Research topic: Kitty Clive

Kitty Clive (Catherine Raftor), 1711-85, English singer and actress. She made her debut (c.1728) at Drury Lane under the management of Colley Cibber and worked for many years with David Garrick, with whom she never got along. Her charm, wit, and vivacity, linked with a fine singing voice, brought her great success in light comedy and farce. She was a friend of Samuel Johnson; of Fielding, in whose plays and adaptations she appeared; and of Horace Walpole, who gave her a cottage, Clive's-Den, upon her retirement. There she held an informal salon and wrote several farces. She was painted by Ho... Read more