Browse Exhibits (2 total)

1857: Cushman's Breakup with Hays

This exhibit revolves around accounts of the romantic and passionate relationship between Matilda Hays and Charlotte Cushman in the 1850s and their breakup in 1857. After Cushman's rise to success in the 1840s, she carefully watches her public image which involved keeping her same-sex relationships private. The exhibit devotes attention to the (lack of) archival material that provides insights into this period of Cushman's life.

For a blog post about this event which also inquires the intracacies of gossip as uncertain knowledge, please visit historyofknowledge.net.

financial concerns, gender norms/bending, gossip--published, gossip--unpublished, love, press coverage, public image (active), public intimacy, respectability, rumors, same-sex attraction, social capital

Transatlantic Success in the 1840s

Boston Evening Transcript, December 14, 1843, page 2 - annotated.pdf

During the 1840s, Charlotte Cushman becomes a successful actress known across the Atlantic. After struggling financially, she establishes a reputation as the first gifted American actress who succeeds at performing different gender roles on stage. This exhibit provides an overview over press coverage as well as personal material concerning this crucial moment in Cushman's career.

There are numerous articles published both in the US and England for the years 1845-1852. Among these articles, various reports are reprints. The sections in which these articles can be found are called "private correspondence," "intelligence," "gossip," and theater-related columns.

admirers, financial concerns, gender norms/bending, gossip--published, gossip--unpublished, love, press coverage, public image (active), public intimacy, respectability, sexuality, social capital, women's jobs

Featured Exhibit

Gossip and/as Foreign Correspondence

This exhibit gathers items related to the presentation "’Interesting to the Ladies’: How Foreign Correspondents Made Gossip a Profession" for...