Vaughan was born in London; as a young girl she appeared on stage in the
West End, where her father (James Matthias Candelin) was an orchestral musician. She is associated with the development of the
skirt dance, which she performed as part of an 1873 production of
Orpheus in the Underworld. She appeared with her sister Susie as the Vaughan Sisters. The skirt dance was a demure version of the
can-can, and it was performed with long skirts made from large lengths of material. After she had retired from dancing she described her technique to an interviewer: In 1876 her main work was at
John Hollingshead's
Gaiety Theatre in London, where she was employed for the next seven years. This was a time when
Nellie Farren,
Edward O'Connor Terry and
E. W. Royce were the stars at the theatre, particularly in
Victorian burlesque. In June 1884 Vaughan married Colonel the Hon Frederick Arthur Wellesley, the youngest son of
1st Earl of Cowley; she was the second of Wellesley's three wives. By 1889 she had, according to
The Times, attained a unique position as an actress of classic comedy. Vaughan left her husband in 1892, and in 1897 he successfully sued for divorce. There were no children of the marriage. From about 1896 her health began to deteriorate, and on medical advice she spent some time in Australia in that year. == Reputation ==