Browse Items (972 total)

Town Topics. The Journal of Society, magazine published in New York (1885-1937)

TownTopicsVol27_Saunterings.pdf
Town Topics, published in New York, was "the preeminentsociety gossip magazine in the 1880s and 1890s" (Knight 1055). When William d'Alton Mann took over, he "turned it into a scandal sheet of a brazenness never equaled since" (New York Times). He…

"Women as Journalists" - Feature in The Freeman. A National Colored Weekly Newspaper, Feb 23, 1889.

1889_Freeman__February_23_Women as  Journalists (p. 4).pdf
The article, marked as a reprint from The New York Journalist, describes several Black women's careers and achievements as journalists, among them Gertrude Mossell and Lillian A. Lewis. Author Lucy Wilmot Smith begins by highlighting the neglect of…

Gertrude Mossell

Gertrude_E.H._Bustill_Mossell,_c1890_(cropped).jpg
Gertrude Mossell, also known as Mrs. N.F. Mossell (1855-1948), was one of the most influental Black female journalists and editors of the late nineteenth century. She wrote, among others, for Indianapolis World, Woman's Era, Colored American…

Lillian A. Lewis

Lillian_Alberta_Lewis.jpg
Lillian A. Lewis was one of the first women to make a name for herself as a columnist in Black newspapers. Her Column "They Say" appeared first in The Boston Advocate throughout the 1880s. In the 1890s, she became "the society editress of the Boston…

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to William F. Bridges

MassHS_CC letters_Folder 3.CC to Bridges 23 Aug 1865.pdf
Cushman would like to send a letter of introduction and describes the press as "know nothings" quoting Emma Stebbins in terms of her Horrace Mann statue. Cushman also mentions that she has been "out of health this spring and summer." Cushman writes…

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Mr. Harrington, July 15, 1840

MS Ch.G.1.26. CC to Mr. Harrington, July 15, 1840.pdf
Charlotte Cushman asks for "something theatrical of a good prose article" about one of Felicia Hemans's letters to be published in Burton's Magazine. Credit Boston Public Library

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Nov 20, 1872

MS 3748. CC to Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Nov 20, 1872.pdf
Charlotte Cushman allows Elizabeth Palmer Peabody to use Cushman's name if Peabody thinks that "will carry any weight." Cushman also mentions a fire that "interrupted" her engagement. Credit Boston Public Library

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Madame Vraidot, June 10, no year

Ms.3542. CC to Madame Kasdov, June 10.pdf
A letter of introduction written by Charlotte Cushman on account of an acquaintance who wants to enter the Convervatoire of Paris. Cushman complained about the volume of such requests, especially as she began to suffer from ill health (e. g. "For…

"Nearly Ready. Life of Charlotte Cushman," Publishers' Weekly, May 11, 1878

1878. Publishers Weekly. Sisterly Affection - Omeka.pdf
The advertismement of Emma Stebbins's biography of Charlotte Cushman includes two paragraphs of praise published by the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Cushman's and Stebbins's relationships is described as "the strongest sisterly affection" and…

Stebbins as Intimate Friend, Publishers' Weekly, May 4, 1878

1878. Publishers Weekly. Stebbins as Intimate Friend - Omeka.pdf
The advertisment of Emma Stebbins's biography of Charlotte Cushman describes Stebbins as an "intimate friend" of the actress with "access" to the latter's life writing documents- Credit Publishers' Weekly Digital Archive

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Mr Hitchcock, Sep 2, 1868

In this letter, Charlotte Cushman discusses changes to her will after her mother's death. Mr. Hitchcock is Cushman "legal adviser" as mentioned in a letter to William Bridges. Credit Hitchcock Family Papers, Missouri Historical Society

Charlotte Cushman's Worth in 1869

1869. Daily Evening Bulletin. Cushman-Net Worth.pdf
Multiple newspapers listed how much Charlotte Cushman was worth in the year that she returned to the US-American stage. As the displayed sources show, there have been several reprints of this information all over the United States in that month and…

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to [Unknown], n.d.

NYPL Misc Papers, Cushman CC to unknown, n.d..pdf
In this letter to an unknown recipient, Charlotte Cushman apologizes and declines their invitation during her stay at Bayswater, London since she is very busy and has no "breathing time". She invites the recipient to her home and wishes them…

Harriet Hosmer's "The Doleful Ditty of the Roman Caffe Greco"

Doleful Ditty from Carr_Harriet Hosmer.pdf
Hosmer writes a "witty" poem, as Cornelia Carr describes it in her edition of Hosmer's letters, about the patriarchal culture of male sculptors in Rome. The poem is published in the New York Evening Post in the summer of 1864. Credit Internet…

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to King, n.d.

Harvard MS Thr 130. CC to King about article.pdf
Cushman mocks the gendered criticism of her figure and riding skills. Credit Houghton Library

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Dr. Bliss, July 25, 1871

Harvard MS Thr 130. CC to Bliss. 25 July 1871.pdf
Charlotte Cushman inquires about a medical treatment and matters of transport. Credit Houghton Library

Letter from Emma Stebbins to Dennis Alward, April 12, 1878

Harvard MS Thr 130. Stebbins to Alward. April 12, 1878.pdf
Emma Stebbins mentions her financial concerns as she has been "cut off, with all the annuitants — by the estate stopping payment for six months." Stebbins hopes "to make a little something out of the Book" referring to the biography of Charlotte…

Letter from Sallie Mercer to Dennis Alward, Dec 26, 1884

Harvard MS Thr 130. Sallie Mercer to Mr Alward. Dec 26, 1884.pdf
Sallie Mercer grieves over Charlotte Cushman's death and shares fond memories of Cushman's "Angel's wings" and her smile. She reports family business of the Crows/Cushmans and writes about Christmas presents. Credit Houghton Library

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Jane Welsh Carlyle, Jan 28, 1862

NLS, ms1774, ff 227, Charlotte Cushman to Jane Welsh Carlyle, Jan 28, 1862.pdf
Charlotte Cushman is worried about Jane Carlyle's illness. She also mentions her own and Stebbins's illness as well as political unrest and democratic endeavors in Europe. Credit National Library of Scotland

Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Jane Welsh Carlyle, July 15, 1862

NLS, ms1774, 235-236 recto, Cushman to Jane Carlyle in Ms. 1771 dated 15 July 1862.pdf
Cushman plans to meet Carlyle and writes about her "loving admiration" for Jane. Credit National Library of Scotland