E.L. Blanchard

Edward Litt Laman Blanchard, also known as E.L. Blanchard (1820–89), was a prolific and acclaimed author of dramas and pantomimes. He was also a journalist and a renowned newspaper drama critic.

Friar E.L. Blanchard was a member of the Whitefriars during the club’s first 20 years. He was Prior of the Day at the Annual Dinner on 12th February 1881 and the Smoking Lecture: ‘A Gossip about the Past’ on 18th May 1883.

Dr Colin Smythe gave a talk about Friar Blanchard at the AGM Dinner of 25th May 2022. You can read a report of his speech here.

(Below: A portrait drawing of E.L. Blanchard from The Whitefriars Chronicles, p. 63)