Usefulness! It is not a fascinating word, and the quality is not one of which the aspiring spirit can dream o' nights, yet on the stage it is the first thing to aim at.

Because of Watts's paintings of her and her association with him Ellen Terry "became a cult figure for poets and painters of the later Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic movements including Oscar Wilde". Returning to England Ellen Terry played roles such as Nell Gwynne in The First Actress by Christopher St. Terry's first appearance on stage came at the age of eight when Ellen Terry appeared opposite Charles Kean as Mamillius in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale at London's Princess's Theatre in 1856.

She continued to find acting success until 1920 while also appearing in films until 1922. In 1903 Terry took over management of London's Imperial Theatre focusing on the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen.