Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – The Civil & Military Gazette – Friday 2nd February 1912

The Daily Mail’s Paris correspondent is informed that Mr. Eric Loder, son of Mr. Alfred Loder and nephew of Major Eustace Loder, has become engaged to Miss Gabrielle Ray the musical comedy actress. Mr. Loder, who is staying at the Hotel Murice, confirmed the news of his engagement. Miss Ray, when seen later, also smilingly confirmed the news, but said she would prefer to make no statement for publication. No date is yet fixed for the marriage. An enthusiastic Frenchman, writing in the Temps, described Miss Ray as the prettiest actress on the English stage and the most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom.

 

The Civil & Military Gazette – Friday 2^nd February 1912

 

Advertisement

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – Huddersfield Daily Examiner – Thursday 11th January 1912

 

POPULAR MUSICAL ACTRESS MISS RAY ENGAGED MUSICAL ACTRESS TO MARRY

MR ERIC LODER

 

On Wednesday news can from Paris that Miss Gabrielle Ray, the well known musical comedy actress, had become engaged to Mr. Eric Loder, son of Mr. Alfred Loder, and nephew of Major Eustace Loder.

Miss Gabrielle Ray, who is now a little over 26 years of age, made her first appearance on the stage at the Princess’s Theatre in Oxford Street, as the child Geraldine, in the famous old play “Green Bushes.” She subsequently acted the part of the little girl Adrienne in “Proof,” and the hero’s child Cissie in “The Silver King.”

It was not until 1902 that she came under the management of Mr. George Edwardes, who engaged her to understudy Miss Gertie Millar as Cora in “The Toreador,” a part she played in public on many occasions. Miss Ray afterwards succeeded Miss Letty Lind as Ellen in “The Girl from Kay’s,” the “Owen Hall” musical comedy which gained an expensive advertisement through an action brought by Jays, of Regent Street, to restrain Mr. George Edwardes from producing the piece as “The Girl from Jay’s.” Other parts in connection with which Mr. Eric Loder’s fiancée will be remembered, were Thisbe in “The Orchid,” Lady Dorothy Congress in “The Little Cherub,” and So-Hie in “See-See,” at Daly’s. Miss Gabrielle Ray was also one of the many “Merry Widows” engaged by Mr. George Edwardes to take the place of Miss Lily Elsie.

 

Huddersfield Daily Examiner – Thursday 11^th January 1912

 

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – Variety – February 1912

It is given out officially that Gabrielle Ray, one of the most photographed women on the British stage,

and by no means the most talented, is to be married to Eric Loder, the well known owner of race horses.

 

Variety – February 1912

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper – Sunday 14th January 1912

MISS GABRIELLE RAY TO BE MARRIED

 

Gabrielle Ray, whose dainty dancing and fascinating manner have made her a favourite of musical comedy actresses, has become engaged to Mr. Eric Loder, a young member of one of the most distinguished families in England.

He is wealthy, aged twenty-three, younger son of the late Mr. Alfred Loder, grandson of the late Sir Robert Loder, baronet, and younger brother of Mr. Basil Loder, who four years ago resigned his commission in the Scots Guards and married Miss Barbara Deane one of the most charming singers in Mr. Seymour Hicks’s “Gay Gordon” company.

No date has yet been fixed for the marriage. Both are now spending a holiday in Paris, and Mr. Loder has been to see several plays with Miss Ray.

Miss Gabrielle Ray, who now confesses to being twenty-six, first appeared on the boards as a child of ten at the old Princess’s Theatre, in Oxford-street, in “Green Bushes.”

She is the picture postcard favourite, and has already surpassed the vogue formerly enjoyed by Marie Studholme and Edna May in this sphere. One photograph company has taken her in no less than a thousand poses, and over 10,000 copies been sold of her dressed as Millais’s “Bubbles,” a picture to which her child’s face was singularly adapted.

 

Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper – Sunday 14^th January 1912

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – John Bull – Saturday 17th February 1912

COURTING A STAR.

 

 [The engagement is announced of Miss Gabrielle Ray,

the Gaiety actress and picture -postcard favourite, to Mr. Eric Loder.]

Queen of the firmament of “stars,”

She names the wedding day,

And happy is the mortal who

 Has captured such a Ray!

 

RICARDO.

 

John Bull – Saturday 17^th February 1912

 

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – The Daily Mirror – Wednesday 10th January 1912

 

MISS GABRIELLE RAY ENGAGED.

 Gaiety Theatre Dancer to Wed Mr. Eric Loder.

 QUEEN OF THE POSTCARD.

 

Brother of ex-Guardsman, Whose Wife Was

 in Mr. Seymour Hicks’ Company.

 

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

 

PARIS, Jan. 9 – Another famous actress beauty is to marry into the ranks of the aristocracy.

I am able to announce the engagement of Miss Gabrielle Ray, the popular dancer and singer of Mr. George Edwardes’ companies, to Mr. Eric Loder, son of the late Mr. Alfred Loder, and grandson of the late Sir Robert Loder, first baronet.

Mr. Eric Loder – a tall, fair. good-looking young man, twenty-three years of age -smilingly confirmed the news of his engagement to Miss Gabrielle Ray when I saw him this afternoon. He looked very happy, but said he did not desire any fuss to be made.

No date has been fixed for the marriage, and the engagement was announced here because they happened to be in Paris at the same time. Mr. Loder is said to be very wealthy.

Miss Gabrielle Ray to-night occupied a box with her fiancé at the Olympia music hall. They were a typical good-looking English couple, Miss Ray looking radiant in an exquisitely pretty pink evening frock. “Please, no interview,” she said, in speaking to me of her engagement.

Yesterday evening Miss Gabrielle Ray, the married lady who is chaperoning her, Mr. Loder, and Mr. Eustace Parker, a friend, dined together at the Hotel Meurice.

Mr. Loder has been in Paris for four or five days, and has several times accompanied Miss Gabrielle Ray to the theatre.

 

BROTHER MARRIED “GAY GORDONS” GIRL.

 

A remarkable feature of this latest stage romance is that Mr. Loder’s brother also married a musical comedy actress.

Four years ago Mr. Basil Loder resigned his commission in the Scots Guards and married Miss Barbara Deane, one of the most charming singers in Mr. Seymour Hicks’ “Gay Gordons” company.

It is a strange coincidence that while the elder brother married one of the most accomplished singers in Mr. Seymour Hicks’ company, which added so many charming brides to the pages of Debrett, the younger brother should wed one of Mr. George Edwardes’ most delightful dancers.

But though Miss Ray is in the front rank of England’s dainty dancers, and is as well known as a singer, she must rank first and foremost as the queen of picture postcard beauties.

(Photographs, on page 9.)

 

LODER’S UNCLES.

 

Mr. Eric Loder is the nephew of many well known men.

The eldest is Sir Edmund Giles Loder, the second baronet, who succeeded his father in 1888, and has seats at Worthing and Horsham, where he preserves kangaroos and other exotic animals.

Mr. Gerald Loder, who was Unionist M.P. for Brighton from 1889 to 1905, but was defeated at a by-election after being appointed Junior Lord of the Treasury, is another uncle of the bridegroom elect; while a third is Major Eustace Loder, who won name and fame on the Turf as owner of Pretty Polly and Spearmint.

Mr. Eric Loder’s father, who died in 1905, was his day a famous athlete, and for many years was one of the only three who had run the hurdles in 16s. dead.

Mr. Loder himself is a keen motorist, and is well known to frequenters of Brooklands motor track.

 

PICTURE POSTCARD FAVOURITE.

 

Miss Gabrielle Ray, who is in her twenty-seventh year, but does not look it, made her stage debut as a child of ten at the old Princess’ Theatre.

Subsequently she played many child parts, including Cupid in “Little Red Riding Hood,” at Richmond.

Her first big part was on tour with “The Belle of New York,” when she played Mamie Clancy, in 1899 and 1900.

After understudying Miss Gertie Millar in “The Toreador” at the Gaiety, she succeeded to Miss Letti Lind’s part of Ellen in “The Girl from Kay’s,” and returned to the Gaiety in “The Orchid.”

Since then she has been associated with many of Mr. George Edwardes’ biggest successes at both his theatres, reaching the zenith of her popularity in the scene at Maxim’s of “The Merry Widow.”

 

OVER 1,000 POSES.

 

The manager of the Rotary Photograph Company told The DailyMirror last night something of Miss Gabrielle Ray’s popularity in the picture postcard world.

“It has been more than a craze, you could almost call it a fever, for at a careful estimation my firm alone has sold between 7,000,000 and 10,000,000 of her postcards.

“We have photographs of her in over a thousand poses. It is impossible to say which has been the most popular, but over 10,000 copies have been sold of her dressed as Millais’ ‘Bubbles.’

“Large photographs of her for framing purposes are sold like hot cakes at 2s. 6d. each, not in dozens, but in thousands, and the craze applies not only to London, but to every little town and village through the kingdom.”

 

The Daily Mirror – Wednesday 10^th January 1912

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – The Daily Mirror – Wednesday 10th January 1912

 

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – The Daily Mirror – Wednesday 10th January 1912

 

ENGAGEMENT OF MISS GABRIELLE RAY

 TO MARRY THE NEPHEW OF A BARONET

 

The engagement was announced yesterday in Paris of Miss Gabrielle Ray, the musical

comedy actress, who is one of the daintiest dancers on the English stage. Her future

husband is Mr. Eric Loder, a nephew of Sir Edmund Giles Loder, Bart.

 

 

The Daily Mirror – Wednesday 10^th January 1912

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – The Westminster Gazette – Thursday 11th January 1912

OUR LONDON LETTERS.

That popular Gaiety actress Miss Gabrielle Ray will acquire some aristocratic connexions when she marries Mr. Eric Loder. Thus one of her futures husband’s uncles is Mr. Gerald Loder, who sat as M.P. for Brighton from 1839 to 1905, holding during that period various minor offices and is married to a daughter of the late Duke of St. Albans. Another is Major Reginald Loder, whose wife (Margaret Ernestine Augusta) is a daughter of the third Earl of Listowel, and a third is Major Eustace Loder, who is well known both in Irish and English social circles.

 

The Westminster Gazette – Thursday 11^th January 1912

 

 

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – The Tatler – Wednesday 17th January 1912

More Stage and Stalls.

 An interesting engagement is that of Mr. Eric Loder, a nephew of Sir Edmund Loder, and Miss Gabrielle Ray, the well known actress of Gaiety and Daly’s fame. This bridegroom, too, like Lord Stafford and Miss Lohr’s future husband, Mr. Tony Prinsep, is some way off his quarter-century in years, but his bride-to-be confesses to twenty-seven years. Mr. Eric Loder is tall and fair and rich, and a most enthusiastic Brooklands motorist, while Miss Ray is small and fair and a delightful dancer whose charming personality is familiar to everyone. She is in fact the most bephotographed actress of the day.

 

The Tatler – Wednesday 17^th January 1912

Gabrielle Ray – Engagement – The Beds. Advertiser and Luton Times – Friday 12th January 1912

MISS GABRIELLE RAY ENGAGED.

 

Miss Gabrielle Ray, the charming dancer and singer of Mr. George Edwardes companies, is engaged to Mr, Eric Loder, son of Mr. Alfred Loder, and grandson of the late Sir Loder, first baronet. Both the young people have modestly confirmed the announcement. The proposal was made and accepted in Paris. Mr Loder, who looked very happy when interviewed, said he did not desire any fuss to be made. He is said to be very wealthy. One firm alone is said to have sold between 7,000,000 and 10,000,000 picture postcards of Miss Gabrielle Bay. She is in her 27th year, but does not look it, and made her stage debut the age of 10. An enthusiastic Frenchman, writing in the “Temps” a few days ago, described Miss Ray the prettiest actress on the English stage and the most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom.

 

The Beds. Advertiser and Luton Times – Friday 12^th January 1912