https://www.archivalgossip.com/collection/files/original/cf6715efe2365853ec6ffc4621e4f05b.pdf 088cae2c3104a1e6f6b1a037030c0cfc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cushmania Subject The topic of the resource Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876 Stebbins, Emma, 1815-1882 Gossip--Published Gossip--Private Relationships--Networks Italy--Rome Description An account of the resource A collection of archival material (letters, diaries, articles, auto/biographical accounts) collected from different archives (cf. <a href="https://www.archivalgossip.com/sources/archives/">list</a>) that showcase the life of Charlotte Cushman, one of the most successful US American actresses of the nineteenth century. We invite you to either look for specific items via the tag cloud at the bottom of the page or the search function at the top, <a href="https://archivalgossip.com/collection/items/browse?collection=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">browse all items</a> in this collection, or explore thematic compilations of selected items in our "<a href="https://archivalgossip.com/collection/exhibits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exhibits</a>." <h6 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://archivalgossip.com/collection/files/original/c4226e025914fe32ca1542c728bd11cc.JPG"><img title="Item Locations" alt="Item Locations" src="https://archivalgossip.com/collection/files/original/c4226e025914fe32ca1542c728bd11cc.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="349.5" height="237.5" /></a>(<a href="http://hdlab.stanford.edu/palladio/">Palladio</a> visualization, Dec 2021: location of items in collection, size nodes)</h6> <h6 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://archivalgossip.com/collection/files/original/44bccce1e23bf9efe34d0078d3cc97f0.JPG"><img title="Item Locations" alt="Item Locations" src="https://archivalgossip.com/collection/files/original/44bccce1e23bf9efe34d0078d3cc97f0.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="349.5" height="324.5" /></a>(<a href="http://hdlab.stanford.edu/palladio/">Palladio</a> visualization, Dec 2021: letter correspondence for items that have values defined for "location sender" AND "location recipient," size nodes)</h6> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Library of Congress New York Public Library Philadelphia Historical Society Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1816-00-00/1920-00 Article A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Text that is part of a magazine or newspaper. The article may include other formats such as images. Text Any textual data included in the document CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN. On the opposite page will be found a reproduction.of a letter written by Charlotte Cushman. never before published and possessing unusual interest. It was written to Mr. Grigg, who lived in Philadelphia at that time and who presented it to a lady, a warm admirer of Miss Cushman, and was treasured by her as one of her most precil)us possessions. A short time prior to her death in 1876 she gave the letter to its present owner, who has preserved it with religious care. There is much to learn from this letter of the character of Charlotte Cushman in the early days of her career; in it she portrays disappointment, hope, ambition to succeed in her profession, the desire to support her family, and an amiable hospitality. She wastes no words in her appeal, but comes straight to the point, and asks for a modest sum in a business-like manner, offering interest for the loan. Although at the time this letter was written she had met with considerable success in this country, she longed for better opportunities for study, and, encouraged to go to England, she found herself for want of means compelled to borrow money to live while seeking an engagement in a foreign land. At that period it was no easy task to get an engagement, as our actors were termed "American Indiaus," and had to encounter violent prejudice. Her mode of study was to act in any part with t he best actors, and to study their methods. Her genius was so great and her individuality so overwhelming that she later made her own methods, although it is related of her that she always regretted the want of early systematic training, and prized the opportunity of witnessing the performances of great actors. Let us hope that Mr. Grigg acceded to her request, as he probably did, for shortly after she accomplished her desire and left this country for England, where, after she succeeded in gaining an appearance, her success was phenomenal, and continued to the end of a long life. A brief resumé of her career may be interesting in connection with this letter, as she showed, even at the early period at which it was written, a business sagacity which put her 'in the way of making much money," and gratified her ambition. While playing with Macready in New York in the season of 1842-43 he remarks in his diary under date of 0ctober 23: "The Miss Cushman, who acted Lady Macbeth, interested me much. She has to learn her art." But Macready recognized her abilities as beyond question; otherwise he would not have invited her to play with him in New York, later in Boston, and still later to support him in England. Upon his advice she determined to go to England, and it was some time between Macready's visit to this country in 1843 and October 25, 1844, that the letter now published was written, as on the latter date she made her farewell appearance at the Park Theatre, New York, in Much Ado About Nothing, when Mr. Vandenhoff acted Benedick to her Beatrice. In his note book he thus speaks of it: "The house was by no means full; and she played Beatrice that night carelessly or over anxiously, I don't know which – the effect of either is much the same. I recollect particularly that she run one part of one act into another in a scene with me, in a very perplexed and perplexing manner. When we came off, she exclaimed: 'For heaven's sake what have I been doing?' 'Knocking the fourth and fifth acts together extemporaneously, ' I replied. The truth is, she was disappointed with the house – the result being then of some moment to her. That audience little dreamt with what an accession of reputation and fortune she would return among them." Miss Cushman, urged by Macready, whose parting words to her were: "Come to England, where your talents will be appreciated at their true value," sailed for England and reached there November 18, 1844. Upon arrival at Liverpool she found letters from Macready asking her to join him in Paris, where be was playing with Helen Faucit; he told her he could not assure her leading parts, but she could make a beginning. She replied: "May I have Lady Macbeth ? I will accede to your wishes in all other things." This Macready could not promise, as Miss Faucit was already alarmed by the praises of Miss Cushman. She proceeded to London, and Mr. Vandenhoff gives the following aceount of how she procured her first engagement there: "The manner in which she obtained her first engagement in England is so characteristic of the spirit and pluck of the woman that I cannot resist telling it as it was related to me by Maddox:, the manager of the Princess' Theatre, in 1845. On her first introduction to him Miss Cushman's personal gifts did not strike him as exactly those which go to make up a stage heroine, and he declined engaging her. Charlotte had certainly no great pretensions to beauty, but she had perseverance and energy, and knew that there was the right mettle in her; so she went to Paris with a view to finding an engagement there with an English company. She failed, too, in that, and returned to England more resolute than ever, bent on finding employment there because it was necessary to her. It was a matter of life or death almost. She armed herself, therefore, with letters (so Maddox told me) from persons who were likely to have weight with him, and again presented herself at the Princes'; but the little Hebrew was as obdurate as Shylock and still declined her proffered services. Repulsed, but not conquered, she rose to depart; but as she reached the door she turned and exclaimed: ' I know I have enemies in this country; but (and here she cast herself on her knees, raising her clenched hand aloft), so help me God ! I'll defeat them.' She uttered this with the energy of Lady Macbeth, and the prophetic spirit of Meg Merrilies. 'Hello I' said Maddox to himself, 'S'help me! She's got de shtuff in her!' and he gave her an appearance and afterward an engagement in his theatre." Of her first appearance as Bianco in Fazio the journals Rpoke with enthusiasm. Her engagement at the Princess' was continued through eighty-four nights. To her mother she wrote that her brilliant successes far exceeded her most sanguine expectations, and that in her most ambitious moments she never dreamed of the success that crowned her every efforts. Her good fortune enabled her to send for her family, of whom she so feelingly writes to Mr. Grigg, and in the early summer she established them in a house at Bayswater. At that place Miss Cushman studied Romeo and her sister Susan Juliet. Tha play achieved what at that time was an almost unheard of popularity, and had a run of eighty nights in London. She afterward met with equal success in the provinces, appearing as Romeo upward of two hundred nights. In August, 1849, after an absence of five years, she sailed for America, and was heartily welcomed on her return. She made her reappearance on October 8, 1849, at the Broadway Theatre, New York, as Mrs. Haller in The Stranger. In the Summer of 1852 she returned to England, and from that time she acted with short intervals in that country or the United States. It would be impossible in this short sketch to give an idea of the quantity of work she accomplished. Her stage life was one long triumph, covering a period of many years. Her private life was equally triumphant, as never a breath of scandal sullied its purity. Although a constant sufferer for many years before her death, on February 18, 1876, from a most painful cancer, she never failed to work, and remained a student to the end. The number of parts she assumed seem almost incredible, ranging as they did from light comedy to heaviest tragedy, from the most feminine to masculine characters, equally well done; but the most prominent ones of her latter days were Queen Katharine, Meg Merrilies, and Lady Macbeth. Miss Cushman made her final appearance as Lady Macbeth on May 15, J 875, at the Globe Theatre in Boston, in which city she was born July 23, 1816. With her died the greatest actress this country has ever produced, indeed one of the greatest actresses the world has ever seen. Her art ranked with that of Rachel and Ristori, and no matter how small the part had heretofore appeared when assumed by Charlotte Cushman it carried away the audience when touched by her genius. lt is related of her that on one occasion she could not for some reason play Lady Macbeth, and took the part of first Witch. She held the stage, and made of that minor role the principal one of the performance. It is gratifying to know that her genius was recognized before her death, and a public ovation, such as the world has seldom witnessed, was tendered her at Booth's Theatre, New York, on November 7, 1874, when William Cullen Bryant crowned her with a laurel wreath, and Richard Henry Stoddard wrote a poem in her honor, which was read by Charles Roberts before an audience composed of the most prominent men and women of that day, whose names represented the highest in art, culture, and society. In an account of that evening the New York Tribune said: "From Booth's Theatre to the Fifth Avenue Hotel the street was so packed toward midnight as to be almost impassable. A glare of light from the theatre porch, the torches of the Arcadian  procession. and the street lamps illuminated the scene; and presently from the direction of Madison Square a burst of Roman candles and rockets added to the brilliance and excitement of this memorable midnight hour. Miss Cushman entered a carriage opposite the stage-door, and, amidst the cheers of the populace and a tumult like that of the old-fashioned Fourth of July, was driven to the Fifth Avenue Hotel, where she presently appeared on the balcony and greeted the populace, while the Ninth Regiment Band performed a serenade. and the spaces and vistas of Madison Square were illumined with fireworks." Her reverence for her art can in no way be so well told as in her own words: "I think I love and revere all arts equally, only putting my own first above the others, because in it I recognize the union and culmination of a ll. To me it seems as if when God conceived the world that was poetry; He formed it, and that was sculpture; He colored it, and that was painting; and then, crowning work of all, He peopled it with living beings, and that was the grand, divine, eternal drama."         K. M. W. A HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED LETTER OF CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN My dear Sir, Pray excuse the liberty I am talking wiht you, but I am sure in the goodness of your heart you will do so, when you know my +++. I have for a long time sought an interview with you, & even now have come from New York for the purpose, but as usual have been dissapointed & now take this method of asking a favor. I have been for a long time hoping & wishing to go to England for improvement. I am anxious to study there under some of the great masters. & it will be putting me in the way of making much money when I return to this country for the support of my family who have for many years been dependent upon my weekly stipend you my dear Mr Grigg can assist me & would you but lend me for a year or so – upon interest from $50 to $100. You would be doing me a charity & put me in the way of future affluence. Pray give this consideration & let me hear from you. I wish you would visit N.Y. we will do every thing in our power to make you happy & comfortable & make your time pass ++++ – don't forget to let me have an answer to this & believe me most sincerely Yours C. S. Cushman Provenance What is the source of the piece of information, where is it derived from? E.g. archive (e.g. scans), research notes by a someone who had access to archival material, published (e.g. in an edited version) , citation (e.g. cited in secondary literature) Scans provided by University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library Archive archive that the resource was found in The University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library, Department of Special Collections & University Archives Ben Graf Henneke archive of the performing arts, 1760s-1980s Performers, 1762-1981 Cushman, Charlotte, approximately 1762-1981 Geocode (Latitude) 40.730610 Geocode (Longitude) -73.935242 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Biographical sketch of Charlotte Cushman in The New York Dramatic Mirror (published after her death), including a "Hitherto Unpublished Letter" Subject The topic of the resource Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876 England England--London Actors and Actresses--US American Actors and Actresses--English Finances Intimacy--With Subjects Gender Norms Macready, William Charles Muspratt, Susan Cushman, 1822-1859 Death Praise Description An account of the resource This article in The New York Dramatic Mirror offers a short, yet laudatory summary of Cushman's theatrical achievements, praising her "stage life [as] one long triumph, covering a period of many years. Her private life was  equally triumphant, as never a breath of scandal sullied its purity." The anonymous author (K. M .W.) paints a vivid picture of some of the most crucial moments in her career, such as her final performance at Booth 's Theatre, New York, on November 7, 1874, "when William Cullen Bryant crowned her with a laurel wreath, and Richard Henry Stoddard wrote a poem in her honor." As an added bonus, the article fieature a "a reproduction of a letter written by Charlotte Cushman, never before published." It is addressed to Mr Grigg of Philadelphia, whom Cushman asks for a loan to finance her travel to England. <h2>Credit</h2> <a href="https://utulsa.libguides.com/c.php?g=831862" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library, Department of Special Collections & University Archives</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The University of Tulsa Archival Catalog Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1877-00-00 Type The nature or genre of the resource Reference Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 0416 financial concerns press coverage travel/touring