|
Title |
[Autograph of Edwin Forrest] |
|
Date |
1862-03-02 |
|
Artistic roles |
Edwin Forrest (Actor) |
|
Genre |
Tragedy |
|
Theme |
Dynasties |
|
Places |
Philadelphia (P.A.) |
|
Item description |
Autograph of Edwin Forrest (1806-1872), first star of the American stage. The autograph is in ink and accompanies a quote by Joseph Addison which Forrest wrote above his name in Philadelphia on March 2, 1862. The quote and autograph were written on a piece of paper which was cut down and adhered to a large piece of white paper for display purposes, as an etching of Forrest was adhered above the quote and autograph and labeled 'Edwin Forrest Tragedian!' |
|
Object narrative |
Edwin Forrest (1806-1872) was the first internationally known and acclaimed American actor. Born to Scottish and German descendants, he made his stage debut in 1820. Touring at first as an actor in the West (Ohio and Kentucky), within six years he was performing in New York and building his reputation as the most powerful physical and vocal actor America had ever seen. He was popular for heroic and physical tragic roles such as Othello, King Lear, Virginius, and Metamora, and often brought audiences to their feet with his passionate, energetic, and intense portrayals. He reached his zenith in the late 1830s and 1840s as he toured to England and France, developing a professional rivalry with British actor William Macready, who played the same roles. Both men were known for jealousy and having virile tempers, however, and the feud became personal in the 1840s leading up to Forrest's second tour to England in 1845. Friends in the press and other supporters of both men criticized the other's performances in print, especially after Forrest publicly hissed Macready's performance of Hamlet in Edinburgh in February of that year. The tensions between the two and their supporters, combined with rising political nationalistic sentiments on both sides of the Atlantic, brought much public attention and opinion to the rivalry. In 1849, Macready returned to the United States for his own tour and was greeted with unruly, wild audiences who hissed and threw chairs at him. Finally, the Astor Place Riot occurred on May 10, 1849, in which Americans rioted in the streets during a Macready performance and the militia tragically fired into the crowds. Some believed Forrest had a part in instigating this riot. Forrest's career began a downward descent after this and other scandals, but he continued to act until the year before his death. This item is Forrest's scratching of a famous quote by Joseph Addison, 18th century British newspaperman. He also autographs the note. It reads: Is there not some chosen curse,/Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven/Red with uncommon wrath, to blast the man,/Who owes his greatness to his country's ruin. Edwin Forrest. Philadelphia March 2 1862 |
|
Type |
Text |
|
Original format |
Correspondence |
|
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 |
6.2: Correspondence and Autographs -- Autographs |
|
Box |
79 |
|
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.B79.023 |
|
Digital publisher |
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5304 |
|
OCLC number |
872280892 |
