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Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Aug 21, 1865
Emma will soon travel from Versailles to Paris to meet her sister and mother. Cushman offers Emma some advice for her stay and suggests leaving the baby with the nurse in Versailles so that she has less work on her hands.Cushman is not surprised by…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Aug 25, 1865
Cushman had been feeling "dreadfully depressed" due to the sulfur water but her doctor put her on saline chalybeate, which has improved her health significantly. Ned is suffering a few physical ailments as well, which Cushman ascribes to his…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Aug 28, 1865
Cushman is glad to hear that Emma, Ned, and their baby are in good health. She is, however, worried about the baby striking his head when he learns to walk and asks Emma to inquire a doctor about some medicine as a precaution. She should also ask…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Aug 31, 1865
Cushman is grateful for Emma's words of comfort as her mind is currently "crowded with cares & anxieties of many kinds." She regrets that Emma's baby has a cold and hopes Emma has by now seen Dr. Franco.Cushman asks Emma to convey the latest…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Rosalie Sully [?], Nov 9, [1845]
Cushman describes how strenuous her latest performance of Fazio has been as she had to contend with a "cold audience" and the lacking performance of a fellow actor. But Rosalie's note, which she kept hidden "next her heart" during the play, gave her…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to C. Adams, Apr 19, 1850 [?]
Charlotte Cushman asks a Mr. Adams to release her from her contract, since April proves to be an unfortunate time for performances in terms of revenue and people attending.
Credit
New York Public Library
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Henry C. Willard, Dec 2, 1871
Cushman is uncertain whether she will be able to come to Brattleboro on Dec 21 or 22, as her engagement at the theatre is taking up all her time.
Credit
New York Public Library
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Henry C. Willard, Dec 8, 1871
Cushman has arranged to come to Brattleboro on Dec 22. She asks Willard for advice on which railway to take from New Haven to Brattleboro and back.
Credit
New York Public Library
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Henry C. Willard, Nov 22, 1871
Willard has asked Cushman to do a reading of Shakespeare's Henry VIII in Brattleboro in January. She demands $500 for five nights in advance.
Credit
New York Public Library
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Algernon Chase, Oct 8, 1857
Cushman writes to Chase family in Baltimore about their invitation. She alerts them to the fact that Emma Stebbins will accompany her – even though they might have expected to see her still in the company of Matilda Hays (who is, however, as Cushman…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Mr. Danop, Oct 16, 1863
Cushman verifies Oct 27 as the date for her charity performance. She has prepared the roles of Lady Macbeth and Meg Merrilees.
Credit
New York Public Library
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to John Povey, Oct 17, 1847
Cushman discusses financial issues, theaters as potentially attracting "vulgar" audiences, the future of the US-American and English drama, Macready's rivalry with Edwin Forrest, newspaper reviews of her performances ("Have them copied when they will…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to George Combe, Nov 21, 1845
Cushman presents herself as shocked and surprised at the "gross motive [that] might be attributed" to her performance of Romeo on stage together with her sister Susan: "your hints have only plunged me into trouble — for I find the subject, in a new…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to George Combe, Nov 23, 1845
Cushman has received a favorable reply from George Combe in which he calmed her down in terms of the reputational damage that Combe implied in his first letter to the actress which put her in distress earlier.
Credit
National Library of Scotland
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Dec 5-6, 1862
As Emma Crow Cushman is married and busy decorating and furnishing her house, Charlotte Cushman thinks nostalgically of more frequent and longer "old time letters." Repeatedly, Charlotte mentions that Emma's husband, and Charlotte's nephew and…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Dec 12-13, 1862
Charlotte Cushman faces "going out to my social duties as a sort of relief" from her illness (cold). Large parts of the letter address social gatherings and US American citizens in Rome, most of whom are "well bred."The actress is still haunted by…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Dec 18, 1862
Charlotte Cushman laments that she is living to far away from her "darling" Emma Crow Cushman. She mentions stock speculation business, financial concerns, social gatherings, memories of Emma Crow and her, and an accident of "woolly headed" Emma…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, Dec 26, 1862
Charlotte Cushman would like her family to live closer to her, thinking of Ned but Emma Crow Cushman in particular. She mentions translation issues and cultural differences between Rome/Italy and the US. Cushman also informs Emma about the pain in…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to William Wetmore Story, May 31, 1858
Charlotte Cushman orders a copy of one of Story's statuettes and asks about one of his poems for her to read. She also informs him about taking a break from stage and reading performances ("I want a long rest from public life") and her moving to Rome…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Park Benjamin, October 13
The letter is addressed to Park Benjamin at The New World Office in NYC. No year is given but it must have been written between 1840 (when The New World entered the newspaper market) and March 1844 (when Park Benjamin stepped down as…
Featured Item
Charlotte Cushman
Charlotte Cushman becomes widely known on both sides of the Atlantic as the first successful US-American actress. Earlier, she was a singer under the tutelage of James G. Maeder, married to actress Clara Fisher, in Boston. Charlotte has been the sole financial support of her mother since her father…