Title	[Book Plate of W. C. Macready]
Date	1851-02-26
Contributor	John Tallis & Company
Artistic roles	Mr. W. C. Macready (Actor, Manager)
Genre	Drama
Theme	Popular Venues
Places	London (United Kingdom)
Item description	A book plate believed to be from 'The Complete Works of Shakspere [sic]' edited by J. O. Halliwell and published by John Tallis & Co. in 1860. The black and white illustration shows Mr. W. C. Macready delivering his farewell address at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Feb. 26, 1851.
Object narrative	William Charles Macready (1793-1873) was a well-known and popular actor in England during the 19th century, having first appeared in one of his father's theatres in 1810 as Romeo. Within ten years, Macready would be playing in one of London's premiere theatres, the Theatre Royal Covent Garden. His prominence beginning with a successful portrayal of Shakespeare's Richard III, he became a regular player at the rival patent theatre, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where his success was cemented as he developed further in his Shakespearean repertoire. His biggest success was Sheridan Knowles' William Tell, however, which he first performed on May 11, 1825 after recovering from a three month illness. His next defining role would be Werner, in a play by Lord Byron of the same name. Originating this role in 1830, he added it to a repertoire which would eventually be replete with memorable performances in roles such as Virginius, William Tell, Macbeth, King Lear, and Othello. From 1837-1839 Macready managed the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, and from 1841-1843 he managed the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the theatre to which he owed his greatest successes. In this rendering, believed to be a plate from 'The Complete Works of Shakspere [sic]' in four volumes edited by J. O. Halliwell and published by John Tallis & Co. in 1860, Mr. W. C. Macready is shown DELIVERING HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS, AT THE THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE, FEBY 26, 1851. Macready performed the role of Macbeth that night, his last night on stage before a decisive retirement. He is depicted wearing a full tuxedo and holding a top hat, standing before a curtain on his beloved stage. This particular four volume set of Shakespeare was dedicated to Mr. Macready.
Type	Text
Original format	Book Plate
Original publisher	[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified]
Language	en
Contributing institution	Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries
Source collection	MSS255 Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection
Series/grouping	10.2.3: Photographs, Cards, Caricatures/Satire and Other Pictoral Materials -- Postcards -- Theatres
Box	92
Finding aid link	http://library.uncg.edu/info/depts/scua/collections/manuscripts/ead/mss255.xml
Preferred citation	[Identification of item], Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection, 1753-2006 (MSS255), Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives and Manuscripts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA.
Rights statement	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Additional rights information	NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES. This item has been determined to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. The user is responsible for determing actual copyright status for any reuse of the material.
Object ID	MSS255.B92.007
Digital publisher	The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5304
OCLC number	872280822

[Book Plate of W. C. Macready]

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