W.S. Penley with his son, Charles Fancourt Brandon Penley

W.S. Penley (1852-1912), English actor manager, with his youngest son, Charles Fancourt Brandon Penley (1894-1969)
(photo: unknown, probably near London, late 1890s)

This tinted halftone postcard was published about 1902 by Henry Moss & Co of London in its ‘Actors & Actresses’ series. It shows the English actor W.S. Penley and his son. Penley created the title role Brandon Thomas’s farcical comedy, Charley’s Aunt, first produced at the Royalty Theatre, London on 21 December 1892. During the following year the play was transferred to the Globe Theatre, where it ran for a record breaking 1,466 performances.

For further details of Penley’s busy career, see David Stone’s web site, Who Was Who in the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company.

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