Charlotte Cushman discusses her readings in New York and complains about the press, in particular, the critics.Transcripts courtesy of Nancy Knipe, Colorado College.
Charlotte Cushman writes to her niece about being ill and an abscess under her arm. Cushman discusses work and family issues.
Transcripts by Jennie LorenzCredit
Library of Congress, Charlotte Cushman Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of…
Charlotte Cushman discusses friendship and Helen Hunt's pen name Saxe Holm about which Cushman will stay quiet. The letter may be the response to item 213. Cushman also touches upon people who gossip/spread rumors. Eventually, she informs Hunt that…
"Table Gossip" is a column in the Boston Daily Globe that recounts the latest news circulating in Boston, ranging from marriage announcements to social receptions to travel reports.The included file only serves as an example illustration of the…
Mary Marble mentions the collection of short biographies to Lyman Beecher Stowe when he is working on a biography of Cushman.Duyckinck's work comments on the lives of various artists and authors. The biographies include drawings/paintings of the…
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
Charlotte is on a picnic with Emma Crow's boys and admires the villa and the garden. She talks about the books she has been reading and compliments James' book which she perceives "as genial as [himself]". Annie recommended a public reading which…
Cushman suffers from her strained vocal chords, a cancelled reading event, and the resulting financial loss. She draws James Fields's attention to a 'Peace Saga' that Cushman wants him to publish in the Atlantic. She explicitly mentions that she…
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
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.
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New York Public Library
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.
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New York Public Library
Facing a return to the stage, Cushman finds herself very busy again. She hardly participates in social gatherings anymore. However, she is willing to make an exception for a critic from the Tribune.
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Armstrong Browning Library - Victorian…
Charlotte Cushman, Emma Crow Cushman, and Emma Stebbins cannot come to visit Helen Hunt as announced as Emma Stebbins and Emma Crow Cushman's son are ill.Emma Crow Cushman owns a country house outside of St. Louis.Transcripts courtesy of Nancy Knipe,…
Charlotte Cushman is about to start a new engagement in NY, she will perform Queen Katherine in Henry VIII. She shows some resentment against "society" and admits that the audience will pay to see her much more than the play itself, which makes her…
Cushman encourages Helen Hunt's work as a poet and critic and talks about "American men" who do not "understand or appreciate beauty".She has decided to take on the role of Queen Katherine in New York in September, adding that it is an "easy part to…
Cushman informs Annie about her travel itinerary. She hopes that James and Annie will meet her in Swampscott and join her on an excursion to the Isles of Shoals. Cushman is looking for a piece of land to build a house on.
Credit
Huntington Library,…
Cushman mentions that she missed Booth's letter of the 23rd because she was traveling. She urges him to engage Davenport as Macbeth for she will have to carry the play on her own otherwise. She mentions that she does not care so much who plays the…
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…