Bram Stoker

 

B. 17 July 1858 at Cornwall, England

D. 25 May 1937 at London, England

 

Florence Stoker, A Family Perspective

 

The daughter of Lt. Col. James Balcombe and Phillippa Anne Marshall, Florence was renowned for her beauty—considered in her time the most beautiful woman in Dublin—and in later years for her tenacity in successfully bringing suit against the German Film Company Prana, whose 1922 movie Nosferatu adapted Dracula without permission.

 

Bram would have approved of her taking a stand to protect his legacy. Being accustomed to the strong and self-directing nature of his mother, Bram Stoker was comfortable around accomplished women and appreciated Florence’s self-assurance. 

 

Their lives intersected many times as Bram and Florence grew up in and around Dublin, and they were married in December 1878, in St. Anne’s Church in Dublin. Within a few days of their marriage, Bram whisked her away to London, where he began working for Henry Irving. 

 

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Before marrying Bram, Florence had dated Oscar Wilde, who displayed his penchant for drama after their breakup, requesting she return a trinket while sending her flowers anonymously. There must have been no lasting ill will, as the Stokers remained friends with Oscar and the Wilde family (Oscar’s older brother Willie was a classmate and friend of Bram’s at Trinity, and their mother, Lady Speranza Wilde, was influential in her support of Bram’s career). 

 

Although Florence surely regretted Bram’s time being dominated by the long hours at the theatre, she realized he was in his element, and must have known beforehand what his job would entail. If she harbored a grudge against Henry Irving—it is widely believed that she did—there is little evidence that she made a public point of it. Allegations of discord between Bram and Florence, meanwhile, have been repeated so often and colorfully that rumor frequently displaces truth. Frigidity on Florence’s part, and everything from womanizing to gay dalliances on Bram’s, have been supposed. 

 

The original source for much of the sensation was Daniel Farson, Thomas Stoker’s grandson, in the form of his own biography of his great-uncle Bram, The Man Who Wrote Dracula, and information provided to other writers. Farson in fact attributed several statements to his cousin, Ann Stoker, who has denied them. Farson’s own autobiography, Never a Normal Man, discusses his struggle with his own sexuality, and suggests his feelings of neglect and resentment about his family, particularly his parents and his cousin Noel Stoker, Florence’s only child, with whom he spent much time as youths at the home of their grandparents. Farson nevertheless has claimed that his mother, Eve Stoker Farson, confided in him that Florence was never fond of Noel. 

 

While Florence has been described as living miserably in London, jealous of Bram’s life at the Lyceum, this does not seem entirely likely. She enjoyed acting, taking part in charity performances and even chipping in as an extra if needed. Her self-confidence seemed to serve her well as she held her own within London society circles, developing her own friendships within the network of Bram’s Lyceum associates and extended families of Stokers, McGillycuddys and Balcombes. 

 

Bram’s older sister Matilda Stoker lived with Bram and Florence for a time on both Southampton Row and on Cheyne Walk, and provided company for Florence when Bram traveled, often for months at a time, to America. In other cases, as in 1899, Florence traveled with Bram and the Lyceum troupe, accompanied by her sister-in-law Agnes McGillycuddy Stoker. When Bram was not available to escort Florence and Matilda to theatre openings and after-parties in London, his youngest brother George or the composer William Gilbert, a family friend, would stand in. 

 

In their home, Florence entertained in much the same fashion she and Bram enjoyed in Dublin, earning rave reviews for her teas and evening socials, with guest lists of notable intellectuals and artists. 

 

After visiting Florence in London in 1934, actor Vincent Price wrote “She is eighty, but what spark and a lovely sense of humor…” (Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography by Victoria Price). Florence, who in fact passed away three years later at age 79, may not have appreciated Price misstating her age!

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W. Parker Stoker 2018

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