ABSTRACT
A new era was beginning, marked by the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, in December 1861. The political gerontocracy associated with Lord Palmerston and Lord John Russell was dying off, and a new social cohesion was becoming evident. Science and technology advanced, and prosperity was felt in the suburbs which were growing fast, thanks to the expanding railways. Victorian respectability was arriving, marked by legislation such as the abolition in 1868 of public hanging, and by a series of Education Acts, the 1869 Endowed Schools Act, the 1870 Education Act and the 1871 University Terms Act. Robertson was of the fourth generation of a theatrical family. His uncle managed the Lincoln circuit, and both his parents were provincial actors. Robertson’s influence on stage setting and acting were more pervasive. He insisted on ‘realism’ on stage, real doorknobs on real practicable doors, windows which opened and matting carpets, not green paint, on the floor.
