Lydia Foote

[2][1] Coming from an established and successful acting family Foote enjoyed a degree of respect that was generally not afforded to actresses of this era as their profession was seen as indicative of sexual promiscuity.

She debuted in London at the Lyceum Theatre in 1852 in the juvenile role of Edward in A Chain of Events by Charles Mathews and Slingsby Lawrence.

[4] The Dictionary of National Biography refers to her "great triumph" as her performances as Esther in T. W. Robertson's Caste, at the Prince of Wales's Theatre in 1867.

[2][6][7] She continued to perform regularly in West End theatres,[4] including in the roles of Lady Selina in How She Loves Him by Dion Boucicault and as Amanda in Robertson's Play (1868).

She originated the roles of Anna in The Danischeffs, adapted by Lord Newry (1877) and Midge in Boucicault's Rescued (1879), among others.