Page:Cartoon portraits and biographical sketches of men of the day.djvu/183

 retirement of John Kemble and Mrs. Siddons; and the appearance of Edmund Kean and Miss O'Neil.

In 1818 'Amoroso,' a piece of his own, was produced at Drury-lane, and for fifty-four years Mr. Planché has been writing for the stage. In 1820 the 'Vampire' was brought out at the Lyceum.

It was three years after this that Mr. Planché began his reform of the costume of the stage: he designed the dresses for 'King John,' in accordance with the true dresses of the period, gratuitously for John Kemble. On the subject of costume, Mr. Planché is the greatest authority we have. It is a matter to which he has devoted many years of earnest study; and he may be regarded as the originator of correct dressing on the stage. This rehabilitation of the characters in 'King John' was thoroughly successful, and, he says, ' a complete reformation of dramatic costume became from that moment inevitable on the English stage.'

On the subject of old armour, too, Mr. Planché is a great authority; and he more than once arranged the splendid collection of the late Sir Samuel Meyrick for public exhibition.

While his own story of his life is by no means overburdened by reflections, it contains a fund of most interesting recollections. Without following the autobiographer year by year, we may say, in a few words, that it has been the fortune of the amiable and accomplished playwriter and antiquary to know intimately almost all the notabilities of the stage who have flourished from his youth to the present day; whilst in society he has been everywhere welcome, and has seen and known nearly everybody of social distinction; his office of Herald has brought him into immediate contact with kings and courts; and his descriptions of courtly scenes, at home and abroad, are not the least interesting portion of his memoirs.