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The Renowned Tanner Troupe
By Robin Lakin
September/October 2020
 The Tanner Troupe was the first to perform in the Whaley House theater, a space created in 1869-70 from the home�s original parlor and dining room. Performances take place here to this day. Photo by Sandé Lollis |
San Diego's first commercial theater arrived in late 1868 when the Tanner Troupe established their enterprise on the second story of Thomas Whaley's residence in Old Town, which set in motion San Diego's live performance revues.
The Tanner Troupe was founded by Thomas W. Tanner, born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1813. A man of many talents, Tanner was an equestrian performer, strongman, singer, dancer, restaurateur, brewer, and clown extraordinaire, who worked with legendary 19th-century clowns Sam Lathrop and Joseph A. Rowe.
Tanner, who was referred to as T.W. or Mr. T., was performing in Baltimore by 1839 at the age of 26; by 1840 he was traversing the Southern states, where he performed in Natchez, Vicksburg, New Orleans, the Republic of Texas, and Mexico. In his early years, he was known as the young "American Hercules," a strongman who could resist the strength of four horses and lift an impossible 2,000 lbs.
While in the South, "Mr. T." married Policarpia de la Rosa, a circus acrobatic performer from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The couple had three children who performed with them from about five years of age: J.R. Tanner, born about 1840, performed contortions as well as acrobatics; Tomasito, born in Texas in 1846 was a contortionist like his older brother as well as a singer, dancer, and equestrian performer; and Soledad, born in Texas in 1853, was a singer and dancing child star who worked with the legendary actress and comedian Lotta Crabtree. "La Petite Soledad" was often cast as "Eva" or "Topsy" from Uncle Tom's Cabin.
By 1857, the Tanners were performing in California, appearing in Calaveras, Colfax, Eureka, Grass Valley, Marysville, Nevada City, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Visalia. Venturing into Oregon, they performed in Portland and Roseburg. The nomadic life of entertainers was harsh; by the early 1860's, there was in quick succession a carriage accident, a lawsuit, a well-publicized rape trial, and a family death to contend with. All this before Thomas Tanner and his family became who we know them to be: the Tanner Troupe.
Appearing for the first time as the Tanner Troupe in 1865, the family may have been joined by other performers and some of these individuals may have accompanied the Tanners to San Diego in late 1868.
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