Violet Cameron (1862-1919), was an English stage star. She was the niece of burlesque legend Lydia Thompson. Cameron began her stage career as a child in 1871. She played several child roles at the Drury Lane Pantomime theatre. As an adult, she played many prominent roles in the most important English theatres. In 1886 she came to America and played in “The Commodore” and “Kenilworth”. In 1893 she had great success in the stage play “Morocco Bound”. She was involved in several scandalous love affairs during her stage career. The top cabinet card was a product of Elliot & Fry, a prominent London photography studio. The bottom cabinet card was produced at the studio of W & D Downey in London, England. To see other photographs by these two studios, click on the category Photographer: Elliot & Fry or Photographer: Downey.
I have researched Violet for several years, and have found nothing to substantiate the accusation above, which also appears in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, that she had “several scandalous love affairs”. She had one notorious one for several years with the Earl of Lonsdale, well-documented in the pages of the Times, but I have found no reference to any other lovers. Poor Violet…poor Lady Lonsdale!
P.S. She was not the niece of Lydia Thompson. They simply had step-fathers who were brothers!
In a contemporary journal, I have come across the potential divorce action involving Lord Lonsdale, which was cancelled when de Bensaude declared that he believed in the innocence of his wife. My interest is in a woman cited as a potential witness in this action, whose name, or nickname, appears to be ‘Ryall’, or ‘Ryah’, as it usually appears in quotes. I am trying to identify her.
Was she an actress, or a friend of Violet Cameron’s?
I think you may be looking for Sophia Row, who was a witness in one of the cases against De Bensaude in August 1887. She was one of Violet’s servants.
I should also retract my comment that it was the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography which accused Violet of several scandalous love affairs. My sincere apologies to the author of the biographical note therein. It was yet another website which produced the original accusation, and I suppose it was then copied by various people. As I said, the only scandalous affair she had was with Lord Lonsdale!
I think the woman I’m looking for may have had the surname ‘Storey’, and have had a son, Ernest, in about 1877. She may have been nicknamed “Ryah”.
She’s definitely not Sophia Row.
I’ve now discovered her name was ‘Maria Story’, or Storey. The ‘Ryah’ was a phonetic spelling of presumably a nickname from Ma(ria). She had a son in November 1877.
Does this name mean anything in connection with Violet Cameron?
No, it doesn’t ring any Cameron bells, but I’ll check my notes! Where did you encounter Maria Storey?