Marmein Dancers

“Happy Jack” Marmein [1] (1862-1930),[2] a Chicago area real estate broker who later became an owner of the Gold Bug Mining Company of Arizona [3][4] and Anna Engleton (1877-1949),[5][6] in later years a well known lecturer and teacher of philosophy, drama, art, music and language.

[7] At the age of 15 she became the first schoolgirl to recite the Declaration of Independence during the annual Fourth of July celebration held at Boston's Faneuil Hall.

Irene and Miriam may have started performing at an early age with the help of Maurice Brown, an English theatrical producer who founded the Chicago Little Theatre around 1912.

[11] The sister joined the vaudeville Orpheum circuit[12] during the 1916-17 season, performing in venues throughout West from Texas to the Canadian Plains[13] and westward along the Pacific Coast.

Miriam was known as an accomplished costume designer and sketch artist and was active on the lecture circuit giving talks on dance and its allied arts.