A number of short biographies state that Fish was born in 1872;[citation needed] however, the 1900 U.S. Census reports her birth in 1871.

[2][3][4][page needed] In the late 1890s, while performing in vaudeville, she met fellow actress Margaret Seddon.

The couple had appeared in a number of stage performances together in Boston and New York before their marriage, starting in March 1892.

[5] McWade made her screen debut in the 1914 silent film The Drama of Heyville, starring Marc McDermott and directed by Ashley Miller.

McWade played Mrs. Griggs, and she is described in reviews as the "old mother hubbard, shouldering most of the burden for the penny pinching family".

In the Louisiana newspaper Monroe Morning World on June 5, 1938, she is described physically as "the one with the angular face and black hair".

[7][8][9] In 1935, producers approached both McWade and Seddon and asked them to reprise their roles as the Pixilated Sisters for the 1936 movie Mr.

In The Corsicana Daily Sun, McWade is quoted regarding having played the Pixilated Sisters in the movie: "it's a one chance in a million, like something out of a book.

"[citation needed] The two actresses teamed for a variety of films throughout the late 1930s and into the 1940s, often playing spinster sisters in comedic roles written for them, such as One Man's Bonus.