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Eliza Cook
Charlotte Cushman fosters the business relationship between Sarah Hale and Eliza Cook. Cushman and Cook meet for the first time in May 1845 (London) when Charlotte appears as Bianca in Fazio (Merrill 141).She writes for the New Monthly Magazine, the…
Geraldine Endsor Jewsbury
She writes several novels, among which Half Sisters (1848) is her most famous one. It comments on Victorian society and gender norms. The character Bianca, an actress who is half Italian, is said to be loosely based on Charlotte Cushman with whom…
Howitt's The Miss Cushmans (1846)
In this biographical article, Mary Howitt recounts events from Charlotte Cushman's life and emphasizes her personal virtues, her talent on stage and the struggles she faced in her career. She describes Cushman's long and painful struggle to success,…
Frances "Fanny" Seward
Fanny Seward is the daughter of William Seward, Secretary of State (Lincoln). Annie Fields describes Charlotte Cushman as a "Seward-ite" type, speaking about 1863 in her diary of 1871. In the fall of 1863, Seward and Cushman developed a more intimate…
Waters' Charlotte Cushman (1882)
The biography is part of an American Actor Series. It focuses on Cushman's stage career and includes letters, lists of performances and casts, advertisements of Cushman's performances, as well as articles. The Fields are, for instance, not mentioned.…
Barrett's Lecture "Charlotte Cushman" (1889)
A Lecture by L. Barrett, with an Appendix Containing a Letter from Joseph N. Ireland
The quote from Barrett given in Waters's biography of Cushman shows that Barrett was a great admirer of Cushman.
The quote from Barrett given in Waters's biography of Cushman shows that Barrett was a great admirer of Cushman.
Bradford's "Charlotte Cushman" (1925/1932)
In his biography Biography and the Human Heart (1932), Bradford republished the article (The North American Review, Vol. 221, No. 827 (Jun. - Aug., 1925)) as a chapter. Other biographical chapters covered Walt Whitman or Henry Longfellow, for…
"Letters from the Capital," by Grace Greenwood, National Era, 1852
Grace Greenwood offers a glowing review of Cushman's performances in Washington, D.C. (as Romeo and Rosalind respectively) that stresses the sexual undertones of her audience's attraction to the actress (e.g. "She compells your half-bewildered…
Anonymous Fan Letter
In this anonymous, undated letter, signed "a friend," a fan of Cushman professes her (?) admiration for the actress and then explains how she found solace in her faith. She recommends Cushman does the same.
Credit
Library of Congress, Charlotte…
Macready and Cushman, Boston Evening Transcript, November 14, 1843
On page 2, the paper speculates or utters wishful thinking about a theater performance involving both Macready and Cushman, performing Shakespearean roles. Given the context of false reports about Cushman accompanying Macready on his Southern tour…
The New York Herald, Cushman as a Rising Star, October 31, 1843
Part of the correspondence of the Herald. Sent on Oct 30, 1843, from Philadelphia signed by "yours&c"
Credit
19th Century U.S. Newspapers
Wemyss's Twenty-Six Years of the Life of an Actor and Manager (1847)
Francis Courtney Wemyss is an actor and theater manager. The entry for Cushman envisions her as a business woman that cleverly paved her way to success by acquiring knowledge about the profession of an actress and the respective people involved in…
Leman's Memories of an Old Actor (1886)
Leman's account offers gossip from 'behind the scenes' about William Rufus Blake, Macready, and Cushman. It also speaks to Cushman's ambitions.Among other, Leman also mentions Melinda Jones and Anna Cora Mowatt.
Credit
Hathi Trust
Excerpt from Louisa Drew's Autobiographical Sketch of Mrs. John Drew (1899)
The autobiography describes Cushman as Maeder's pupil and displays two photographs of Cushman performing as Romeo and as Mrs. Haller. The autobiography compares Madame Celeste's farewell performances to those of Cushman.The autobiography was…
Duyckinck's Portrait Gallery of Eminent Men and Women of Europe and America (1872-1874)
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…
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…