Anecdotes and Restoration Actresses: The Cases of Elizabeth Barry and Anne Bracegirdle

Scholars have recently advocated for the inclusion of anecdotes in historical research, which they say can add a type of “truth,” even if that truth is factually unverifiable, to their subjects. This article argues that anecdotes need to be read in light of hard evidence, and that scholars need to remain aware of how anecdotes contain the potential to perpetuate non-inclusive cultural narratives. Many anecdotes relayed about Restoration and eighteenth-century English actresses violate factual circumstances and reinscribe antifeminist narratives in their careers and lives. Using Elizabeth Barry and Anne Bracegirdle as case studies, this article demonstrates how popular anecdotes rob them of agency by misattributing Barry’s talent and unnecessarily invoking female competition.