adams
and the Columbia Opera House in North Adams, Massachusetts
, playing five select scenes taken from plays by Shakespeare
, Sheridan
and Daly. An Adams theater critic later wrote, “Lovers of good acting who failed to attend the performance of Miss Bertha Galland and George Edgar at the opera house at Adams last evening, missed one of the best attractions of the season.”
in New York playing Marie Ottilie in The Pride of Jennico
opposite James K. Hackett
. The following year she played the lead role Isoult the Desirous in The Forest Lovers at the Lyceum Theatre. She next appeared in The Love Match at the Lyceum as Pansy de Castro and then in a long engagement as Esméralda, in a road production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Her greatest success came in 1903 at the New York Theatre
as Dorothy in the Elizabethan drama, Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall. After the play ended its New York run it went on the road for several seasons only returning to New York for a brief revival production at the Lyric Theatre near the end of 1904. She found similar success with David Belasco playing the title role in Sweet Kitty Bellairs in New York and elsewhere. After a brief absence from the stage she returned in 1909 to star in the modern fantasy, The Return of Eve, staged at the Herald Square Theatre early in 1909.
On May 2, 1929 Galland presented President Hoover with a illuminated copy of a song she composed as a possible American national anthem called America Beloved Land. The song had earlier been performed by the U.S. Marine Band at Hoover's inauguration celebration.
The following year, at the Twelfth Night Club’s annual celebration held at the American Women’s Association ballroom on West Fifty- Seventh Street in New York, Bertha Galland recited a poem she composed for the club’s guest of honor, producer Daniel Frohman
. Six months later Frohman, who was then president of the Actors Fund, read a poem by Gallant at a luncheon following his annual inspection of the fund’s retirement home in Englewood, New Jersey
.
on November 20, 1932. At the time she was a passenger in a car with her mother and a family friend. Their driver was unable to stop in time when a car pulled out from a side street. The force of the accident was such that Galland’s car overturned striking a fire hydrant and severely injuring several people at a bus stop. Galland died on the way to hospital and her mother shortly after arriving. While both drivers later claimed they were driving safely, eye witness accounts indicated that the other driver ran a stop sign and that Galland’s car was traveling at an excessive speed.
She was survived by her brother Seymour and uncle, Louis Watres. Seymour’s daughter, Dorothy Galland, was a 1920s vaudeville singer, comedian and quick-change
artist. Berthold Galland, a co-founder of the Galland-Stewart Co., passed away on March 2, 1911 while in his mid-sixties. Bertha Galland possibly had some connection with her father’s business for In 1907 she filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
a design for new style of lace nightgown.
Early life
She was the daughter of Berthold Galland and the former Anna Miller Hawley. According to her New York Times obituary she was born near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, though early travel documents and census records give Bergen, New Jersey or New York City as her birthplace. Berthold Galland was a native of Posen, Prussia (today Poznań, Poland) who came to America in 1860 where he became a. dry goodsDry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
merchant and later found success as a manufacturer of fashionable women’s lace undergarments.
Anna Galland (aka A.M. Galland), born in Harford, Pennsylvania, was a talented marine and landscape artist. Anna’s sister, Effie Julia Hawley, was the wife of Louis Arthur Watres
Louis Arthur Watres
Louis Arthur Watres was the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1891 to 1895.-External links:*...
, a onetime Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.
Galland took to the stage about age twenty after studying drama for several years in Europe and later in America as a student of George Edgar, a former instructor of actress Margaret Mather
Margaret Mather
Margaret Mather was a Canadian actress.She was born in poverty in Tilbury, Ontario as Margaret Finlayson, daughter of John Finlayson, a farmer and mechanic, and Ann Mather...
. In the summer of 1895 it was widely reported in the press that the following season Galland would debut playing Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
and Frou-Frou
Frou-Frou
Frou-Frou, is a French comedy film from 1955, directed by Augusto Genina, written by A.E. Carr, starring Dany Robin and Louis de Funès. The film is known under the titles: "The Toy Wife", "Frou-Frou, die Pariserin" .- Cast :...
in a tour of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Two months later though, the tour was cancelled after her father and uncle withdrew their financial support for the venture. Later in 1896 she formed a stock company with George Edgar performing “Comedy and Tragedy” in engagements such as their December, 1896 presentations at the opera house in Adams
Adams, Massachusetts
Adams is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,485 at the 2010 census.-History:...
and the Columbia Opera House in North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,708 as of the 2010 census, making it the least populous city in the state...
, playing five select scenes taken from plays by Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
and Daly. An Adams theater critic later wrote, “Lovers of good acting who failed to attend the performance of Miss Bertha Galland and George Edgar at the opera house at Adams last evening, missed one of the best attractions of the season.”
Career
Bertha Galland first major success came in 1900 at the Criterion TheatreCriterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
in New York playing Marie Ottilie in The Pride of Jennico
The Pride of Jennico
The Pride of Jennico is a four-act play based on the book by the same name from Agnes and Egerton Castle published in 1897 by the Macmillan Company....
opposite James K. Hackett
James Keteltas Hackett
James Keteltas Hackett was an American actor and manager.-Life:He was the son of James Henry Hackett, a comedian and celebrated Falstaff. His elderly father died age 71 when Hackett was just two years old thus never living to see Hackett grow to an adult...
. The following year she played the lead role Isoult the Desirous in The Forest Lovers at the Lyceum Theatre. She next appeared in The Love Match at the Lyceum as Pansy de Castro and then in a long engagement as Esméralda, in a road production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1831. The French title refers to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on which the story is centered.-Background:...
Her greatest success came in 1903 at the New York Theatre
Lyric Theatre (New York)
The Lyric Theatre was a prominent Broadway theatre built in 1903 in Manhattan, New York City in the 42nd Street Theatre District. It had two entrances, one at 213 West 42nd Street and another at 214-26 West 43rd Street and was one of the few New York houses that had two formal entrances. In 1934,...
as Dorothy in the Elizabethan drama, Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall. After the play ended its New York run it went on the road for several seasons only returning to New York for a brief revival production at the Lyric Theatre near the end of 1904. She found similar success with David Belasco playing the title role in Sweet Kitty Bellairs in New York and elsewhere. After a brief absence from the stage she returned in 1909 to star in the modern fantasy, The Return of Eve, staged at the Herald Square Theatre early in 1909.
Later life
Though only in her mid-thirties and still in demand, Galland chose to retire after touring with The Return of Eve in 1910. Over the remainder of her life she stayed active among theater circles, wrote and traveled with her mother. At some point in her later years Galland wrote The Coral Girl a libretto for light opera. John James Donnelly, her former manager had planned to produce the piece but, like Galland, did not live to see the project through completion. On May 8, 1910, Bertha Galland was one of fourteen prominent actresses to greet President Taft before his inaugural address opening the Actors Fund Fair in New York. The fair was organized to raise $200,000 to benefit the Actors Fund of America and drew some 10,000 visitors on its first day.On May 2, 1929 Galland presented President Hoover with a illuminated copy of a song she composed as a possible American national anthem called America Beloved Land. The song had earlier been performed by the U.S. Marine Band at Hoover's inauguration celebration.
The following year, at the Twelfth Night Club’s annual celebration held at the American Women’s Association ballroom on West Fifty- Seventh Street in New York, Bertha Galland recited a poem she composed for the club’s guest of honor, producer Daniel Frohman
Daniel Frohman
Daniel Frohman was a Jewish American theatrical producer and manager, and an early film producer.Frohman was born in Sandusky, Ohio...
. Six months later Frohman, who was then president of the Actors Fund, read a poem by Gallant at a luncheon following his annual inspection of the fund’s retirement home in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
.
Death
Bertha Galland died in an automobile accident in White Plains, New YorkWhite Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
on November 20, 1932. At the time she was a passenger in a car with her mother and a family friend. Their driver was unable to stop in time when a car pulled out from a side street. The force of the accident was such that Galland’s car overturned striking a fire hydrant and severely injuring several people at a bus stop. Galland died on the way to hospital and her mother shortly after arriving. While both drivers later claimed they were driving safely, eye witness accounts indicated that the other driver ran a stop sign and that Galland’s car was traveling at an excessive speed.
She was survived by her brother Seymour and uncle, Louis Watres. Seymour’s daughter, Dorothy Galland, was a 1920s vaudeville singer, comedian and quick-change
Quick-change
Quick-change is a performance style in which a performer or magician changes quickly within seconds from one costume into another costume in front of the audience.-Modern Quick-Change Artists:...
artist. Berthold Galland, a co-founder of the Galland-Stewart Co., passed away on March 2, 1911 while in his mid-sixties. Bertha Galland possibly had some connection with her father’s business for In 1907 she filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
a design for new style of lace nightgown.