1899 LIONEL BROUGH – British actor and comedian with chow Winkie

This photo above of actor Lionel Brough came from a Victorian drama magazine I purchased, and is one of the earliest celebrities I have in my photo collection, dating to 1899!  The chow was just in the beginning stages of making big  splash in England with America following only a few years later .  English breeders were few, with the famous names of Lady Faudel Phillips, and her daughter Lady Granville Gordon plus Mrs. Scaramanga and Mr. Taunton  being the significant  breeders  and importers from China of the day.   I can’t help but  wonder where this lovely chow named “Winkie” came from.

SOURCE WIKIPEDIA – Lionel Brough (10 March 1836 – 9 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. He established his career in London as a member of the company at the new Queen’s Theatre, Long Acre in 1867, and he soon became known for his roles in Shakespeare, contemporary comedies.   In the 1870s and 1880s, Brough was one of the leading comic actors in London. Although untrained musically, he also appeared in several successful operettas in the 1880s and 1890s.