In 1899, Robson was a member of the summer stock company at the Elitch Theatre.
She made her New York debut a year later and went on to have a ten-year career as a leading Broadway actress. Upon her marriage to August Belmont Jr. on 26 February 1910, Eleanor retired from the stage.
In 1912 she co-founded The Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving (SPUG) which campaigned against pointless gifts at Christmas, and particularly against the exploitation of junior employees by their supervisors — it was custom of the era for employees to give gifts to bosses and higher-ups in exchange for workplace favors. Frequently the gifts given were expensive, costing up to two weeks’ worth of wages.
[Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_the_Prevention_of_Useless_Giving]
(The above photo is from the Historic Elitch Theatre collection — it once hung in the entry to the theatre.)
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1899
