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Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Sarah Anderton [?], Feb 1, [no year]
![CCP 7, 2219-2222, 2245-2248, 2314-2317, CC to Sanderton, Feb 1, [no year] - OV.pdf](https://archivalgossip.com/collection/files/square_thumbnails/4085f2ce633d04ec62c4df8a9a605fc2.jpg "CCP 7, 2219-2222, 2245-2248, 2314-2317, CC to Sanderton, Feb 1, [no year] - OV.pdf")
Cushman has not been able to write to Anderton as she has been "crowded with visitors." She grows tired of having to follow etiquette "while [her] head & heart are aching." Her employment is renewed until Feb 27, afterward, she will travel to…
Letter from E. B. Fisher to Charlotte Cushman, Oct 7, 1836
Fisher asks Charlotte Cushman to refrain from contacting him again. He expresses a firmly rooted disappointment in and aversion to society ("a scandal loving world"). Fisher touches upon an issue of Cushman being involved ("intimacy") with the…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Mary Cushman, Apr 17, 1845
The letter discusses an incident of "beastly conduct of a woman" who Charlotte once defended and called her "intimate friend." Charlotte fears being "implicated by any misrepresentation of hers." Charlotte hopes that her mother's "account was a…
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
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,…
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…
"Fashions," Godey's Lady's Book, Jan 1851 to Sep 1892
"Fashions" is a column in Godey's Lady's Book that offers fashion advice for young girls and women alike, and recounts the latest trends, which are often exemplified by detailed illustrations. This column precedes the column "Godey's Fashions";…
Letter from Elizabeth Barrett Browning to her sister Arabel, Oct 22, 1852
Browning describes Cushman and Hays's relationship as a "female marriage."
Credit
New York Public Librarysee also: The Brownings Correspondence by Wedgestone Press
"A Dangerous Party," Portsmouth Inquirer (Ohio), March 11, 1853
The exact same article republished from the Daily Evening Star (Washington DC) from Feb 25, 1853, except the words "a Nice Party" being replaced by "A Dangerous Party."
Credit
Chronicling America Historic American Newspapers
Letter from Grace Greenwood to James Fields, Nov 1, 1853
Greenwood asks Fields for more money because she wants to make a few purchases "necessary [...] to keep up a respectable bridal appearance." She does not want to ask her husband as he is busy with The Little Pilgrim.Greenwood informs Fields that she…
"Interesting to Ladies," Home Journal, March 4, 1854
Eliza Cook and Grace Greenwood are mentioned as Charlotte Cushman's intimate friends and Charlotte is characterized as feminine and honorable."Interesting to the Ladies" in the Home Journal, March 4, 1854, reprinted a note (presumably) first…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Grace Greenwood, June 15, 1854
Charlotte Cushman tells Grace Greenwood about the change of her reputation after performing the role of Queern Katherine. She touches upon the heartbreak that she suffered from because Matilda Hays left her in London to be with Harriet Hosmer in Rome…
Haps and Mishaps Review, London Athenaeum, Nov 18, 1854
The reviewer belittles Greenwood's admiring accounts of well-known people in her Haps and Mishaps of a Tour in Europe. The author criticizes her for misinterpreting certain conversations.
Credit
Hathi Trust
Henry Cushman's A Historical and Biographical Genealogy of the Cushmans (1855)
The entry about Charlotte Cushman spreads across 15 pages. It quotes several accounts of the press, without, however, giving any sources. It is overwhelmingly positive and portrays Charlotte as a noble, ambitious, hard-working, and gifted actress.The…
Letter from Ned Cushman to Susan Muspratt, n.d. [before June, 1854]
In this letter, Ned Cushman mentions Hays and Charlotte Cushman's friendship ("friends"). He tells his mother about financial concerns and gossip-related incidents both at the Naval Academy as well as the dangers for girls at boarding…
Craik's A Woman's Thoughts on Women (1858)
Craik comments on the relationship between truth and gossip, men and women, and gives contemporary examples of gossip and how to refrain from participating in gossipping activities.Leach indicates that Craik and Charlotte Cushman knew eacht other and…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow, Feb 3, 1858
This letter is most likely the first one that Charlotte sends to Emma after they met in St Louis, MO, and fell in love. The preceding week, Charlotte had to leave for Cairo and Emma had prepared basket full of food. Cushman mentions the age gap and…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow, Mar 31, 1858
In this letter, Charlotte reassures Emma of her love. She promises to visit Emma soon. Charlotte mentions Harriet Hosmer who is trying to find a winter residence in Rome for Cushman. At the end of the year, Charlotte would eventually move to Via…
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…