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Stebbins's Charlotte Cushman: Her Letters and Memories of Her Life (1878)
Biography of Charlotte Cushman, written after her death by her spouse Emma Stebbins. The transcribed correspondence between Stebbins and Sidney Lanier (who had originally been chosen as the author of the biography) details the painstaking process of…
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…
Diary Entry by Anne H. Brewster about the Breakup of Charlotte Cushman and Matilda Hays
The complete diary entry for June 5, 1876 is 24 pages long and details the time Harriet Hosmer and Anne H. Brewster spent together. The last eight pages (transcribed here) recount, how Hosmer witnessed the passionate breakup of Charlotte Cushman and…
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" Anne Kemble Butler
She is married to Mr. Butler but gets divorced. Charlotte Cushman supports her in her fight for custody. Kemble is an old friend and theatrical colleague of Charlotte Cushman. Eventually, they part on bad terms, as Fanny is disturbed by Charlotte's…
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…
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…
Letter from Edwin Cushman to Charlotte Cushman, Jan 14, 1852
In his letter, Edwin justifies not writing to his mother Susan. He tells Charlotte about an affair that some family friends wanted to hide from her as they were afraid of her reaction. Eventually, he sends love to Hays which indicates that Hays 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…
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, July 5, 1858
Once again, Charlotte confesses her love to Emma very explicitly. Her letter is written in the night between July 4 and July 5, 1858. Cushman explains to Emma why Emma often does not hear from the actress for weeks. Charlotte emphasizes the…
"The Cabinet", Farmer's Cabinet, Feb 2, 1859
In one of the entries in this column, Hosmer and Cushman are reported to be living together in Rome.
Credit
Readex: America's Historical Newspapers
Cobbe's Italics: Brief Notes on Politics, People and Places in Italy (1864)
Among others, the text mentions Hosmer and Cushman. Cobbe describes the Cushman household as a "women club."
Credit
Hathi Trust
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
Vandenhoff's Leaves from an Actor's Note-Book; With Reminiscences and Chit-Chat of the Green-Room and the Stage, in England and America (1860)
Same text but different page no. published as Dramatic Reminiscences; or, Actors and Actresses in England and America (1860, London, T. W. Cooper).The autobiographical text was translated by A. v. Winterfeld and published in German as Blätter aus dem…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Emma Crow Cushman, May 11, 1865
Charlotte writes about Lincoln's assassination and its impact on her and people she knows. Additionally, she tells Emma Crow Cushman about guests who stayed in her house that were not particularly welcome. Most of all, this letter is about…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to Annie Fields, Nov 27, [1871?]
Cushman asks James Fields for a favor on behalf of Stebbins who was upset about the "lack of applause" at a performance at the theater. Fields should print a comment in the [Boston Daily?] Advertiser or [Boston Daily Evening?]…
Letter from Charlotte Cushman to the Fields Family, [c. Sep 1860]
Cushman asks James Fields to make Ned "a bookseller of '[his] school'" so that he will be better educated and make Emma Crow "a more satisfying companion." Credit
Huntington Library, James Thomas Fields Papers and Addenda
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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…