Clara Fisher

Clara Fisher (14 July 1811 – 12 November 1898) was a British prodigy who, at the age of six, began performing on the London stage in 1817.

[2] Her first performance was on 10 December 1817 at the Drury Lane Theatre as Lord Flimnap in the production of David Garrick's Lilliput, where she "astonished the audience with her great talent".

[7][8] Her plays were attended by the social and political elite of the time[7] and she was painted by the miniature artist Rose Emma Drummond.

In December 1834, Fisher married James Gaspard Maeder (1809–1876), a composer and vocal coach,[9] who wrote an opera for her entitled Peri, or the Enchanted Fountain.

[3] Though her popularity declined and she was forced to play the roles of older women,[7] she was still given respect for the strength of her dramatic work and was often referred to as "the oldest living actress".

Fisher died on 12 November 1898 at the home of her daughter in Metuchen, New Jersey,[3] and is buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in New York.