Kemble, Maria Theresa

1775

1838

Born in Vienna on 17 January 1775, she was the daughter of the musician George Louis De Camp and his wife Jeanne Adrienne Dufour. Her father brought his large family to London by 1777, the year in which he joined the band at Covent Garden Theatre. His wife did not perform in London but two of Maria Theresa’s sisters, Adelaide and Sophia, and a brother Vincent, as well as other members of the family, were on the London stage. At the age of eight Maria Theresa danced the part of Cupid in the ballet “Les Ruses de l’Amour” at the King’s Theatre on 1 May 1783. She continued to appear in children’s roles at the King’s, then at the Royal Circus, the Haymarket and Drury Lane. At the Haymarket on 15 August 1792 she played Macheath in a bizarre production of “The Beggar’s Opera”, in which Charles Bannister and J. H. Johnstone appeared as Polly and Lucy. At the new Drury Lane Theatre on 14 May 1794 Maria performed Lady Helen in “The Children of the Wind”. She remained at Drury Lane through the first six seasons of the nineteenth century, appearing in the roles of young women. Among her numerous parts were Charlotte in “My Grandmother”, Lucy Lockit in the “Beggar’s Opera”, Statira in “Alexander the Great”, Olivia in “Twelfth Night” and Patie in “The Gentle Shepherd” (the role in which she was painted by De Wilde, G0392). She also was engaged regularly during summers at the Haymarket through 1800. By 1800 Maria was betrothed to Charles Kemble (q.v.), who was also at Drury Lane under his brother John’s management. The Kemble family opposed the alliance, but after a long wait, Charles and Maria finally married at St George, Bloomsbury, on 2 July. When the family moved over to Covent Garden that autumn the new Mrs Kemble went with them, appearing that season as Maria in “The Citizen”, Ophelia in “Hamlet” and Dorinda in “The Tempest”. The following season she acted Mrs Ford in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” (G0391). Mrs Kemble remained at Covent Garden through the 1812-13 season and then went off to the provinces, playing at Brighton, Dublin, Edinburgh and Glasgow. After a few more performances at Covent Garden in 1815 and 1819, she retired from the stage, though she did return ten years later for one performance at Covent Garden on the occasion of her daughter Fanny’s debut as Juliet on 5 October 1829. Preferring the country, Mrs Kemble lived for a while at Craven Hill while Charles lived in lodgings in town to be close to his work. She did not accompany him on his tour to America from 1832 to 1834. Her last two years were passed at a cottage in Addlestone, near Chertsey, where she died on 3 September 1838, at the age of 63. She was buried in the Addlestone churchyard. The BDA lists 28 portraits of her, most of which date before her marriage.