Little Willy Clarkson

Little Willy Carson left school in 1873 at the age of 12 to work in his father's struggling wigmaking company. Two years later he entered the dressing room of the notoriously diva-like Adelina Patti in Covent Garden, the most famous opera singer in the world. “You,” she shrieked, “and who are you?” “I am little Willy Clarkson,” “And please, what are you here to do?” “Your hair.” By the 1920s, he owned the Duchess Theatre in London and his company had over 100 employees and 50,000 costumes in stock. He was a friend of Lily Langtry, Marie Lloyd and Dame Nellie Melba. Everyone in the theatre world knew Little Willy. So did royalty. He made wigs and costumes for Queen Victoria’s amateur dramatics, for all the great actors, for military tournaments. Willy was a well-known sight around Covent Garden with his fluttering eyelashes and his rouged cheeks, a regular at the trendiest bars and restaurants. But there was a darker side to this gay pioneer. After his death - a suspicious one - Lloyds underwriters filed suits against his estate for fraudulent fire insurance claims, and won. During the trial, it emerged that six other fires and one gas explosion had been reported by Clarkson at his premises in 1895, 1898, 1901, 1910, 1915, 1918 and 1924. What a life.