A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Faucit, Helen
Faucit, Helen
This lady is the most deservedly popular of living English tragic actresses, and has for a long series of years maintained her pre-eminence as such. Sir Archibald Alison, in the volume of his "History of Europe" devoted to Literature and the Fine Arts, gives the following mental and physical picture of her:—
"If powers of the very highest order, united to fascinating beauty, and the most lofty conceptions of the dignity and moral objects of her art, could have arrested the degradation of the stage, Miss Helen Faucit would have done so. She is a combination of Mrs. Siddons and Miss O'Keil; with the majestic air and lofty thoughts, but not the commanding figure of the former, and as great pathetic power, and not less winning grace, but without the regular features of the latter. Variety is her great characteristic, versatility her distinguishing feature. Like Garrick, she excels equally in tragedy or elegant comedy: it is hard to say whether her "Rosalind" is the more charming, or her "Lady Teazle" the more fascinating, or her "Juliet" the more heart-rending. Dark raven locks, a fine figure, and singularly expressive countenance, bestow on her all the advantages which, in addition to the highest mental gifts, beauty never ceases to confer on woman; and a disposition marked by deep feeling, alternately lively and serious, sportive and mournful, playful and contemplative, gives her that command of the expression of different emotions, and that versatility of power, which constitute her great and unequalled charm. She has the highest conception of the dignity and moral capabilities of her art, and by the uniform chasteness and delicacy of her performances, does the utmost to uphold it in its native purity."