Talk:Charlie Chaplin/Archive 2

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Archive 5

Look-a-like competition story

Im not sure this article says anything about a story that Charlie Chaplin once entered a 'Charlie Chaplin look-a-like competition' and came in third. I've read many places that this is true and just wondered if it was worth mentioning? Alcryt 14:11, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Snopes confirms this story and offers some references, but I am unable to check them myself. Their coverage is at http://www.snopes.com/movies/actors/chaplin2.asp. BlckKnght (talk) 10:27, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

Vote here for best comic actor ever: http://www.csfd.cz/uzivatel/30271-kulmon/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.92.147.1 (talk) 08:29, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Communist Sympathies

I think the section on Chaplin's knighthood could be improved. Britain thought that knighting Chaplin would be controversial because the US thought that he was a communist. Some people believe that Chaplin was targeted as a communist because he made a movie humiliating Hitler (before the US joined the Allies) and because he married 16 year olds twice. Tkessler 04:45, Mar 8, 2005 (UTC)

Do Communists ordinarily marry 16 year olds? Fishhead64 18:44, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

This is my first time writing on a wiki, so please excuse me if I am not doing this correctly.

I have a question. Does anyone know more about Chaplin's political thoughts? It seems to me that his films say a lot about what he thought about fascism and even capitalism.

lje - he was also seen as communist for is movie Modern Time (1936), that critisis the machines and work that can alienate the workers instead of helping them, that can be viewed as a K. Marx point of view. There is also a funny scene in this film where the character of charlie is in front of a demonstration, holding a red flag that he takes on the floor.

Monsieur Verdoux movie is also a criticism of the capitalism. Verdoux in the film kill middle-class women for money.

charles chaplin also supported the russian army during the 2nd war, and later received a price for his carrier from the ussr. He was at left in politic, and had lots of troubles with U.S. politicians and governement. He decideded to go back to europe after many lawsuit (they found a pretext with his marriage with his two young wife to attack him with lawsuit and weaken his popularity).

(excuse me for my english, i just wanted to reply, i've seen a documentary on C. Chaplin.)

Chaplin may have been a communist. At the time of 'The Great Dictator' (1930s, 1940s) such beliefs were commonplace amongst left-wing intellectuals, many of whom naively saw the Soviet Union as a potential utopia and as the anti-thesis to the hateful ideology of fascism. Many communist supporters did not realise the full extent of Stalinism's crimes against humanity. They also may have been blinded to the faults of Stalinism in reaction to the intensity of the anti-communist propaganda produced by fascists. Let's not forget that fascism was amongst the most evil of ideologies ever put into practice. Anybody who opposed this evil could easily have become a communist [communism in its purest form is a very attractive ideology which has been greatly tainted and undermined by its association with violent movements such as Marxism and Stalinism]. At the time Stalinist propaganda was much more readily accepted by many left-wing supporters, simply because the extent of Stalin's crimes were either not known or believed. Also the often violent reaction of extreme right-wing capitalists (e.g. Henry Ford) to attempts to improve the lot of the working classes helped to increase the polarisation of political views in this period. In brief, any intelligent person with a conscience, and a concern for fellow human beings, would have felt compelled to support communism in the years between WWI and WWII. This support would have been given in opposition to the evils of fascism and in ignorance of the evils of Stalinism. No pasaran! 85.210.26.131 02:00, 2 June 2006 (UTC) Mark Murray

at no point did chaplin claim to belong to any political party. he called himself a "citizen of the world" i think he had interests in politics and that is why he met these political leaders. and of course when mcaurther came along people thought he was a communist for talking to chinas leader and russias leader. the idea for the great dictator spurred out of the war but Douglas Fairbanks commented that the tramp and hitler had the same moustache and it might be funny to have a movie about that. so thats where the idea sparked. if you fo to http://imdb.com/title/tt0032553/trivia theres a bunch of trivia on the film.

chaplin also said that had he known the true extent of Nazi atrocities, he "could not have made fun of their homicidal insanity".

Why was McCarthy mentioned in the article? McCarthy had nothing to do with him. The house went after Hollywood, not Senator McCarthy.

Chaplin. Anti-capitalis, anti-fascist, pro-communist (what normal person wouldn't be?)

Well, he's a good guy. -G —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 134.117.157.7 (talk) 20:56, 21 March 2007 (UTC).

Jewish Background?

It seems that many people are under the impression that charlie chaplin was of Jewish origin. There is no indication of this in the article, and I am merely curious whether this is indeed true. Does anybody out there know for sure? ~~Robberex

I think that it is pretty well established that he was no Jewish. His half-brother, Sydney, may have had a Jewish father. I think that including a section on this issue in the article would be useful--Jrm2007 (talk) 18:33, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

Chaplin once made a remark to the effect that he would be very honored to discover he had Jewish ancestry, suggesting he knew he did not. I think the only people who seriously thought he was a Jew were Nazis; a Nazi propaganda volume called The Jews Are Looking at You called him a "disgusting Jewish tumbler." NonsuchDan (talk) 05:57, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

MIGHT be true

Chaplin's first film was released in Feb 1914 and more followed on an almost weekly basis.

WW I doesn't start until the June 1914 shooting of Archduke Ferdinand and it's reasonable to say that any time for a year after that was still in the "outbreak". It seems Chaplin was widely known by 1915.

Still, it would be interesting to see the actual "criticisms" and their dates. Perhaps the basis for a Wikipedia article since the source material should be public domain by now.

I'm more curious about the statement that he "presented himself" for military service (in Britain?) at the time. How did he have time when he was making a new film every week in the USA? A round trip by sea to Britain would have taken too long. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.152.112.98 (talk) 22:43, 8 January 2007 (UTC).

He could have done that at the British Embassy —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.40.252.126 (talk) 09:39, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

Joan Berry

I'm concerned that what has been written in regard to Joan Berry is not referenced and may not conform to wikipedia standards of accuracy and/or npov. In the section 'politics' that charges laid against him in this case are described as "serious criminal charges". To me this unfairly conforms to the view of Chaplin's critics. I've just finished reading Chaplin's first autobiography so I'm not exactly nuetral but I believe the charges were only of a civil nature not criminal and that to label thems serious may not be accurate as they were partially motivated by the political attacks against him. I believe this is an important issue to address as it was an event that had a considerable negative effect on his public image. Pugsworth 09:12, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Is it Berry or Barry? All sources that I've come across list her name as Barry. 63.207.25.194 23:05, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Hmm, I too have always seen her listed as Barry. I just changed it to Barry, but now I'm not so sure anymore. Barry seems to be slightly more popular than Berry on Google. Dblk (talk) 17:55, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Both of the cited articles published in Time (here and here) have her name spelled "Berry". I have changed the quotations in the refs to accurately reflect that spelling, but I have not changed the body of our article. Are there any reliable sources that use "Barry"? BlckKnght (talk) 18:33, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

I have been doing research into providing a more definite biographical sketch into Miss Barry (Berry). I haven't been able to find anything on on here death date being 1996. Does anyone know where this information came from and is it a reliable source such as a Social Security Death Index? Pinkfloyd2500 (talk) 04:02, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Image

Should'nt be the first pic of Charlie Chaplin and not of Chaplin in costume as "The Tramp"? For example this image. --129.217.129.133 20:55, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Sir Chaplin's first pic should be one with out any costumes. His face stands to be one of the most handsome ones ever in the history. Anil 01:20, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

I agree. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Andy M. Wang (talk • contribs) 02:21, 27 February 2007 (UTC).

Place of Birth

Is it East Street or East Lane? His autobiography states it as East Lane, unambiguously. Anil 01:32, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

According to a documentary, it is East Street. It may be incorrect. -- Andy W. ^{(talk/contrb.)} 02:16, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

In such matters there can never be a better proof than one's autobiography. So every documentary, other work etc., can be overlooked. Anil 01:17, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

'East Street' is the official designation of the road. However locals (still) refer to it as 'East Lane'. An analogous London example is Petticoat Lane, officialy designated 'Middlesex Street', though no local ever calls it that. A 'lane' in local London parlance indicates that a market is held there. This is true of both 'East Lane' and 'Petticoat Lane'. Colin4C 22:03, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Mother's medical condition?

It says she had an oblatious condition in the larynx. So I wanted to give a link to what that means. There's nothing on wikipedia; I looked it up in various online dictionaries but couldn't find any reference to a medical condition by that name. Usually oblation means "to do with giving". Was it like spasms or something? Is this in any of the books about his life? --Bluejay Young 18:13, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

The whole paragraph in which the suspect word occurs looks seriously stupid:

An oblatious condition in the larynx ended their mother’s career as a singer and her first crisis was when she was performing "La Cantina" at the Aldershot theatre, mainly frequented by rioters and soldiers, one of the worst places to perform. Hannah was badly injured by the objects the audience mercilessly threw at her and she was booed off the stage. Backstage, she cried and argued with her manager. In the meantime, Chaplin went on stage alone and started singing a very well known tune at that time (Jack Jones).

As indicated above, 'oblatious' seems to be a made-up word and the idea that Chaplin's mother was seriously injured by objects being thrown ('mercilessly' [!]) at her at a theatre is just a fantasy. My guess, is that the whole paragraph has been added by one of those bright sparks who want to make a mockery of the wikipedia. Colin4C 22:13, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

I saw a film version of Chaplin's life from a few years ago in which the incident of Charlie covering for his mom in the rough theater was portrayed. Maybe the 'oblatious' author thought it really happened that way. --Bluejay Young 14:42, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

ha, I especially like that the theater is frequented by "rioters"--can you riot full-time? is that a permanent job? :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.22.120.199 (talk) 06:22, 6 September 2009 (UTC)

Film template

I've done an overhaul of the film template here. More info on it's talk page. Lugnuts 19:58, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Charlie's Childhood

Is the entire biography drawn from the source listed at the end? I would be happy to continue copy editing if that is okay. Knowing the sources would help. Thanks. --Kenneth M Burke 01:19, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Older Picture

I think there should be a picture of Charlie Chaplin when he was older. I think a picture in 1970s would be perfect.

Religious Affiliation

I just reverted an assertion placed in the infobox (though not visible on the page???) that Chaplin was Jewish, the article text supports an agnostic view, as does this reference not currently listed in the article's references. - Nigosh 23:34, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Georgia Hale

The addition of Georgia Hale to the list of relationships is supported by at least 2 major sources: the documentary Unknown Chaplin (excerpts of which were included in the DVD documentary Chaplin Today: The Gold Rush) in which Hale discusses the relationship, and the fact she published an autobiography detailing her relationship with Chaplin. (I have said book on order from Amazon and will add chapter-and-verse citations once it arrives in a few weeks.) 23skidoo 04:15, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Chaplin smoked little?

The "Death" section states: "Chaplin swam, played tennis, smoked little and seldom drank." (my emphasis) I've been seeing many early Chaplin shorts the past couple of days, and in all of them he smokes a cigarette or a pipe. Therefore a reference for this statement would not be out of order. Itayb 18:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Sure, but that could have been for the play. More research is needed? --Bluejay Young (talk) 04:21, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Blind on one eye?

During the barber's final speech in "The Great Dictator", I had the impression that Chaplin's eyes were looking in two different directions. It's also visible here: http://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/Image:CharlieChaplinDictator.jpg Could it be that Chaplin was blind on one eye, or otherwise visually impaired? Perhaps a note about this should go into the Trivia section. -- wr 87.139.81.19 11:25, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

Maybe it was a comedic aspect. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.189.24.13 (talk) 02:57, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Or amblyopia? It affects depth perception but doesn't affect ability to see. --Bluejay Young (talk) 04:20, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Niles

Niles, part of Fremont California, celebrates Chaplin days, and has a lot of Chaplin themed stuff. I'd hoped this article would state the conneciton. Mathiastck 23:52, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

I think his wife list may have been falsified. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.136.219.237 (talk) 06:00, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Chaplin a part gypsy????

Is it really true, that chaplin had some gypsy-blood in his veins? That would make his eagerness and commitment in ridiculing Hitler as well as his always kicking cops' asses (in his movies) more understandable.

Yes. Gypsy/Romany blood is very common in South and East London among the Working Class. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.13.29.28 (talk) 11:30, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Vandalism

This page seemes to get vandalised a lot, shouldn't we concider locking this page? --Spiby (talk) 15:16, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Template deletion

Template:Charlie Chaplin has been nominated for deletion. Please have your say over here before this Wednesday. Esn (talk) 09:08, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

"This is my song"

Chaplin's "This is my song"[1] and its success as a single is mentioned twice in the article. Is this strictly necessary? --Cog_ES 14:20, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Caricature

I don't understand the significance of the caricature. It's not really helpful to the article and I think it should be considered for removal. Elephantissimo (talk) 01:31, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

WP:WikiProject Actors and Filmmakers priority assessment

Per debate and discussion re: assessment of the approximate 100 top priority articles of the project, this article has been included as a top priority article. Wildhartlivie (talk) 10:34, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Early films: public domain or not?

Perhaps the articles under individual films says this, but this article doesn't: For many of Chaplin's pre-1923 films, he later assembled "copies" of them from alternate and outtakes, and was able to copyright them as new films. For example, Chaplin's 1942 "re-release" of the Gold Rush with his own score consists of different takes (and slightly different editing) than from the public domain versions. Maybe something should be said about this? -- kosboot (talk) 13:21, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

I believe the section on copyright is complete speculation. First, it isn't cited by any copyright law. Second, does anyone know who the last copyright owner was and if they renewed the copyright before any first copyright expired? Third, international copyright law goes deeper than treaties as stated (for example) with the EU's entry. And if we're going to talk about EU copyright, we should talk about world-wide copyright. 98.220.60.24 (talk) 23:29, 27 December 2008 (UTC)Waldfae

Separate section on film references?

As the article currently stands, the "Legacy" includes "cultural" references to Chaplin as well as cinematic references. It seems to me that there must be many such cinematic references, so I'm wondering whether it might be more useful to have a separate section for Cinematic references before the legacy. -- kosboot (talk) 17:59, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Atheist

I've taken out a sentence three times now, even though it was referenced: Chaplin was an atheist. The reason I've taken it out is that it has nothing to do with his political feelings about war, but the sentence was tacked onto the end of such a paragraph about war politics. I believe a well-written paragraph should have the characteristic of good reading flow, in that it starts with a topic statement, carries onward with some supporting sentences and ends with a closing statement. Elementary stuff. I have taken this sentence out in the name of good writing, and I will continue to do so until somebody stands up and puts Chaplin's atheism into its own paragraph complete with supporting, establishing sentences. Binksternet (talk) 15:57, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

I don't recall Chaplin saying that in his Autobiography. Guess I'll have to re-read it (or look up 'God' in the index)...Colin4C (talk) 18:04, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Now I've deleted the phrase again, this time when it was tacked onto the beginning of the section. In this new role, the phrase about being an atheist is directly connected with being leftist. No further development of the concept of atheism is offered, so readers are left thinking that atheism is something related to leftism. Atheists come in all stripes, though... there are right wing and even fascist atheists. The phrase about atheism deserves a full treatment or none. Binksternet (talk) 09:47, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Disappearing Chinese Theater hand/footprints

Chaplin's hand/footprints at Mann's Chinese Theater disappeared sometime in the early-1950s, due to McCarthyism. (I'm not sure if he's the only Mann's celebrity this happened to, but he's the only one I've heard of.) I've heard murmurs the concrete block was saved somewhere and later forgotten. Anybody else know anything about this? --Ragemanchoo (talk) 10:30, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

Archive.org site search

I just deleted a site search URL at archive.org. I went there and found a bunch of non-Charlie hits, including Henry Chaplin etc. Is there another, more precise way of linking to archive-dot-org's collection without being so scattershot? Binksternet (talk) 15:28, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

It's possible, IA has a very flexible search system, I've changed it so will only include the four relevant works. It should get most future works added as well - but IA's database is so inconsistent, that there is no guarantee every future work about Chaplin will show up with this new search. So I guess it's a compromise. The way it was previously, yes there was a lot of false positives, but they were all at the tail end, the good hits showed up at the top of the list, so it wasn't really a problem. Fothergill Volkensniff IV (talk) 19:38, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

the atheist sentence i deleted

i was messeged by wikipedia for deleting "chaplin was an atheist" my reason for doing this was because i know for a fact that he was not an atheist he was christian with a jewish backround on his fathers side who was unkown, even chaplin never knew him. and being the chaplin fan i am, i won't let Charlie Chaplin be exposed to something that is not true so that is the reason why it was deleted , thank you for letting me know about not commenting on why i did delete the selection

sincerely,

       jim  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.204.119.20 (talk) 16:58, 17 August 2008 (UTC) 

date format

I've conducted a date audit and found a mixture of US and international. Which do you all prefer, please? You'll need to buzz me if you want it changed to US (I made the call for international). Tony (talk) 13:43, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

I understand this page is in British English style since that's where Chaplin was born. Binksternet (talk) 14:47, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Willimantic reference I deleted

The listing in Legacy, "Chaplin station in Willimantic, Connecticut is named after the famous comedian." is erroneous. Willimantic, my hometown, has no Chaplin station. It's a borough in the town of Windham, which is adjacent to the town of Chaplin, Connecticut, which does have a Chaplin station. However, the town of Chaplin, incorporated in 1809 (http://www.connecticutgenealogy.com/windham/chaplin.htm), was named after Benjamin Chaplin, the first European to settle there. So too is Chaplin station. (http://www.cteastrrmuseum.org/ChaplinStation.htm) . Vcrosbie (talk) 04:43, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

Name

I was just wondering, wouldn't it be more appropriate to call the article "Charles Chaplin" as this was his proper name. --Omarraii (talk) 12:19, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Legacy section

I understand that lists such as the one employed in the Legacy section are not favored. It is a kind of helter skelter list containing important aspects of his legacy and absolute trivia. What say you all on improving that or possibly scrapping it and starting something anew?--Stetsonharry (talk) 14:41, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

I opted for trimming rather than scrapping. There were entries that had been fact-challenged, there were entries of sheer trivia, there were mentions of statues here and there and there were too many minor bits from TV and film. I think the only way for a film or TV episode to qualify as legacy is if a whole character, a central one, is modeled after Chaplin, or if the main plot is about Chaplin. Binksternet (talk) 17:09, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

I think that helps a lot. It seemed a shame to see so much trivia, and now we can focus on building up the true legacy, which is of course considerable. --Stetsonharry (talk) 21:18, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Jewish

My grandfathers friend was a friend of Charlie Chaplin and I clearly remember my granddad telling me he was Jewish and that they belong to the same community. Can someone check this out? --93.97.181.187 (talk) 00:10, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Just saw this topic was covered here before. Anyway, his friend passed away long ago and my granddad recently, otherwise I wanted to get some more information as to the particulars. There is some evidence that he is Jewish since Chaplin never confirmed Christianity and considering Atheism was not established properly then, one can only point to the 2nd inline European religion Judaism (before the later influx of Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu immigrants). Many Jews at the time refused to declare their religion properly to avoid alot of the racism going on against them, particularly well known Jews as many claimed conspiracies etc. --93.97.181.187 (talk) 00:22, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Chaplin Lawsuit?

While browsing through an article on bagels in a 1944 Pittsburgh Post Gazette newspaper, I discovered some information on Charlie Chaplin Chaplin Fingerprinted While Flashbulbs Explode which isn't in Wikipedia. It's on the first page. Apparently he was arrested on "white slavery and conspiracy charges"?

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HfwMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sWkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4774,3609537&dq=bagel —Preceding unsigned comment added by PatShearing (talk • contribs) 21:47, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Copyrights

The section on copyright after Chaplin's death just got deleted. I think it had some potential, but was missing information that would connect it back to Chaplin's own wishes. How did Chaplin try to order his affairs so that his wishes would be carried out after he died? Did his preferences prevail, or did others challenge and eat away at the arrangement? It's this kind of connection that would make the copyright information pertinent to this particular article. It would help the reader see a little further inside Chaplin. Binksternet (talk)

Mabel Normand

When Chaplin joined Keystone it was (according to even his own account) mostly due to Mabel Normand who urged Mack Sennett to sign him, and once he was signed give him a chance. After his disastrous debut she took him under her wing, and they made several of his early shorts with her directing. Chaplin didnt like it, mostly because he didnt like being under a woman's direction, but they did keep working together until he left Keystone. Chaplin wrote fondly of her in his autobiography.

The part about Charlie's Keystone entry mostly leaves her out, and none of this is really mentioned. I could source if I had to. What do you guys think? How much of it should be added?--Maggiedane (talk) 15:17, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

Romany or Romani categories

Does one-eighth gypsy heritage make Chaplin eligible for Romani categories? Binksternet (talk) 00:19, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

I don't think so, unless it was important to him. He is listed on the Romnichal page but that proves nothing. So is Ronnie Wood, whose ancestors included bargees, who may not have been Roma / Romani but ethnic English people in the barge business. A degree of romanticism attaches to a gypsy origin, but it is usually remembered after they have achieved success.86.42.254.175 (talk) 20:41, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

"Relationships with women" section is excessive

There are a number of minor dalliances listed, for no apparent reason but that they are mentioned in one biography or another. For example, under Merna Kennedy "It is rumored that the two had an affair". Hardly worth mentioning anywhere but the gossip column, but especially not in an encyclopaedic article. Kid Bugs (talk) 21:25, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

For Chaplin, it was not excessive. Women were an important part of his life, and reflect a part of his nature. If there is a way to express this without a long list of flings, I'll support it.Abie the Fish Peddler (talk) 06:44, 6 September 2009 (UTC)

Karno an American tour group? Incorrect information. This needs more research for a man as important as Chaplin.... Come on, wiki.

This information is incorrect.

Chaplin's tour group Karno was NOT in America. It was in England. This is incorrect and undeveloped. There is also no mention of Hetty, the woman he first fell in love with and whom set his ideals of women. This section of his life is important and needs to be more developed... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Exhaledeeply (talk • contribs) 00:43, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Hearst-Ince weekend

Just wanted to point out, that in the paragraph Marion Davies it says:

• Davies and Chaplin were both present on Hearst's yacht the weekend preceding the mysterious death of Thomas Harper Ince.

But in the paragraph Other controversies it says:

• In 1924, Chaplin was aboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst when producer Thomas Ince died there in mysterious circumstances.

Is there an inconsistency here? Or are both statements true, and was he there the weekend before and the weekend itself? Mark in wiki (talk) 20:15, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Please clarify this

{{helpme|I need this clarification for translation purposes in another language Wikipidia.}} Can someone please clarify following confusing sentence:

After Chaplin's mother (who went by the stage name Lilly Harley) was again admitted to the Cane Hill Asylum, her son was left in the workhouse at Lambeth in south London, moving after several weeks to the Central London District School for paupers in Hanwell.

It falls under the heading of Early life. This sentence raises following questions:

• Which workhouse since it is "the workhouse"
• Did he go to the workhouse before or after "Central London District School for paupers in Hanwell"

Thank you!

Szhaider (talk) 13:25, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

A workhouse was a place where people who could not support themselves were sent to live - they were fed (not very well) and had to work (quite hard) - see Workhouse. There were many of them, certainly at least one for each town, so "the workhouse at Lambeth" is probably a sufficient description. The sentence as written means that he was in the workhouse first, for several weeks, and then moved to the school. Regards, JohnCD (talk) 21:32, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

Your help is much appreciated. Thank you! Szhaider (talk) 01:57, 3 February 2010 (UTC)