Browse Items (73 total)
- Tags: gender norms/bending
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"The Theatres", The Era, Jan 4, 1846
This is a long, detailed review of Charlotte and Susan Cushman's performance of Romeo and Julietat the Haymarket Theatre in London. The review contains high praise of Charlotte Cushman and her talents as an actress and the Cushman sisters' appearance…
"Theatre Royal", The Freeman's Journal, Mar 17, 1846
This article reviews Charlotte Cushman's performance as Lady Macbeth. She is praised for her powerful interpretation of the character compared to the rather "feminine" portrayals from other contemporary actresses. However, the article states that…
Greenwood about Women Journalists, The Daily Picayune, Nov 25, 1894.
Greenwood, speaking from her travel experience and stays abroad, evaluates the French, Italian, and English press in comparison to the US-American. In the context of a changing press culture, she also indulges in a long speech against…
Grace Greenwood in Response to New England Festival, undated
Greenwood emphasizes the role of New England women in US history. Among others, she mentions, Stowe, Cushman, and Hosmer as examples of especially noteworthy New England women.
Credit
New York Public Library
Criticism of Cushman's Performance as Romeo, May 29, 1847
Article or chapter that is dismissive of the Cushman sisters performing Romeo and Juliet; The article describes the 1845 performance as "disgustingly monstrous grossness of such a perversion" by the "transatlantic sisters." Without mentioning their…
Tags: gender norms/bending, London, press coverage
Accounts of Charlotte Cushman's Life, Notes by Stebbins
This document is a collection of different quotes given by Charlotte Cushman before her death. It is supposedly written by Emma Stebbins and ranges from family history, childhood experiences, financial struggles, to early career ambitions and…
Letter from Mary Devlin Booth to Emma Crow Cushman, Nov 10[?], 1862
Mary Devlin Booth writes an affectionate letter to her friend Emma Cushman. She mentions a yearning for Emma which she has "never experienced before" (page 2): "I know if your husband saw this he would call this silly & me along with it: for he…
Emma Crow Cushman's Memoir about Charlotte Cushman: "A Memory" (1918)
Emma Crow Cushman emphasizes that she knew Charlotte Cushman "intimately." Emma and Charlotte met in 1858 when Charlotte brought two letters of introduction (by Hosmer and Kemble) to her father in St. Louis. Emma describes her as a "great artist and…
Letter from William Henry Seward to Frederick William Seward, September 16, 1868
Cushman writes a "manly" letter expressing "feminine" appreciation.
Credit
Seward Family Digital Archive
Tags: gender norms/bending
Athenaeum, Cushman Mentions, Jan-June 1845 (Vol. 1)
Excerpts from the Athenaeum issues from the first half of 1845, which mention Charlotte Cushman;The passage praise Cushman as a versatile genius on stage despite at times gender-bending practices. The first volume of 1845 shows how the British press…
Tags: gender norms/bending, London, press coverage
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…