Class JEMz^lui 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 of 
 
 Mrs. John Drew 
 
A.PHICAL 
 
 SKETCH OF 
 MRS. JOHN DREW 
 
 WITH AN INTR. 
 BV H 
 
 JOHN DR] 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 
MRS. JOHN DREW 
 
 Engraved by Henry Wolf after a 
 
 painting by Sully in 1864 
 
 No<w in possession of John Drew, Esq. 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL 
 
 SKETCH OF 
 
 MRS. JOHN DREW 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTION 
 BY HER SON 
 
 JOHN DREW 
 
 WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES BY 
 
 DOUGLAS TAYLOR 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 MDCCCXCIX 
 
FIRST COPY, 
 
 
 TWO COPIES RECEIVED, C*^~ S, 
 
 Library of Congretf, 
 Office f th , 
 
 NOV 1 8 WQ 
 
 Register of Copyrtgh 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1899, BV 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
Introduction 
 
 THE following retrospect of 
 a life well spent in the 
 pursuit of the most ex- 
 acting of professions was written 
 down for the immediate delectation 
 and edification of the children and 
 grandchildren of the gifted woman 
 who penned it. 
 
 I think, however, that when such 
 an example may teach so much ; 
 where the life of an actress has been 
 so full of incident and accident, and 
 
Introduction 
 
 all resulting — through force of char- 
 acter and absolute intrinsic worth 
 — in ultimate personal and pro- 
 fessional regard and reverence, I 
 think that the record of such a life, 
 reaching over seventy years of the 
 dramatic history of our country, 
 cannot be without interest to all 
 who have at heart the development 
 of art at its best. 
 
 It would ill become me, here, to 
 more than touch upon the domes- 
 tic side of her character, but I may 
 be permitted to say that when to 
 artistic perfection she added disci- 
 pline tempered with gentleness and 
 loving-kindness as a mother, and 
 when to her other attributes and 
 excellences was joined the organiz- 
 
Introduction 
 
 ing ability and perfect control of a 
 theatrical stock company for many 
 years, surely it is no assumption 
 to say of her to-day, as was said of 
 Maria Theresa, " sexua femina in- 
 genio vir." Such a character and 
 personality must be salient in any 
 time or age, and cannot but serve 
 as an exemplar. And perhaps the 
 fact of four generations of this 
 same family having engaged in the 
 profession of acting — with credit to 
 their calling, and honor to them- 
 selves — may still further emphasize 
 the real worth of that calling, both 
 to the individuals engaged therein 
 and the world at large. 
 
 And now, without further proem, 
 I beg the public's acceptance of 
 
Introduction 
 
 these present recollections of i 
 woman pre-eminent in the pro- 
 fession she so long adorned. 
 
 John Drew. 
 
List of Illustrations 
 
 Mrs. John Drew 
 
 . Frontispiece 
 
 Mrs. "John Drew 
 
 • • • • 4 
 
 as Mrs. Malaprop 
 
 
 Thomas Potter Cooke . 
 
 ■ ■ ■ • 7 
 
 Miss Maria Foote 
 
 . . . . ii 
 
 as Maria Darlington 
 
 
 Edwin Forrest 
 
 • • . • • 15 
 
 Edwin Forrest 
 
 . . . . i 9 
 
 as Carivin 
 
 
 Miss Clara Fisher 
 
 * ... 23 
 
 Joseph Jefferson . 
 
 . ... 27 
 
 (the First of that Name) as 
 
 Solus 
 
 Miss Lane, Eight Tears 
 
 of Age . 3 1 
 
 in the Five Characters in " 
 
 Twelve Precisely 
 
 Madatne Celeste . 
 
 . . . . IK 
 
List of Illustrations 
 
 Alexina F. Baker ..... jp 
 
 Charles Kemble d.j 
 
 Miss Fannie Kemble /j_j 
 
 Charles Kemble 5/ 
 
 as Charles Surface, in the School for Scandal 
 
 yunius Brutus Booth .... 55 
 
 Miss "Josephine Clifton .... jp 
 
 Thomas S. Hambhn 6j 
 
 Mrs. Shaw 6j 
 
 George Horton Barrett . . . . Ji 
 
 Thomas Apthorpe Cooper • • • 75 
 
 E. S. Conner jp 
 
 Charlotte Cushman 8j 
 
 as Romeo 
 
 Charlotte Cushman 8 J 
 
 as Mrs. Haller 
 
 James Thome pi 
 
 as " Figaro " in the Barber of Seville 
 
 Tyrone Power pj 
 
 John R. Scott pp 
 
 as Pierre 
 
List of Illustrations 
 
 William Charles Ma ere a dy . . . ioj 
 
 'John Drezu, Sr IOJ 
 
 Mrs. John Drew . . . . .ill 
 
 Mr. John Drew, Sr. .... 113 
 
 as Handy Andy 
 
 Mr. John Drew, Sr up 
 
 as Sir Andrew Aguecheek 
 
 E. L. Davenport 123 
 
 Edwin 'Booth 1 2 J 
 
 Mrs. John Drew 131 
 
 Joseph Jefferson 133 
 
 James Edward Murdoch . . . ijp 
 
 John Drew, Sr 143 
 
 Characters in Two Plays . . . 131 
 Play Bill of the Chestnut Street 
 
 Theatre, January p, l82p . . Ifjp 
 
 TVilliam Florence and Joseph Jef- 
 ferson 163 
 
 Play Bill of the Arch Street Thea- 
 tre, May /_/, 183^ .... i6y 
 
List of Illustrations 
 
 Play Bill of the Arch Street Thea- 
 tre, November 2Q, 1859 . . . ijj 
 Silver Salver, Ewer and Goblets . ipj 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
Mrs. "John Drew 
 
 as Mrs. Malaprop 
 From a photograph, copyrighted, i8gb, by B. y. Falk, Neiv York 
 
Medal Presented to Miss Lane (Mrs. Dr 
 
 Edwin Forrest, in 1828. 
 
 In the possession of John Drew, Esq. 
 
 I WAS born in Lambeth Par- 
 ish, London, England, on 
 January 10, 1 820 ; my father, 
 Thomas Frederick Lane, was an ac- 
 tor of considerable provincial fame, 
 and my mother, nee Eliza Trenter, 
 a very pretty woman and a sweet 
 singer of ballads. That was an 
 eventful year for theatrical people. 
 The old King, George the Third, 
 died, and all theatres were closed for 
 one month ; and there was consider- 
 5 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 able suffering among our kind, as I 
 have been told since. At twelve 
 months old my mother took me on 
 the stage as a crying baby ; but cry 
 I would not, but at sight of the aud- 
 ience and the lights gave free vent 
 to my delight and crowed aloud 
 with joy. From that moment to 
 this, the same sight has filled me 
 with the most acute pleasure, and 
 I expect will do so to the last 
 glimpse I get of them, and when no 
 longer to be seen, " Come, Death, 
 and welcome ! " I acted (?) all the 
 " children's" parts in the plays then 
 usual — Damon s child — and had to 
 be kept quiet with cherries before 
 my last entrance, and then Mr. 
 Macready's eyes frightened me into 
 
 6 
 
Thomas Potter Cooke 1 * 
 
 From a photograph in the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 
 
 * This and the following figures refer to the Biographical 
 Notes by Douglas Taylor in the Appendix. 
 

Mrs. John Drew 
 
 an awed silence. Then I remem- 
 ber (I was about five) playing the 
 rightful heir in a melodrama called 
 " Meg Murnock ; or, the Hag 
 of the Glen," where the bad man 
 came on when I was sleeping to 
 murder me ! Of course I awak- 
 ened, and we both traversed the 
 stage from different sides, taking 
 the greatest care not to meet, when 
 I stumbled over a property pitcher, 
 and exclaimed, " Oh, it's only the 
 jug ! " which was always the signal 
 for great applause, and completely 
 baffled the bad man. After that, 
 in Liverpool, I remember playing 
 the brother of" Frankenstein," who 
 is killed by the Monster of Frank- 
 enstein's creation, acted by the cel- 
 
 9 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 ebrated T. P. Cooke, and to this 
 hour can remember the horrorwhich 
 possessed me at his look and atti- 
 tude, my own form dangling life- 
 less in his arms. He was a very 
 amiable man, and always had some 
 nice thing to give me after the 
 play. Of course, I cannot give any 
 consecutive account of the towns 
 we played in. In one of them the 
 beautiful Miss Maria Foote acted, 
 and I suppose I must have done 
 something to please her, as she 
 sent for me her last night and gave 
 me a lovely wax doll dressed as 
 Maria Darlington^ one of her fa- 
 vorite parts ; and I thought her 
 mother much prettier than she was! 
 Then again, in Liverpool — by this 
 
Miss Maria Foote- 
 
 as Maria Darlington 
 
 From an engraving published by G. Virtue, Londo, 
 1823. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 time I was seven, or very near it — 
 we (mother and myself, my father 
 was dead two years ago) were at 
 Cooke's amphitheatre when they 
 played dramas where horses were 
 the principal actors ; one of these 
 was called "Timour, the Tartar." 
 I was Prince Agib, confined in prison 
 by Timour, because I was the true 
 heir to the throne. My mother 
 comes to the court to beseech for 
 my liberty and gets into more trou- 
 ble, and is cast into "the lowest 
 dungeon by the moat," I having 
 obtained my liberty in the mean- 
 while. The last scene shows a 
 practical cataract in the centre of 
 the stage, with a prison to the 
 right; at a given call I rush on, 
 13 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 on horseback, and exclaim, " My 
 mother, I will free you still ! " and 
 rush down to the prison, almost 
 under the water, take my mother 
 (personated by a young circus rid- 
 er) on my horse, clasping me round 
 the waist, and dash up the cataract. 
 This had been done with enthusi- 
 astic applause for many nights ; but 
 this evening the horse stumbled 
 when on the third table, and rolled 
 down to the other two to the stage. 
 My mother, being a very fine rid- 
 er, saved me from serious injury, 
 and the curtain fell. There was a 
 universal wish on the part of the 
 audience to know if " the dear lit- 
 tle girl was much hurt ; " but she 
 was insensible to the kind wishes 
 
Edwin Forrest z 
 
 From a daguerreotype in the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 of her audience, I believe I may 
 truly say for the first and only time 
 in her life. 
 
 Just after this my mother made 
 engagements for us to go to Amer- 
 ica, that El Dorado to an imagina- 
 tive class, which assuredly theatri- 
 cal people are. Mr. John Hallam, 
 the accredited agent for Price & 
 Simpson, of the old Park Theatre, 
 New York, engaged, as was then 
 the fashion, an entire company, and 
 went with us himself in the packet- 
 ship Britannia. The following per- 
 sons were included in the company, 
 viz.: Mr. Henry Smith, John Sef- 
 ton, Mr. Robert Grierson, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Mitchell, Miss Stannard and 
 her sister Mrs. Hallam, lately mar- 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 ried, Master Henri Wells and Miss 
 Wells, dancers. We had an ex- 
 ceptionally fine passage of four 
 weeks (no steam in those days), 
 and landed in New York on June 
 7, 1827. We remained in New 
 York a few days, long enough to 
 completely change my mother's ap- 
 pearance ; the mosquitoes found 
 her a very healthy English woman, 
 and feasted at their will. We were 
 then sent to Philadelphia, to the 
 old Walnut Street Theatre. I re- 
 member seeing the " first appear- 
 ance " of most of the parties ; of 
 course my mother's made the fin- 
 est impression on me. It was as 
 Margaretta in " No Song, no Sup- 
 per." The symphony of her en- 
 
Edwin Forrest 
 as Carivin 
 
 lithograph in the collection of 
 Peter Gilsey, Esg. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 trance song is a long one, and the 
 orchestra had to play it twice, her 
 reception was so hearty and her 
 nervousness so great. I appeared 
 in September, I think, as The Duke 
 of York to the elder Booth's Rich- 
 ard III. Then we were sent to 
 Baltimore, to Mr. Joe Cowell's 
 Theatre, where I had the honor of 
 appearing as Albert to Mr. Edwin 
 Forrest's William Tell, and received 
 a medal from that gentleman for 
 the performance. At that time he 
 was, I suppose, about twenty-two 
 or twenty-three, and the handsom- 
 est man I ever saw. Alas ! how 
 he changed ! Mr. Forrest was 
 never a good-tempered man, and 
 was apt to be morose and churlish 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 at rehearsals. But he had many 
 noble qualities ; he was the " fair- 
 est " actor that ever played. If 
 the character you sustained had 
 anything good in it, he would give 
 you the finest chance of showing it 
 to the audience. He would get a 
 little below you, so that your facial 
 expression could be fully seen ; he 
 would partially turn his back, in 
 order that the attention should be 
 given entirely to you. This will 
 be better understood by actors, who 
 know how differently some players 
 act. He was not without appreci- 
 ation of a little "joke" either. On 
 one occasion, at the old Park The- 
 atre, we were playing, as an after- 
 piece, " Therese, the Orphan of 
 
Miss Clara Fisher* 
 
 From a lithograph by C. G. Childs, published by R. H. Hobson, Phila- 
 delphia. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 Geneva." He, as Car-win, rushes 
 with a drawn dagger into the pavil- 
 ion where he believes that Tberese 
 is sleeping. Immediately the place 
 is struck by lightning ; he then 
 staggers out of the pavilion, ex- 
 claiming, " 'Tis done ; Tberese is 
 now no more." Then Therese en- 
 ters and rushes into the pavilion to 
 rescue her benefactress. On this 
 occasion I, as 'Therese, rushed from 
 the house before Carwin had time 
 to come out, and we met, face to 
 face, in the apartment of the mur- 
 dered countess, who had hardly 
 finished screaming for her life. I 
 was horror-stricken at my error. 
 " Oh ! horrors, Mr. Forrest, what 
 shall I do ? " He smiled the beau- 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 tiful smile which illuminated his 
 face, and said : " Never mind. I'll 
 go out by the back door ! " 
 
 I must mention now that my 
 mother had been married some 
 months before to Mr. John Kin- 
 lock, a stage manager, and a very 
 capable actor and manager. 
 
 Well, from this time my parents' 
 ambition was fixed for me. Miss 
 Clara Fisher was then at the zenith 
 of her attraction, and father deter- 
 mined that I should be a second 
 " Clara." I appeared at the Bow- 
 ery Theatre, at that time a rival to 
 the old Park, and was managed by 
 the celebrated Mr. Gilfert. George 
 Barrett and his beautiful wife, Chas. 
 Young and his really lovely wife, 
 26 
 
Joseph Jefferson 5 
 
 [the First of that Name ) as Solus 
 
 From an engraving by D. Edwin after the paint- 
 ing by y. Neagle. Published by Lopez & Wemyss. 
 In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 Mrs. Gilfert and Mrs. Holman 
 were in the company. Shall I ever 
 forget my stage-fright whilst wait- 
 ing to hear my cue as Little Pickle 
 in " The Spoiled Child." But when 
 the time of entrance came every 
 feeling but exhilaration vanished 
 — only the certainty of success re- 
 mained. From this time to the 
 latter part of 1830 I played as a 
 star with varying success (finan- 
 cially), among other parts, Dr. Pan- 
 gloss, in " The Heir at Law ; " 
 Goldfinch, in " The Road to Ruin ;" 
 " Winning a Husband " (seven 
 characters) ; " 72 Piccadilly " (five 
 characters); "Actress of All Work" 
 (six characters) ; " Four Mow- 
 brays ; " 'Thomas, in " The Secret ;" 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 Gregory, in " Turn Out," and the 
 fourth and fifth acts of " Richard 
 III." I would here mention that 
 in acting Dr. Pangloss at the Chest- 
 nut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, 
 the elder Joseph Jefferson, grand- 
 father of the present great actor of 
 that name, played Zekiel Homespun. 
 Think of that great old actor play- 
 ing with a child of nine years old ! 
 At one time we (father, mother and 
 I) were associated with Madame 
 Celeste, her sister Constance and 
 husband, Henry Elliott ; and we 
 acted and danced through the State 
 of New York. All the towns, now 
 splendid cities with magnificent 
 opera-houses, were then guiltless of 
 any decent halls, and the orches- 
 
2 I 
 
 ^ 
 
 §3 
 
 ,3 £ 
 
 ^ 
 
 "« -r 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 tras were the great difficulties. In 
 Buffalo, a pretty village, the only 
 available music was one violin 
 played by an old darky, and all he 
 knew was " Hail, Columbia " and 
 " Yankee Doodle ; " so, as Celeste 
 danced twice, the orchestra (!) com- 
 menced the first time with " Hail, 
 Columbia " and finished with " Yan- 
 kee Doodle," and for the second 
 dance reversed the order of prece- 
 dence. Poor Celeste, who spoke 
 very little English then, her pa- 
 tience exhausted, exclaimed "D 
 
 ' Yankee Doodle ' and c Hail, Co- 
 lumbia.' " The latter part of 1 830, 
 father, bitten with the idea of man- 
 agement, arranged a partnership 
 with a Mr. Jones, in New York, 
 33 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 to take a company out to Jamaica, 
 W. I. In November we started. 
 The company consisted of Mr. W. 
 C. Forbes, Mr. Kelsey, Mr. Crouta, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Holden, Miss Smith, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and ourselves. 
 When out about ten days we struck 
 a hidden rock — a case of ignorant 
 carelessness, I should think, as it 
 was a most beautiful moonlight 
 night. The ship remained stand- 
 ing, so every one got dressed, ready 
 for leaving, as we could, even at 
 night, see the beach before us. The 
 captain found that it was San Do- 
 mingo. In the morning we all got 
 safely to shore, all our baggage with 
 us ; then the crew started to erect 
 tents, one for the ladies with the 
 
 34 
 
Madame Celeste** 
 
 From a photograph by Fredricks, New York. In 
 the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 gentlemen appertaining to them, 
 one for the other gentlemen, and 
 one for the crew. Our deck-load 
 had been shingles and staves, which 
 proved very useful, as did all the 
 stores from the ship ; and we set- 
 tled ourselves to stay for some 
 time, 'as they ascertained that we 
 were forty miles from any settle- 
 ment, and the captain and one 
 other would have to go to the city 
 of San Domingo and obtain a brig 
 to get us off. To haul by land 
 was impossible. We were there 
 six weeks, and I celebrated my 
 eleventh birthday there. In due 
 season we got to the City of San 
 Domingo, and there obtained some 
 sort of vehicle which took us to 
 
 37 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 Kingston, Jamaica. The company 
 was quite successful there, but yel- 
 low fever killed my father, his 
 youngest child, a baby of ten 
 months, and nearly took my moth- 
 er. Indeed, she had such a siege 
 of illness as for a time to completely 
 prostrate me. By the doctor's ad- 
 vice she went to the north part of 
 the island, to Falmouth. I sup- 
 pose we acted there, but have no 
 remembrance of it. I only re- 
 member the amount of kindness 
 we met with there, really unparal- 
 leled. Rumors of insurrection be- 
 came alarming, and my mother and 
 myself, driven by the leader of the 
 orchestra, Mr. Myers, came across 
 the country to Kingston — more 
 38 
 
Alexina F. Baker'' 
 
 From an engraving by H. B. Hall, after a crys- 
 talotype. In the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 kindness there — till finally we em- 
 barked for New York; then to 
 Philadelphia during the first chol- 
 era season. That was a fearful 
 time ; but youth must have its 
 amusement. In the boarding-house 
 I met Alexina Fisher, a very pretty 
 little girl one year my junior, and 
 we used to act together in the 
 empty attic room — stab each other 
 with great fury and fall upon the 
 ground, until expostulation from 
 the boarders in the third story 
 caused our reconciliation with tears 
 and embraces. In after years Al- 
 exina and I were very dear friends. 
 She married John Lewis Baker, a 
 very good actor. She was a charm- 
 ing actress, and they made a mod- 
 41 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 erate fortune in California, which 
 was injured by the deterioration in 
 property. At this time, 1832, the 
 Arch Street Theatre was flourish- 
 ing pretty well with an entire com- 
 pany of American actors, which was 
 a kind of curiosity, being the first 
 of its kind. The managers were 
 Messrs. William Forrest and Duffy. 
 The company consisted of John R. 
 Scott, Mr. Jones, E. N. Thayer, 
 James E. Murdock, Mrs. Stone, 
 Miss Eliza Riddle and Mrs. E. N. 
 Thayer. The latter, though of 
 English birth, began her long and 
 honorable career on the stage of 
 this country. Mr. Forrest was 
 backed by his brother Edwin, who 
 produced all his original plays at 
 42 
 
Charles Kemble 8 
 
 From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by R. y. Lane, 
 A.R.A. Published by y. Dickinson, London, May, l8jO. In the 
 collection of Douglas Taylor, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 the Arch Street Theatre — " The 
 Gladiator," " Metamora," " Broker 
 of Bogota," and later " Jack Cade." 
 This season, 1832, "The Ravel 
 Family " came to cheer the op- 
 pressed public. What a capital 
 performance it was, and how long 
 they cheered the people ! I don't 
 think one of the " Family " is left ! 
 We were divided off soon, mother 
 in Baltimore and I in Washington. 
 (During a former engagement in 
 the last-named city I was on a visit 
 to Mrs. Eaton's little girl, and 
 Mrs. Eaton took me to the Presi- 
 dent's Levee — General Jackson 
 then filling the chair of state. She 
 introduced me to him. He was 
 very kind and sweet to me, kissed 
 45 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 me, and said I was " a very pretty 
 little girl." Need I say that I was 
 a Jackson Democrat from that 
 hour, and have remained one up 
 to date ?) 
 
 Mr. Kemble and his daughter 
 Fanny acted in Washington in 
 1833. Of course, it may be said 
 that I was too young to judge, but 
 I shall never forget either of them. 
 Mr. Kemble was the only Sir 
 Thomas Clifford I have ever seen, 
 and he gave to the character a dig- 
 nity and pathos without parallel. 
 As Julia Fanny was really great, 
 as she was in Bianca. 
 
 At the close of the season we 
 drifted to Richmond, Va., under 
 the management of Mr. Phillips, 
 46 
 
Miss Fanny Kemble 9 
 
 From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by Gigoux. 
 Published by John Spratt, London, l8jO. In the collection of 
 Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 known to the profession as " No- 
 sey " Phillips. He did finely with 
 such stars as Booth, Hamblin, 
 Cooper and Miss Vincent. 
 
 I never heard any one read just 
 like the elder Booth. It was beau- 
 tiful ; he made the figure stand 
 before you ! It was infinitely ten- 
 der. Some of the passages of 
 "Lear" were touching in the ex- 
 treme, though he used Cibber's 
 frightfully bad edition of that sub- 
 lime tragedy. He had some very 
 odd ways at times. We were play- 
 ing " Hamlet " one night in Nat- 
 chez, and during Ophelia 's mad 
 scene a cock began to crow lustily. 
 When the curtain fell upon that 
 fourth act this crowing became more 
 
 49 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 constant ; and when the manager 
 could not find Mr. Booth to com- 
 mence the next act he looked up 
 and saw him perched on the top 
 of the ladder, which was the only 
 way to reach the " flies " in that 
 primitive theatre. The manager 
 ascended the ladder and had quite 
 a lengthy discussion with Mr. 
 Booth, who at last consented to 
 come down on condition that he 
 should resume his high position 
 after the play, and remain there 
 until Jackson was re-elected Presi- 
 dent. 
 
 Mr. Hamblin was a splendid- 
 looking man and a very good ac- 
 tor. I don't think he could ever 
 have been called " great." He 
 
 5° 
 
Charles Kemble 
 
 as Charles Surface, in the School for Scandal 
 
 From a lithograph published by T. McLean, 
 Haymarket, London. In the collection of 
 Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 had a long career as manager of 
 the Bowery Theatre, and brought 
 out several female stars. Miss 
 Naomi Vincent was a very sweet 
 actress, who died in her youth ; 
 Miss Josephine Clifton, " divinely 
 fair and more than divinely tall," 
 she being five feet eleven inches 
 high. She was a very beautiful 
 woman, but never arrived at any 
 distinction as an actress. She died 
 young. Mr. Hamblin finally mar- 
 ried Mrs. Shaw, a once beautiful 
 woman, bearing a strong resem- 
 blance to Mrs. Siddons's portraits. 
 She was an excellent tragedienne, 
 and died in middle age, closing life 
 as Mrs. Judge Phillips. 
 
 Mr. Cooper was a very hand- 
 some man (the remains of one 
 
 53 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 when I saw him), eminently gen- 
 tlemanlike in appearance. In the 
 company of the old Chestnut Street 
 Theatre at this epoch was a young 
 actor, Mr. George Barrett, called 
 generally " Gentleman George." 
 He was a juvenile actor of great 
 local repute in Philadelphia, and 
 moved among all the young swells 
 of that day. He was to play 
 Laertes in " Hamlet " with Cooper, 
 who arrived from Baltimore too 
 late for rehearsal ; so George went 
 to his dressing-room in order to 
 ascertain the arrangement of the 
 fencing match in the last scene. 
 Mr. Cooper was morose, and said, 
 " Go to the prompter, sir, and find 
 out ! " When the fencing began 
 
 54 
 
"Junius Brutus Booth 10 
 
 From a daguerreotype in the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 Barrett would not let Cooper dis- 
 arm him, and the audience could 
 see this fact and became excited. 
 Finally Barrett, with sword down, 
 stood quietly to be run through by 
 Cooper. When the curtain fell 
 Cooper started up in a towering 
 passion, and exclaimed to Barrett, 
 " What did you mean by your 
 conduct, sir ? " Drawing himself 
 up to his full height, six feet two 
 inches, Barrett replied, " Go to the 
 prompter, sir, and find out ! " 
 
 When they went away there was 
 nobody engaged to follow them. 
 The manager sped away to New 
 York to secure talent and never 
 returned, leaving us to act if any- 
 body would come to see us ; but 
 
 57 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 they didn't. Consequently, we were 
 all anxious to be gone ; and some- 
 how the voyage was arranged for, 
 and we embarked on a schooner. 
 The company consisted of Edmon 
 S. Conner, Thomas Hadaway, Mr. 
 Isherwood, mother, myself and a 
 little half-sister named Adine. We 
 were wrecked on a sand-bar in Egg 
 Harbor, West Indies, in the mid- 
 dle of a very stormy night. Up 
 and dressed in a few minutes, 
 watching and listening for the 
 planks to give way, as nothing 
 could be done in the way of rescue 
 till morning. Little Adine was 
 quite passive, only saying, "Mama, 
 if we all go in the water, will God 
 give us breakfast ? " Our rescue 
 58 
 
Miss Josephine Clifton 11 
 
 From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by Gambardella. In 
 the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 was somewhat perilous, as we went 
 along the bowsprit with our feet 
 on the rope below, and when we 
 got to the end dropped into the 
 boat at the moment it came up on 
 the waves ; but we all got off and 
 had a long walk in the deep sand 
 to the first house we came to, and 
 then after refreshments (!) it was 
 arranged that we should proceed 
 to New York in a " wood boat " 
 — that was, a vessel without any 
 bulwarks, and loaded with wood 
 for building. Into this we were 
 packed, and finally arrived in New 
 York on a magnificent morning. 
 Mother and I had an engagement 
 with Mr. Hamblin at the new 
 " Bowery." At this time I was of 
 
 61 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 a very unhappy age (thirteen), not 
 a child and certainly not a woman, 
 so the chances were against my 
 acting anything of importance. 
 When " The Wife " was brought 
 out I was cast for Florabel — a 
 young person who enters with a 
 soliloquy of about fifty lines in 
 Sheridan Knowles's most inflated 
 style, which they "cut out" bodily 
 the second night of the play. 
 There was " another check to 
 proud ambition ! " Then Mr. 
 Gale and his horses arrived from 
 England. " Mazeppa " was pre- 
 pared, Mr. Farren, the stage man- 
 ager, said, at an expense of exactly 
 $100, and they made thousands 
 from it. Then, in consequence of 
 
Thomas S. Hamblin 12 
 
 Drawn on stone from life by S. H. Gimber. In the collection of 
 Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 a lady's illness, I got a little cham- 
 ber-maid's part, with a front scene 
 with Mr. Gates, the popular com- 
 edian, and sang a little song called 
 " Nice Young Maiden " for forty- 
 eight successive nights, and was 
 very happy, for my song was always 
 encored. Mother, being ambitious 
 for me, accepted an engagement at 
 " The Warren Theatre," Boston, 
 managed by Mr. Pelby, the well- 
 known actor and manager, where 
 we jointly received a salary of $16 
 per week. I don't know how we 
 lived ; but mother was a splendid 
 manager at that time, a marvel- 
 ously industrious woman, and we 
 all lived at " Ma " Lenthe's, at the 
 corner of Bowdoin Square, a gable- 
 
 6S 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 end. We had a large room on the 
 second story, a trundle bed which 
 went under the other for the ac- 
 commodation of little children, a 
 large closet in which we kept a 
 barrel of ale and all our dresses, 
 and passed a very happy two sea- 
 sons in the enjoyment of that large 
 salary, which was eked out by the 
 three clear half-benefits very nicely. 
 The company at the " Warren " 
 consisted of Fred. Hill, stage man- 
 ager and actor; J. S. Jones, J. 
 Mills Brown, Mr. Spencer, Mr. 
 Houpt, Mr. Meers, Mr. William 
 Rufus Blake and wife, Miss Pelby, 
 Mr. Pelby, Miss E. Mestayer, 
 Miss Kerr, Miss Arbury, and 
 mother and myself. In the sum- 
 
 66 
 
Mrs. Shaw 13 
 
 From an engra-ving by T. Bonar from a daguerreo- 
 type by M. Douglass. In the collection of Peter 
 Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 mer some of us went to Portland, 
 Me. I acted Julia there, and won 
 considerable local fame. Some of 
 the patrons of the theatre wanted 
 to see " George Barnwell," and 
 decided that I must act Millwood, 
 because I was too young to make 
 ill -thinking possible. At the close 
 of the second season at the " War- 
 ren " we went to Halifax, Nova 
 Scotia, to act with the Garrison 
 amateurs twice a week during the 
 summer. We saw a good deal of 
 human nature there — all the petty 
 strife of real actors without their 
 ability. However, it passed the 
 summer away very pleasantly. We 
 were under engagement now to go 
 to New Orleans, to the new St. 
 6 9 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 Charles Theatre ; but that didn't 
 open till late in November, so on 
 our return to Boston Mr. Thomas 
 Barry, a very old friend of my 
 parents, offered us an engagement 
 till such time as we should go to 
 New Orleans. Madame Celeste, 
 now a great attraction, played just 
 at the opening, and I (then fifteen) 
 played several young mothers of 
 the rightful heirs in her pieces. 
 Oh, what a delight it was then to 
 drag a little child after me during 
 three long acts, to have him 
 wrenched from my arms, torn 
 away in despite of my unearthly 
 shrieks to summon my faithful 
 page (Celeste), who undertook to 
 find him and punish the " wretches 
 
George Horton Barrett 11 
 
 From a photograph by Meade Brothers, 
 New York. In the collection of Peter 
 Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 who had stolen him," and always 
 succeeded after many hair-breadth 
 escapes in the " imminent deadly 
 breach ! " We went to New Or- 
 leans in the good ship Star. On 
 the ship were Clara Fisher, Mr. 
 James Gaspard Maeder, to whom 
 she had been married for about a 
 year, and their beautiful little baby 
 girl; Miss Charlotte Cushman (Mr. 
 Maeder's pupil), Signor Croffi, a 
 great trombone player ; Signor 
 Cadori, greatest of bass-violin play- 
 ers ; Signor Burkia, great violon- 
 cello player, and some others whose 
 names have escaped me, all bound 
 for the new " St. Charles." As 
 our ship entered the Belize another 
 one laden with more recruits met 
 
 73 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 us, containing Mrs. Gibbs, a lovely 
 soprano ; Mr. Latham, the com- 
 edian, and many others direct from 
 England, and Mr. T. Bishop. Of 
 course, there were great shaking of 
 hands and affectionate greetings. 
 Upon our arrival Mr. James H. 
 Caldwell, the owner of the fine St. 
 Charles Theatre, called upon us, 
 and we began the season late in 
 November. The company was a 
 very large one, consisting of Mr. 
 De Camp, Mr. J. Cowell, Mr. 
 Barton, Mr. Latham, Mr. Henry 
 Hunt, Mr. B. De Bar, Mr. Cre- 
 veta, Mr. James E. Murdock, Mr. 
 Tom Bishop, Mrs. J. G. Maeder, 
 Mr. George Holland, Mrs. S. 
 Conde, Mrs. Bannister, Miss Ver- 
 
 74 
 
Thomas Apthorpe Coopt 
 
 From an engraving by Edi 
 tion of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
 In the collec- 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 ity, Miss C. Cushman, Mrs. Gibbs, 
 Miss De Bar, mother and myself. 
 The orchestra was a splendid one, 
 all soloists. Mr. Maeder was mu- 
 sic conductor and Mr. Willis the 
 leader. We opened with " The 
 School for Scandal." Mrs. Mae- 
 der's reception as Lady Teazle was 
 memorable. I was Maria. In 
 " The Spoiled Child," which con- 
 cluded the performance, Miss De 
 Bar played Little Pickle and made 
 quite a hit. Mr. Caldwell wanted 
 me to do it, but I begged off. In 
 the March following I was mar- 
 ried, at sixteen, to Mr. Henry 
 Blaine Hunt, a very good singer, a 
 nice actor, and a very handsome 
 man of forty. In the summer we 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 went to Louisville, and returned to 
 New Orleans for the second sea- 
 son. During this season Madame 
 Celeste produced " Le Dieu " and 
 " Le Bayadere." Mr. George Hol- 
 land went to Havana as agent, and 
 engaged two dancers to alternate 
 the second " Bayadere." At the 
 end of the piece Celeste sent for 
 me (we were all Bayaderes) and 
 said, " Louise, you must be the 
 second Bayadere to-morrow ; I will 
 not have those coming from Ha- 
 vana. They are too dreadful ! " 
 She denied all remonstrances, and 
 I danced the trial dance for twelve 
 nights with considerable applause. 
 Acting on Sunday came into 
 fashion this season, and as at that 
 
E. S. Conner'* 
 
 From a photograph by Fredrscks, New York. In 
 the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 time I was too good a Christian to 
 do that, and as I acted in every- 
 thing, there was a great trouble to 
 get my parts studied for one night. 
 My engagement closed with the 
 season. The next season was spent 
 in Vicksburg, Miss., under the 
 management of Scott & Thorne. 
 Mr.' Scott was known as " Long 
 Tom Coffin " Scott, and Mr. James 
 Thorne was an English barytone 
 who had come over to the Old 
 Park, and had drifted into low 
 comedy, and was a very good ac- 
 tor. Here I played chamber-maids 
 and all the like business. The 
 next season Mr. Thorne went to 
 Natchez, Miss., and we went with 
 him. This was my first recognized 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 position as leading lady ; we played 
 " The Lady of Lyons " for the first 
 time. Mr. C. Horn (?) was the 
 Claude Melnotte; it was very suc- 
 cessful. Here I first acted Lady 
 Macbeth with Mr. Forrest ; sang 
 Cinderella and Rosina in the stock, 
 and at the close of the season went 
 to Philadelphia. There I was en- 
 gaged by Mr. Mayer for the Wal- 
 nut Street Theatre for leading lady 
 at the highest salary known there, 
 $20 per week. How did we do 
 it ? Of course, we didn't dress as 
 we do now, and I am inclined to 
 think acted all the better. The 
 next two seasons were passed at the 
 old Chestnut Street Theatre. Mr. 
 Tyrone Power acted there for three 
 82 
 
Charlotte Cushman 1 " 
 
 as Romeo 
 
 From a photograph by Chase 6f Getchell, Boston. 
 In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 weeks ; and as he had specified all 
 the company were to play in his 
 pieces, I was in every one except 
 " The Irish Tutor" and " O'Flan- 
 nigan and the Fairies." He was a 
 truly great actor in his line, and 
 chose to be very agreeable during 
 his last engagement. During the 
 latter part of the second season the 
 payments became so infrequent that 
 I was obliged to stop playing, and 
 went to Pittsburg with Mr. Dinne- 
 ford of the Walnut. Here we pro- 
 duced " London Assurance " with 
 a degree of excellence unheard of 
 in that vicinity — a fountain of real 
 water, and entirely new carpet and 
 furniture, mirrors, and new cos- 
 tumes. 
 
 Then we drifted into Cincinnati 
 85 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 and Louisville, where we were in 
 dire straits ; and I played Richard 
 the Third to get us out of town, 
 and it did ! Next, I was offered 
 an engagement at the Park The- 
 atre, New York. That was the 
 goal of my ambition. I went there, 
 and during the season played every 
 variety of character ; but Fortunio 
 was a big success. The Park had 
 a right, from time beyond compu- 
 tation, to close for two months 
 from the first of July if they de- 
 sired ; well, they did desire it, and 
 did it. Some few of us went to 
 Baltimore to play at the Front 
 Street Theatre, but they did not 
 want us there. Mr. E. N. Thayer, 
 who was managing Peele's Mu- 
 
 86 
 
Charlotte Cushman 
 
 as Mrs. Haller 
 
 From a lithograph by G. B. Black of the painting 
 by Wm. Henry Watkins. In the collection of Peter 
 Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 seum for the owners, came to me 
 and proposed that we should act 
 there such pieces as required only 
 three or four persons. In despera- 
 tion we agreed. He was to have 
 two shares, in virtue of his rig-out, 
 the bills and managing. I was to 
 have two shares, being leading lady; 
 Mr. Hunt one and my mother one. 
 The opening night I was dressing 
 for " The Swiss Cottage" very de- 
 jectedly when my sister Georgia, 
 who was looking through a hole in 
 the green curtains, came in and said 
 excitedly, " Oh, Louise, there are 
 quite a number of people in, and 
 one gentleman in full dress." After 
 this I dressed with great alacrity, 
 sustained by my sister's jumbled 
 s 9 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 statements of the increasing audi- 
 ence. We acted with enthusiasm, 
 and greatly pleased the company 
 in " The Lecture Room." After 
 the entertainment was over Mr. 
 Thayer sat before a table on the 
 stage with the receipts of the night 
 before him, and solemnly handed 
 each person his or her share or 
 shares, in specie (and very welcome 
 it was to all). This ceremony oc- 
 curred nightly, and, unlike most 
 ceremonials, never became tiresome. 
 We played for over four weeks 
 with increasing attractiveness, and 
 regretted being summoned to the 
 reopening of the Park. There was 
 some talk about not returning, but 
 the Park was a power then ! The 
 9 o 
 
'James Thome 
 
 18 
 
 as ' ' Figaro ' ' in the Barber of Seville 
 
 Draivn on stone by A. Newsam from a painting by Joseph Buske. In 
 the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 next season they closed for six 
 weeks in the winter, and I went to 
 the Bowery, where John R. Scott, 
 James W. Wallack, Jr., Mrs. Her- 
 ring (a great local favorite) and 
 myself played ten acts of tragedy 
 and comedy nightly for two weeks. 
 Then " Beauty and the Beast " was 
 produced. J. W. Wallack, Jr., as 
 The Beast, Mr. Charles Hill, as Sir 
 Aldgate Pump, Mr. Gates, as John 
 Quill, and myself as Beauty. It 
 was quite successful. In the sum- 
 mer we went to the Albany Mu- 
 seum. My heart sank when I saw 
 the place ; but everything pros- 
 pered there after this, and I have 
 reason to look back upon the time 
 spent in Albany with gratitude. 
 
 93 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 After the lapse of one year's ab- 
 sence I returned to the Park, acting 
 everything. They always had some 
 very good actors there, but their 
 utility people were the worst ever 
 seen. Acted with Mr. Macready, 
 James Anderson, John Collins, J. 
 B. Booth, etc. Macready was a 
 dreadful man to act with ; you had 
 the pleasant sensation of knowing 
 that you were doing nothing that 
 he wanted you to do, though fol- 
 lowing strictly his instructions. He 
 would press you down with his 
 hand on your head, and tell you in 
 an undertone to stand up ! Mr. 
 Macready was a terribly nervous 
 actor ; any little thing which hap- 
 pened unexpectedly irritated him 
 
 94 
 
Tyrone Power 19 
 
 From an engraving by J ' . Sands, after a painting by J. 
 Simpson. In the collection of Douglas Taylor, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 beyond endurance. One night, at 
 the Park, " Macbeth " was the 
 play. Mrs. Sloman, an old-fash- 
 ioned actress, dressed Lady Macbeth 
 in the manner which prevailed in 
 her early life — in black velvet, point 
 lace and pearl beads. In the mur- 
 der scene part of Macready's dress 
 caught on the tassels of her pearl 
 girdle ; the string broke, the beads 
 fell on the floor, softly, with a 
 pretty rhythmic sound, distinctly 
 heard through the intense silence 
 of the scene. This so exasperated 
 Mr. Macready that he was almost 
 frantic, until, with the final line of 
 the scene, " Wake, Duncan, with 
 the knocking, oh ! would thou 
 couldst," he threw Mrs. Sloman 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 off the stage, with words which I 
 hope were unheard by the public, 
 and were certainly unfit for publi- 
 cation. 
 
 After this I went to New Or- 
 leans, to Ludlow & Smith, prover- 
 bially the closest pair in the profes- 
 sion. They gave me $3$ per 
 week, a larger salary than they ever 
 gave Mrs. Farren. Mr. Chippen- 
 dale was there, too, and we acted 
 together all the popular small com- 
 edies of the day, now forgotten by 
 all. Some seasons previous to this 
 I went to Chicago to open the first 
 theatre built there by Mr. John 
 Rice, who afterward became one of 
 the valued citizens of that rising 
 city, and ultimately the mayor, and 
 then one of the representatives of 
 
John R. Scott 20 
 
 as Pierre 
 
 From a lithograph, by A. Neivsam, after a painting by T. Sully, 
 Jr. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 the State in Congress. He was 
 the best man I ever knew, the very 
 embodiment of justice and common 
 sense. 
 
 In 1848 I married Mr. George 
 Mossop. He died a few months 
 after in Albany, and in 1850 I was 
 married to Mr. John Drew, al- 
 though the marriage was not made 
 public for some months, as I had 
 several engagements to fulfil be- 
 fore I could join him. Then we 
 went to Chicago for the season, 
 and Buffalo, then to Albany. We 
 went in the summer to New York, 
 to act small comedies at Niblo's. 
 In the company were W. R. Blake 
 and wife, Lester Wallack, Mrs. 
 Stephens, Mr. Joseph Jefferson, 
 Mr. Drew and myself. We played 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 in conjunction with Signor Soto, 
 Mons. Meye, Mile. Leontine and 
 Mile. Dreux — a dancing party 
 brought to the country for Niblo's 
 by Mr. J. H. Hackett. Six weeks 
 comprised the season ; then we 
 went to Philadelphia, to the old 
 Chestnut Street Theatre. 
 
 The season opened with Cibber's 
 comedy of " She Would and She 
 Would Not," with the following 
 distribution of characters : 
 
 Don Manuel Mr. John Gilbert. 
 
 Don Philip Mr. Dickerson. 
 
 Don Octaijio Mr. Eytinge. 
 
 Trappanti Mr. John Drew. 
 
 Soto Mr. J. S. Clarke. 
 
 Hypolita. Mrs. John Drew. 
 
 Flora Miss Celia Logan. 
 
 Rosaro Mrs. Gladstone. 
 
 Viletta Miss Lizzie Steel. 
 
 102 
 
William Charles Macready 21 
 
 From a lithograph by Aug. Lemoine. In the col- 
 lection of Douglas Taylor, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 Not one person had ever acted 
 in the play before or ever seen it 
 acted. It was very successful. The 
 farce was " The Miseries of Hu- 
 man Life," with Mr. Drew, Mr. 
 Thayer and myself. When the 
 season was nearly ended we with- 
 drew from the company, and trans- 
 ferred our services to the Arch 
 Street Theatre, then under the 
 management of Mr. Hemphill. 
 The lease was offered to Mr. Wil- 
 liam Wheatley and John Drew. 
 They accepted it, and the following 
 season opened as Wheatley & 
 Drew's Arch Street Theatre. I 
 didn't play during the early part of 
 the season, and Mrs. D. P. Bowers 
 was engaged, whose recent death 
 105 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 must be deplored by all who knew 
 her. 
 
 At the end of their second sea- 
 son John Drew retired from the 
 concern and J. S. Clarke came into 
 it. John and I traveled in 1857, 
 came back to Philadelphia in the 
 spring, and joined Mrs. Bowers's 
 company at the Walnut Street The- 
 atre. Mr. Drew, accompanied by 
 my mother, paid a visit to England 
 and Ireland. I took the leading 
 position at the Walnut, and they 
 returned in the winter, when Mr. 
 Drew played a long engagement at 
 the Walnut. 
 
 (It is proper here to say that I 
 had three children in these five 
 years — Louisa, John and Georgie.) 
 
"John Drew, Sr.' 
 
 From a photograph in the collection of Louis Evan 
 Shipman, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 The next season I was engaged at 
 the Arch by Wheatley & Clarke. 
 We brought out " The Sea of Ice " 
 and " The Naiad Queen," having 
 before that produced " The Ameri- 
 can Cousin," " Pauvrette," and 
 " The Octoroon," in all of which I 
 sustained the principal female char- 
 acters. In the meantime Mr. Drew 
 went to Australia, via California, 
 and from there to England, acting 
 most sucessfully in all the cities. 
 
 In i860 it was proposed by the 
 stockholders of the Arch that I 
 should assume the management, 
 and in 1861 the theatre was opened 
 as Mrs. John Drew's Arch Street 
 Theatre. A good deal was done 
 to beautify the theatre.- It was a 
 109 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 hard season to meet. I borrowed 
 money every week to meet the 
 salaries. Mr. Drew returned just 
 after Christmas and acted one hun- 
 dred nights, then went to New 
 York on business, returned, and 
 died, after three days' illness, in 
 May, 1862. The next season I 
 got on rather better, and then it 
 was determined by the stockholders 
 to pull down and rebuild the the- 
 atre from the stage to the front. 
 This was done in the summer, and 
 we opened the third season with the 
 Richings Opera Company. Wal- 
 lack, Davenport, Edwin Booth, 
 and a number of the best stars 
 acted here, and it was a very fine 
 season, enabling me to pay back 
 
Airs. 'John Drew 
 
 From a miniature in possession of John Dreiv, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 all the money I had borrowed for 
 the first, which gave me great joy 
 in the doing. 
 
 Mr. E. L. Davenport was a very 
 fine actor. I first met him at the 
 old Chestnut Street Theatre, when 
 he was a very handsome young 
 man. Even at that time he was 
 very versatile, and always continued 
 so, to his detriment, it was thought. 
 When he had the new Chestnut I 
 saw him play Sir Giles Overreach 
 in a masterly manner. As Sir 
 Giles Mr. Davenport surpassed 
 even the elder Booth, and to those 
 who remember that great actor 
 nothing can be said beyond that. 
 
 Edwin Booth had a very sweet 
 character and a charming manner 
 113 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 at rehearsals, which he detested. I 
 think, after Hamlet, his Bertuccio in 
 the " Fool's Revenge " was his 
 finest representation. He threw 
 his whole soul into it, and it was, 
 indeed, a performance to be re- 
 membered. 
 
 For about eight years fortune 
 favored me. The great little ac- 
 tress Lotta acted with me for sev- 
 eral years — long engagements, 
 which were never enough for the 
 public's satisfaction or my own. 
 During this time many of my com- 
 pany went to New York — Mr. F. 
 F. Mackay, Louis James, Robert 
 Craig, who was one of the most 
 talented young men I ever met ; 
 Charlotte Thompson, Stuart Rob- 
 
fli 
 
 
 
 Bk-i 
 
 Mr. yobn Drew, Sr. 
 
 as Handy Andy 
 
 From a photograph by Germon, Philadelphia, 
 the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 son, Miss Fanny Davenport, etc. 
 Several became stars. About this 
 time I concluded to follow the ex- 
 ample of all the other theatres in 
 the city, and ceased to have a stock 
 company, and called the theatre a 
 " combination theatre ; " but it 
 never did so well as before. The 
 public seemed to miss the old fa- 
 vorites and not to care for the new 
 ones. I clung with such tenacity 
 to the old customs that we were 
 the last to take up matinees. There 
 were two new theatres on Chestnut 
 Street and one on Broad Street. 
 They eventually became as one, 
 having the same manager. Thus 
 they and the old Walnut and new 
 Park got all the best stars or com- 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 binations, and we were obliged to 
 put up with what they kindly left. 
 Then the people began to find out 
 that the theatre was " out of the 
 way " — " it was too far uptown " 
 (there are now six theatres very 
 much above it, "uptown"). My 
 only remaining great attraction was 
 Mr. Jefferson. Just before one 
 of his engagements, as he and I, 
 with two other parties, were sitting 
 in the office, a lady came up to 
 the window of the box - office to 
 get seats. " Oh, papa told us 
 (she was about fifty) we must be 
 sure to see Mr. Jefferson ; but 
 please give us three good seats, 
 down low, because papa told us 
 they were all old people, so we 
 
Mr. John Drew, Sr. 
 
 as Sir Andrew Aguecheek 
 
 From an engraving published by 
 yohnson & Co. In the collection of 
 Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 want to get as close as we can to 
 hear them ! " This observation 
 occasioned much mirth, for the 
 " old people " consisted of Mr. 
 Jefferson, Mr. Florence, Mr. Frank 
 C. Bangs, Mr. Jack Barnes, and 
 myself. In 1880 or 1881 I en- 
 gaged with Mr. Jefferson to travel 
 with riim and act Mrs. Malaprop 
 in " The Rivals," and from that 
 time till 1892 continued to do so. 
 From the time when Mr. William 
 Florence was engaged, we did 
 nothing but " The Rivals " and, 
 occasionally, "The Heir-at-Law." 
 Poor Mr. Florence, he was the 
 best Sir Lucius 0' Trigger I ever 
 saw. He obtained more effect out of 
 the text than anybody reading it 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 would think possible. Our first 
 cast of the comedy was as follows: 
 
 Sir Anthony Mr. Fred. Robinson 
 
 Captain Absolute .... Mr. Maurice Barrymore 
 
 Sir Lucius O' Trigger Mr. Waverly 
 
 Falkland Mr. Taylor 
 
 Fag Mr. Tom Jefferson 
 
 David Mr. Gallagher 
 
 Mrs. Malaprop Mrs. John Drew 
 
 Lydia Miss Rosa Rand 
 
 Lucy Miss Paul 
 
 Bob Acres Mr. Joseph Jefferson 
 
 I forget how many miles Mr. 
 Barnes computed we had traveled 
 the season he was with us, but I 
 know he said 19,000 and some. 
 
 Every season was a happy one. 
 The latter part of the time Mr. 
 Jefferson was busy on his delight- 
 ful autobiography, and used occa- 
 sionally to read it to us. We gen- 
 122 
 
E. L. Davenport 2 ^ 
 
 From a photograph. In the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 erally traveled in our own car, and 
 enjoyed " every comfort of home," 
 in the true sense of the word — not 
 as depicted in the farce. 
 
 To return to the subject of the 
 Arch Street Theatre : when I re- 
 turned there in 1892, at the close 
 of the season, I found the business 
 of -the season had been so very 
 poor ; and as the outlook for the 
 next season was no better, I con- 
 cluded to give it up (if the stock- 
 holders would permit me to do so), 
 and I wrote to the Board of Agents 
 to that effect, and they agreed to 
 my wish. And I must here pay a 
 merited acknowledgment of the 
 continued kindness and good-will 
 shown me by that board, in every 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 way and at all times ; for which I 
 tender them my sincere thanks and 
 best wishes through all time. After 
 this resignation had been accepted, 
 the ladies of Philadelphia tendered 
 me a reception, which was largely 
 attended, at the Art Club. 
 
 Soon after this a testimonial was 
 arranged to be given me at the 
 Academy of Music, on which oc- 
 casion the utmost good- will was 
 shown me by the entire profession. 
 The Lyceum Company came on and 
 played a short comedy. Mr. Crane 
 and his company played one act of 
 " The Senator," Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kendall appeared in " A Happy 
 Pair ;" and we concluded the bill 
 with the second act of "The Rivals," 
 126 
 
Edwin Booth 24 ' 
 
 From a photograph by Brady. In the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 with Mr. Jefferson, Maurice Barry- 
 more, Louis James, Roland Reed, 
 Miss Viola Allen, and myself. It 
 was a memorable night for me. 
 
 The next thing was, what was I 
 to do with myself ! I couldn't 
 live in Philadelphia in the manner 
 in which I had always lived; couldn't 
 afford it. So I moved to New 
 York, after nearly forty years of 
 housekeeping in Philadelphia. It 
 was a terrible wrench ! To look 
 about for "something to do" at 
 seventy-two years of age ! But I 
 was still in the possession of splen- 
 did health, good spirits, and the 
 love of my two remaining children. 
 My adopted son, Sidney White, 
 for many years known as Sidney 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 Drew, immediately undertook to 
 make a five weeks' engagement ; 
 and as the terms were financially a 
 certainty, I accepted and played for 
 the five weeks with great success 
 in Philadelphia, Brooklyn and 
 Harlem; then three weeks in New 
 York, at the Standard Theatre, 
 as the theatrical Mother-in-Law in 
 " An Arabian Night," in conjunc- 
 tion with Joseph Holland, Miss 
 Evelyn, and Agnes Miller, under 
 the management of Charles Froh- 
 man. 
 
 The next season I went out as a 
 sort of star, under engagement to 
 Sidney. We penetrated from San 
 Francisco to New Orleans ; but it 
 was a losing season to me. Of 
 130 
 
Mrs. yohn Drew 
 
 From a photograph by JV. L. Germon, Philadel- 
 phia. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 course, if the money did not come 
 in, and it did not, I couldn't get it. 
 So in June I came home to my 
 son John, with whom and his dear 
 wife I have lived ever since, vary- 
 ing the scene by occasionally acting 
 in Philadelphia, Boston, Saratoga, 
 and New York. 
 
 About three years before I gave 
 up management, I acted for the 
 testimonial benefit given by the 
 citizens of Philadelphia to their 
 representative actor, Mr. James E. 
 Murdoch. Mrs. D. P. Bowers 
 acted Mrs. Haller in (a most ex- 
 traordinary arrangement of the 
 play) " The Stranger," Mr. Mur- 
 doch as the stranger, followed by a' 
 three-act version of " The School 
 133 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 for Scandal," with Mr. Murdoch 
 as Charles Surface, Mr. George 
 Holland as Sir Peter teazle, Mr. 
 Drew as Joseph Surface^ and myself 
 as Lady 'Teazle. I clung to this 
 part — after marriage giving up all 
 young parts — in Philadelphia, be- 
 cause the public seemed to like to 
 see it. 
 
 Mr. Murdoch was in his day 
 one of the most delightful of actors. 
 His Charles Surface, Young Mirabel, 
 Don Felix, Vapid, etc., have never 
 been exceeded in excellence. He 
 was also a very fine Hamlet. I 
 knew him well from 1840 up to 
 the time just mentioned. He was 
 a delightful companion — would talk 
 far into the night upon any con- 
 134 
 
'Joseph Jefferson 25 
 
 From a photograph by Falk 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 genial subject, the theatre being the 
 most favorite topic. He would 
 recite whole poems, and his vocab- 
 ulary was of the richest description. 
 I never heard him make use of an 
 oath or a slang word in my life, and 
 in youth he possessed the greatest 
 spirits. Though he came on the 
 stage a very young man, in the 
 American company at the Arch he 
 hadn't a tone of Mr. Forrest — a 
 rare thing in an American actor at 
 that time, all being imitations, 
 more or less consciously, of that 
 great actor. Mr. Murdoch was 
 himself alone, not imitating any- 
 body in the least, though his style 
 was modeled on the Kemble School. 
 He lost his only son in the late 
 137 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 Civil War. He took great interest 
 in the conduct of the war, and was 
 a thorough American in heart and 
 soul. How fast we are all dying 
 off, to be sure ! I only know 
 one person who is my senior in 
 the profession, Mrs. Clara Fisher 
 Maeder, and I think it is two years 
 since she acted, though she looks 
 equal to any fatigue. It is one of 
 the ills of this life that when we 
 live so long as she and I have done 
 we survive our children. She has 
 buried several sons, and, like my- 
 self, now lives in her grandchildren. 
 The keenest sorrow of my life 
 came to me in '93, when my dearest 
 daughter, Georgie, died in Cali- 
 fornia, whither she had gone in 
 138 
 
'James Edward Murdoch^ 
 
 From a lithograph, after a daguerreotype by McCIees & 
 German. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Mrs. John Drew 
 
 search of health, and only found 
 death. My eldest daughter died 
 some five years ago, and now my 
 son John is the only remaining 
 link with his father's memory. I 
 look on him with considerable pride 
 — not personal, for I had nothing 
 to do with his professional advance- 
 ment, as he came to Daly's The- 
 atre when just twenty-one, and re- 
 mained there till a few seasons ago, 
 under a much more energetic and 
 capable manager than myself. 
 
 And now let me devote a few 
 lines to the late John Drew, now 
 deceased thirty-four years. I don't 
 think there are many persons sur- 
 viving him now who remember 
 him well, and he was worth re- 
 
Autobiographical Sketch 
 
 membering ; one of the best actors 
 I ever saw, in a long list of the 
 most varied description. Had he 
 lived to be forty - five, he would 
 have been a great actor. But too 
 early a success was his ruin ; it left 
 him nothing to do. Why should 
 he study when he was assured on 
 all sides (except my own) that he 
 was as near perfection as was pos- 
 sible for man to be? So he finished 
 his brief and brilliant career at 
 thirty-four years of age, about the 
 age when men generally study most 
 steadily and aspire most ambi- 
 tiously. 
 
 142 
 
'John Drew, Sr. 
 
 From a photograph in the collection of Peter 
 Gilsey, Esq. 
 
: ' Life ! we've been long together, 
 Through pleasant and through cloudy weather; 
 'Tis hard to part when friends are dear ; 
 Perhaps 'twill cause a sigh, a tear ; 
 Then steal away, give little warning, 
 Choose thine own time ; 
 Say not Good-Night, but in some brighter 
 
 clime, 
 Bid me Good -Morning.' ' 
 
 [The stanza above, from Mrs. Barbauld's poem, my 
 mother bade me inscribe on her tomb in Glenwood 
 Cemetery, Philadelphia. — John Drew.] 
 
Appendix 
 
Biographical Notes 
 
 By Douglas Taylor 
 
 (i) * Thomas Potter Cooke, familiarly 
 known as " Tippy Cooke," left London 
 at the age often to join the navy, where 
 he distinguished himself by courageous 
 exploits on various occasions. The 
 peace of Amiens closing that career he 
 sought his second love — the stage, play- 
 ing small parts in the provinces until 
 engaged by Elliston as stage manager 
 of the Surrey. He subsequently joined 
 the Adelphi, Drury Lane, English Opera 
 House and Covent Garden Theatres, 
 performing eccentric and melodramatic 
 parts suited to his mammoth frame, like 
 Orson and the Monster in " Franken- 
 stein," and being especially liked in 
 
 * This and the following figures refer to the num- 
 bered illustrations. 
 
Appendix 
 
 Long Tom Coffin and other sailor charac- 
 ters. In 1829 a poor playwright named 
 Douglas Jerrold had " Black-Eyed 
 Susan " accepted by Elliston, who made 
 a small fortune out of its four hundred 
 consecutive performances with Cooke 
 as William, whose representation be- 
 came a part of English stage history. 
 Mr. Cooke died in 1864. 
 
 (2) Miss Maria Foote, born in Ply- 
 mouth in 1798, was a direct descendant 
 of the celebrated Samuel Foote, and 
 became renowned not only as an ele- 
 gant and fascinating comedienne, but 
 through her association with Colonel 
 Berkeley and Pea Green Hayne, both 
 of them men of fashion who repudiated 
 their promises of marriage to the lovely 
 actress. Her first appearance was at 
 her father's theatre in Plymouth as 
 Juliet, and other tragic characters, which 
 she soon exchanged for light comedy so 
 successfully as to be engaged at Covent 
 
WHEATLEY AND DREW'S 
 
 ARCH ST. THEATRE 
 
 MANAGERS, 
 
 •AX3A.IIST 
 
 RESTORED! 
 
 To-Night, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1854 
 
 SHAKSPERE'S 
 
 mm * nmui 
 
 ERRORS 
 
 Wi)I,be repented for the Secoiri Time this Season, and for the 
 
 80th Time by the Star Company 
 
 Anlii.hBlmir.fEi.bMui Mi vol u IIEATLKV 1.1 Officer , ,.. , Mr. REILLT 
 
 l„;„j i.Mr. JOHN DREW I Srrv.nl Mr. CATERSON 
 
 Amr.1iolo.oi S.r.coso .. .Mr. SIIEWELL. Ailend.iiH »«» JACKSON, MOORE ind MATTHEWS 
 
 DroroioofSrr.coM Mr. P.N. DREW ^ Abbe» Mr. WILKS 
 
 Doko of Epte.us Mr. DOLMAN Adriini Mrs. JOHN DREW 
 
 .Spoil.... ,...:... Mi G1I.E Lpcio.ii Mr, KINLOCK 
 
 Aogelo Mr. BANGS I Li.bn MitaBERNARO 
 
 Cbirci Mr. STEPHENS Bridge*...... Mr*. I Ii EC 
 
 Cleon .Mr. HALT. UieodmL*, Exosnu.^er, • ; . , > ii. Cooveni, &C, bj ihe Troup* of 
 
 !■_> ■■■-■ H ' Ai.iiIii.ot ^ 
 
 PREVIOUS Tl THE COMEDY, 
 
 OVERTURE—" la Bayadere," (Anber.) - - - • ORCHESTRA 
 
 SCHOTTISCHPOLKA-A tePaydent, Kiss C. LUDLAM & Mons. ZAVYSTOWBKI 
 OVERTURE—" Der Freischutz," (Weber,) - - - ORCHESTRA 
 
 Iff 
 
 111 
 
 eing Fren;h Drnmi called 
 
 IB 
 
 Pierre 
 
 LB1S! 
 
 '.'.'.'"'.'.','. '....Mr. CATERSON 
 
 Mr. -I \ mil fVE 
 
 Mr. STEPHENS 
 
 
 Mr. DOLMAN 
 
 new 
 
 
 
 
 Coonl titt.fi Je Uoutoliel 
 
 MirTDinielle 
 
 •1 1 i . 
 
 AIi«.C BERNARD 
 
 : Mo.KrNI.OCK 
 
 sfer 
 
 Mr. FISHER 
 
 
 
 Thieve. 1' 
 
 
 Characters in Two Plays by 
 
 John Drew, ) , , Mrs. J. Drew, 
 
 Frank Drew, \ WW Miss Kinlock, 
 
 Mrs. Kinlock, Mother of Mrs. Drew. 
 
 From a play-bill in the collection of John Drew, Esq. 
 
Appendix 
 
 Garden permanently. As Maria Dar- 
 lington in " A Roland for an Oliver " 
 her singing, dancing, and archness 
 charmed the London public in general 
 and the Earl of Harrington in particu- 
 lar, who took her off the stage in 183 1 
 and made her his countess. Her fav- 
 ored characters were Maria, Letitia 
 Hardy, Beatrice, Zorada, Miranda, 
 Emily Worthington, ' Desdemona, and 
 Ophelia. She died in 1867. 
 
 (3) Edwin Forrest, the great Ameri- 
 can tragedian, most renowned and best 
 abused of actors, was born in Philadel- 
 phia, March 9, 1806. His early life 
 was a history of poverty, struggles and 
 vicissitudes as circus rider, negro min- 
 strel, and ambitious actor, until his en- 
 ergy and industry conquered and he 
 became the idol of the people. No 
 man on the stage made warmer friends 
 or more bitter enemies, nor was made 
 the subject of more enthusiastic adula- 
 
Appendix 
 
 tion and severe critical censure during 
 the thirty years he was the acknowl- 
 edged head of his profession. 
 
 In early life his great characters were 
 Othello, Rolla, Carwin, Mark Anthony, 
 Damon, William Tell, and in the pieces 
 written for him in which he has never 
 had a successor — Spartacus, Metamora 
 and Jack Cade. Later, he improved 
 with care and study, and discarding 
 much of the " ranting " he was charged 
 with, became the Lear, Richelieu, Vir- 
 ginius and Coriolanus of his admiring 
 countrymen. His superb physique and 
 magnificent voice were not appreciated 
 in England, which he visited in 1836 
 and 1845, the last visit leading to the 
 quarrel with Macready and conse- 
 quently to the memorable Astor Place 
 riot of May 10, 1849. 
 
 Forrest clubs and Forrest associations, 
 filled with youthful enthusiasts, deified 
 him and defied his traducers, and after 
 
 154 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 5, 1829. 
 
 CHESTNUT STREET THEATRE. 
 
 Miss Lane. — This astonishing little crea- 
 ture appeared at the Chestnut Street Theatre 
 last evening. She is not more than ten years 
 of age, and evinces a talent for and a knowledge 
 of the stage beyond what we find in many ex- 
 perienced performers of merit. The entertain- 
 ment of Twelve Precisely is well adapted to the 
 display of the versatility of her powers ; and in 
 the Irish Girl she may, with truth, be pro- 
 nounced inimitably comic. Her brogue and 
 manner are excellent. The Young Soldier was 
 also admirably assumed ; his coxcombical airs 
 were natural, evinced astonishing observation in 
 a child so young, and literally convulsed the 
 house with laughter. Her performance of 
 Little Pickle also possessed great merit, and the 
 applause bestowed upon her throughout the even- 
 ing bespoke the wonder and delight of the 
 audience. Those who have a taste for the 
 wonderful should not miss the present oppor- 
 tunity of gratifying it. We promise ourselves a 
 treat of no ordinary kind when she appears as 
 Goldfinch in the Road to Ruin. — Extract from 
 a Philadelphia Newspaper. 
 
Appendix 
 
 the verdict in the Forrest divorce case in 
 1852, crowds at "Christy's Minstrels" 
 nightly, for months, encored the song of 
 the evening " Jordan am a Hard Road 
 to Trable " for one verse : 
 
 " For sixty -nine nights the immortal Forrest 
 played, 
 
 And sixty-nine crowds he had accordin ; 
 In Macbeth, Damon, and Jack Cade 
 
 He' s the greatest actor on this side of Jordan."' 
 
 His proud, spoiled spirit almost broke 
 with infirmities of age and temper, when 
 his last performances and readings in 
 1871 and 1872 were comparative fail- 
 ures, and on December 12, 1872, the 
 great, generous, magnetic, but lonely 
 and unhappy man, died. 
 
 (4) Clara Fisher's first appearance 
 at Drury Lane in 18 17, when but six 
 years old, occasioned a craze for the 
 " Infant Phenomenon " that swept 
 through England ; and, that being ex- 
 hausted, she was brought in 1827 to 
 
Appendix 
 
 triumph in America as a sparkling 
 comedienne. Until her marriage in 
 1834 to Professor James G. Maeder 
 she was the favorite of the stage, and 
 continued to act, though with dimin- 
 ished lustre, until 1880, when she left 
 the profession. 
 
 As an infant prodigy her greatest suc- 
 cesses were in Richard III., Douglas, 
 Shylock, and similar parts, and her more 
 mature and acceptable performances in 
 her famous career throughout the Uni- 
 ted States for ten or fifteen years were 
 in " Kate Kearney," " Letitia Hardy," 
 " Clari," " Paul, the Pet," « Victoire," 
 "Kate O'Brien" and the whole range 
 of bright musical comedy and elegant 
 vaudeville. She died at Metuchen, 
 N. J., on November 12, 1898. 
 
 (5) Joseph Jefferson, first of that 
 name, the son of the comedian of Gar- 
 rick's company, Thomas Jefferson, and 
 grandfather of our Joe, was born in 
 158 
 
%1>t&tvt< 
 
 Second Wight of the TSev/ 
 
 JVationat Drama, 
 
 Written by a "Cntleman of acknowledged literary talent 
 of this City. 
 
 MISS LANE's 
 
 Last Night but One. 
 
 THIS EVENING, FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1823, 
 
 If'iM be presented, (for the second time on any stage) the 
 
 Rational Drama of the 
 
 8th of January. 
 
 THE PROLOGUE, 
 
 Written by JA iES jV. DARKER, Eij. wit be Spoken by Mr. XVEMYSS. 
 
 lileneral Jackson, - - - Mr. Rowbotham. 
 
 Colonel Kemper, ... - Mr. Darlcy. 
 Sir Edward Packcnham, - - - Mr. Wemyss. 
 Captain M'Fuso, ... - Mr. Altorcer. 
 John Bull, .... - Mr. Warren. 
 Charles, an American Officer, - - Mr. Southwell. 
 Billy Bowbell, a Limmmer, - - Mr. Jefferson. 
 Sergeant, '. - - - - Mr. Jones. 
 
 Colonel Thornton, - - - - Mr, Grierson. 
 Kentucky Rifleman, - - - Mr. Heyl. 
 
 Charlotte, ----- Mrs. Rowbotham. 
 Villagers, Peasants, British Soldiers, American Soldiers, tfC. 
 
 ACT FJRST-SCEXF. FIRST, 
 
 ROMANTIC COUNTRY, AND DISTANT 
 
 View of New Orleans. 
 
 ACT SECOND, 
 
 Banks of the Mississippi. 
 
 John Bull's Mill and Collage. 
 
 CONFLAGRATION 
 
 OF JOHN BULL'S MILL, 
 
 By the British Soldiers. 
 
 ACT TniRD, 
 
 AMERICAN LINES 
 
 BELOW NEW ORLEANS, 
 Distant View of the British Encampment 
 
 102; 
 
 OR, THE VETERAN AND HIS PROGENY. 
 
 CjSWfcr. % Messrs. Jcflcrso] I .tot, Hcyt, Mils E. Jefferson 
 
 Grand Jackson March 
 
 AND 
 
 QUICK STEP, 
 
 COMPOSED FOR THE 
 
 JACKSON WREATH, 
 
 BY MR. BRAUN, WILE BE PLAYED BY THE 
 
 FULL ORCHESTRA, 
 
 PREVIOUS TO THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 
 The uiolt lo and^ie air* the Taeet of 
 
 FOUR MOWBRAYS. 
 
 OM Wilton, « Bachelor of Sixty Mr. HmhxtU. 
 
 Charles Mow!,:. >.V,[i.. Nephc.v Mr. MDoueal. 
 
 I'elrr, » ikon's Hardener Mr. Heyl. 
 
 William Mr. Lee. 
 
 Pcgey MUr ILjtlw'.l 
 
 Matilda Mowbray, .... Miss LANE! 
 
 Master Hector Mowbray, - - Miss LAiSEV. 
 
 Master Gobbleton Mowbray, - - Miss LANE!!! 
 
 Master Foppington Mowbray, - - Miss LANE!!!! 
 
 Play Bill of the Chestnut Street Theatre, 
 January <?, 1829 
 
 Miss Lane {Mrs. Drew) appears in four characters in 
 the "Four Moiv brays." In the collection of Peter 
 Gi/sey, Esq. 
 
Appendix 
 
 Plymouth, England, in 1774. Tired 
 of the Plymouth stage, with which he 
 had been connected from childhood, he 
 came, at the suggestion of Manager 
 Powell, of Boston, to America at the 
 age of twenty, and played with Hodg- 
 kinson and Hallam at the John Street 
 Theatre, New York, until Dunlap 
 opened the Park in 1798. For five 
 years he there essayed comic and old 
 men's characters until, in 1803, he was 
 fortunately and permanently engaged at 
 the then leading theatre of the country, 
 the Chestnut Street, in Philadelphia. 
 There he practically remained until his 
 death, in August, 1832, the favorite 
 and popular comedian of the American 
 stage. Of the two hundred characters 
 he essayed, many are unknown to the 
 playgoer of the present day, but his ver- 
 satile talent was greatly commended in 
 Polonius, 'Jeremy Diddler, Touchstone, 
 Bob Acres, Dominie Sampson, Mawworm, 
 161 
 
Appendix 
 
 Captain Copp^ Dogberry , Scaramouch and 
 Solus in " Every One Has His Fault," 
 a comedy by Mrs. Inchbald. 
 
 Only careful and clear-headed read- 
 ers of William Winter can form an 
 idea of the comic genius involved in the 
 name of Jefferson on the American 
 stage. One of its most prominent 
 members, who died when but twenty- 
 three, was John Jefferson, third son of 
 Joseph. His last performance was in 
 1 83 1, at Lancaster, in " The School for 
 Scandal." The cast was as follows : 
 
 Sir Peter Teazle Joseph Jefferson, Sr. 
 
 Sir Oliver Surface John Jefferson 
 
 Ro-xvley Joseph Jefferson, Jr. 
 
 (Father of Our Joe.) 
 
 Lady Teazle Mrs. S. Chapman 
 
 (Elizabeth Jefferson, John's sister, a celebrated and 
 popular Park Theatre actress.) 
 
 Mrs. Candour Mrs. Joseph Jefferson, Jr. 
 
 Lady Sneer-uoell Jane Jefferson Anderson 
 
 (Daughter of John's sister, Euphemia, and mother of 
 
 Effie Germon.) 
 Maria Miss Mary Anne Jefferson 
 
 162 
 
v 
 
 
 m 
 
 " im sti ' dl 
 
 1 \ ' 
 
 
 
 
 William Florence and 'Joseph Jefferson 
 
 From a photograph by Folk 
 
Appendix 
 
 (6) Madame Celeste, who came here 
 under the name of Mademoiselle Ce- 
 leste, in June, 1827, and bounded at 
 once into the affections of young New 
 York, claimed to be but fourteen years 
 of age when she appeared at the Bow- 
 ery, then called the American Theatre. 
 The next year the precocious beauty 
 became the wife of Henry Elliott, of 
 Baltimore, but remained on the stage 
 the only premiere danseuse and panto- 
 mimist in the country. 
 
 After two years of immense success 
 in our cities she returned home to 
 Paris, then to London, and became a 
 star on the English stage. Every few 
 years she would make her " last appear- 
 ance in America," and her farewell 
 benefits outnumbered Miss Cushman's. 
 Much as she played in English-speak- 
 ing lands she was unable to learn the 
 language until late in her career, and her 
 attractions were confined to her wonder- 
 165 
 
Appendix 
 
 fully expressive pantomime and her ex- 
 quisite dancing ; she created Mathilde 
 in the " French Spy," Miami in the 
 "Green Bushes," Fenella in " Masani- 
 ello," Miriam in "The Woman in 
 Red," and the Bayadere in Auber's 
 beautiful ballet-opera. 
 
 (7) Alexina Fisher, born in Frank- 
 fort, Ky., in 1822, inherited her bril- 
 liant talents from her popular father and 
 mother, Mr. and Mrs. Palmer Fisher, 
 the latter best known to fame and 
 Philadelphia audiences as Mrs. Edward 
 N. Thayer. Alexina, who appeared 
 in infancy on the stage, made her first 
 success as Young Nerval at the New 
 York Bowery in 1831, although she 
 had previously appeared at the Park as 
 Clara in the " Maid of Milan," and she 
 became, like her relative and predeces- 
 sor, the celebrated Clara Fisher, a star- 
 ring " infant prodigy," even performing 
 Juliet to George Jones's Romeo for her 
 166 
 
ARCH ST. THEATRE 
 
 THURSDAY EVEtfltfG, MAY 14th, '5T 
 
 OH, THE KB-E-3^3E»3aS O^" THE! R.HIISTE1! 
 
 PRODUCED IN A STYLE OP UNEQUALED 
 
 GRANDEUR AND DAZZLING BEAUTY! 
 
 ■And mih that genera] attention to detail peculiar to Ibii Establishment. The 
 
 Gorgeous Scenery, by the Talented Artists, Mr, John Wiser and Mr. Thos. Glessing. 
 
 Mechanism, by Mr. Jos. Stiahaii ; Costumes, by Mr. Frank Johnson ; Appointments, by Mr. Charles long. 
 
 B - n . - „ MORTALS. > Corrilla . . Miu, r nvpn 
 
 S ." ";. V'" ""'"' Mr. MORROW 
 
 SHE E 
 
 Lurline, Queen of the Nai 
 Ita 
 
 Tain. 
 
 Sparkle, (her tirsl appeinnce at the, Theatre) .;; CLLA 
 B ' n ' - Sliest 
 
 I. S. CLARKE 
 
 ' "J Meek Fir? 
 
 Goggle Eye.. 
 
 .BAKER I Carbuncle 
 
 GEAND PAS DE DEUX-" las Naiads," Miss C Ludlam and Miss Ella Warren 
 
 Play Bill of the Arch Street Theatre, May 14, 1857 
 
 In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Appendix 
 
 benefit at the Bowery. From 1835 to 
 1850 Miss Fisher was attached for 
 seven years to the Chestnut and eight 
 years to the Walnut's regular companies 
 in Philadelphia, dividing the honors, as 
 a comedienne, with her mother. 
 
 In 1 85 1 she married John Lewis 
 Baker and went with him to California 
 for three years, performing there and 
 subsequently at the various theatres he 
 managed in Cincinnati, Louisville, and 
 lastly the Grand Opera House, New 
 York, all the leading characters in gen- 
 teel comedy and lighter tragedy with 
 unvarying success. Her last appear- 
 ance in New York was in support of 
 Edwin Booth during his famous Winter 
 Garden engagement of 1862. She died 
 in Philadelphia, March 27, 1887. 
 
 (8) Charles, youngest of the Kemble 
 
 family, was born the year his sister, 
 
 Mrs. Siddons, made her first appearance 
 
 at Drury Lane, 1775. This graceful, 
 
 169 
 
Appendix 
 
 elegant actor, after awkward beginnings, 
 became the incomparable Mercutio, Fal- 
 conbridge, Mirabel, Cassio, Orlando, Cap- 
 tain Jb solute, Charles Surface, Romeo and 
 Benedick of the English stage for nearly 
 a quarter of a century — most of it passed 
 with his talented family at Drury Lane, 
 Haymarket, and Covent Garden Thea- 
 tres; of the last named he became mana- 
 ger, to his infinite loss and vexation. 
 
 Saved from ruin by his daughter's 
 talents, he brought her to America in 
 1832 to reap a golden harvest. His 
 fame and her beauty, with their com- 
 bined brilliant acting, filled the leading 
 theatres of the country till 1834, when 
 she married and in 1835 he returned to 
 England to remain. Although he fair- 
 ly performed leading parts in tragedies 
 such as Hamlet, Pierre, Richard III., 
 and Othello, his gay, gallant, and effect- 
 ive personation of high comedy carried 
 the intelligent audiences by storm. 
 
Appendix 
 
 From 1835 to 1840 he occasionally 
 acted in England, but preferred giving 
 readings of Shakespeare, which he did 
 frequently by royal command, though his 
 increasing deafness interfered greatly 
 with his stage performances. He held 
 the position of Examiner of Plays, to 
 which he had been appointed by the 
 Lord Chamberlain, until his death on 
 November 11, 1854. 
 
 (9) Frances Anne Kemble, author- 
 ess, poetess, and actress, beautiful and 
 gifted, was born in London, November 
 27, 1809. To save her father, Charles 
 Kemble, from bankruptcy, she went on 
 the stage in 1829 and at once took her 
 place on the top of the ladder, disdain- 
 ing, however (as did an eminent Ameri- 
 can actress), the steps which led to re- 
 nown, and made friends, fame, and 
 fortune. For nearly three years she 
 filled Covent Garden and replenished 
 its exhausted treasury with her wonder- 
 
Appendix 
 
 ful impersonation of "Juliet (her first 
 part), and in Lady Teazle, Portia, Bea- 
 trice, Bianca, as well as her aunt's (Mrs. 
 Siddons) great characters, Isabella, Eu- 
 phrasia, Calista and Belvidera. Equal 
 to her Juliet was her original part of 
 Julia in the " Hunchback," and when 
 she came with her father to America 
 in September, 1832, her reception and 
 continued support by the best elements 
 of society were unprecedented. In the 
 full tide of triumphant success she left 
 the stage in 1834 to make an unhappy 
 alliance with Pierce Butler of Philadel- 
 phia, who took her — an ardent aboli- 
 tionist — to his plantation in Georgia. 
 In 1845 she became divorced from Mr. 
 Butler. The following year she spent 
 with her talented sister, Adelaide Kemble 
 Sartoris, in Continental travel, and in 
 1847 commenced her famous readings, 
 with unvarying success both in America 
 and England. The last of these in 
 
WHEATLEY X CLARKE'S 
 
 ARCH ST. THEATRE 
 
 AOTINP AMD STAGE MANACrBB, - ■ ■ - - W. 8, FREDERICKS 
 
 SECOND WEEK 
 
 GLORIOUSLY SUCCESSFUL COMEDY, 
 
 Taken from ■ Play entitled "ROCH ESTFF." by the ce'ebrated MorcEKirr, which faa achieved a most Triumphant Suecen of over 50 NJGHT8 AT 
 WALLACK'd THEATRE, NKW YORK ind Mil! l \ tl nhment. Il b« been carefully 
 
 FAST MEN 
 
 OF THE 
 
 oi^g|jnMEL„. 
 
 TTrESn^Y'EVE^IJ^r^OT. 2», '59, 
 
 WITH 
 
 Entirely New Scenery, by J. WISER ; New and Characteristic Costumes, by F. JOHNSON ; New Appoint? 
 ments, by T. BAEBETT ; New Dances, by W. WOOD ; and Music Arranged by CHA8, R. DODWOETH. 
 
 EVERY ARTIST IN THE THEATRE will be included in Ihe Complete .nd Powerful Cut. 
 
 
 Chaik* II. King of England 
 
 'ViliCATI El 
 
 r BRADLEY 
 
 Mr. JOHN DREW 
 
 Play Bill of the Arch Street Theatre, 
 November 2g, l8$g 
 
 In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 
 
Appendix 
 
 New York was given to crowded and 
 cultured audiences in Steinway Hall, 
 October, 1868. She died at her 
 daughter's residence in London, Janu- 
 ary 16, 1893. 
 
 (10) Junius Brutus Booth was restless 
 and erratic even in youth. After absorb- 
 ing a fine classical education he at- 
 tempted to learn the printing-trade, then 
 studied law, which he soon left to enter 
 the navy ; finally, at seventeen, he be- 
 came a strolling actor with Penley's 
 Circuit, and after two years of provincial 
 plaving, reached a small stock position 
 in Covent Garden Theatre in 1815 and 
 1816. 
 
 An injudicious attempt of his friends 
 to place him in competition with Edmund 
 Kean, who at times assumed to be his 
 friend, resulted in angry rivalry and riot, 
 and ended in his leaving England in 
 April, 1 82 1, for America. 
 
 Having already achieved a success 
 
Appendix 
 
 with all but Kean's supporters in " Rich- 
 ard III.," he chose that for his principal 
 part in the New World, and soon estab- 
 lished his reputation as a star of the 
 first magnitude throughout the Union, 
 especially in Richard, Pescara, Iago, 
 Hamlet, Sir Giles, Shylock, Sir Edward 
 Mortimer and Brutus in John Howard 
 Payne's tragedy. His eccentricity was 
 exhibited in occasionally performing John 
 Lump in the " Review," or Jerry Sneak 
 in the "Mayor of Garrett" (clownish, 
 comic afterpieces on his benefit nights), 
 and his acquirements were shown by 
 his performance at Bristol of Shylock in 
 a strange Hebrew dialect and of Orestes 
 in the original French at New Orleans. 
 From 1822 to 1838 his starring 
 tours (including two visits to England, 
 where his splendid abilities were finally 
 acknowledged), brought him increasing 
 fame and fortune, but both were sadly 
 interfered with by his unfortunate in- 
 176 
 
Appendix 
 
 temperance, approaching at times to in- 
 sanity. After 1838, when an acciden- 
 tal blow of his friend, Tom Flynn, broke 
 his nose, defacing his handsome visage 
 and spoiling a splendid voice, he played 
 but seldom, passing his days on his farm 
 in Maryland. His last years, clouded 
 by his growing infirmity, ended with his 
 performances in New Orleans in No- 
 vember, 1852, and he died on the boat, 
 on his way home, on the 22d of that 
 month. 
 
 (11) Josephine Clifton was never 
 great, but her beauty, romantic career 
 and association with Hamblin and For- 
 rest, placed her more prominently before 
 the public than better actresses, and her 
 splendid presence and fine voice proved 
 attractive from her first appearance in 
 1 83 1 at the Bowery until she retired as 
 the wife of Robert L. Place, the New 
 Orleans manager, in 1846. She was 
 the first American actress to star in 
 177 
 
Appendix 
 
 England, appearing at Drury Lane in 
 1835 in her favorite characters of Bel- 
 videra, Imogene, Bianca and 'Juliet. In 
 1837 she made Gusto a success in the 
 play written for her by N. P. Willis, 
 entitled " Bianca Violante," in which 
 she played the title role. Her sub- 
 sequent performances in her native city 
 of New York and throughout the States 
 were mainly with Forrest, and in his 
 especial pieces. She died in New Or- 
 leans, November 22, 1847. 
 
 (12) Thomas Sowerby Hamblin was 
 born in London in 1 800, and after per- 
 forming for six years in England, rising 
 from small business in the provinces to 
 a prominent place at Drury Lane, came 
 here, in 1825, and on November 1st 
 appeared at the Park Theatre as Hamlet. 
 After starring through the United States 
 for four years as a tragedian, he became 
 the lessee of the Bowery Theatre, New 
 York, " Baron " James H. Hackett 
 178 
 
Appendix 
 
 being associated with him for the first 
 year (1830). Five years of careful 
 management made Hamblin sole owner, 
 when in September, 1836, the theatre 
 burned down after the performance of 
 Miss Medina's successful play of " La- 
 fitte," causing a total loss. Undis- 
 mayed, Hamblin secured a lease of the 
 rebuilt Bowery, which was burned in 
 1838 and again in 1845. 
 
 In 1848 he procured and refitted the 
 Old Park Theatre, which opened on 
 September 4th, and was burned down 
 on December 16th, closing the career 
 of " Old Drury " and of Hamblin as 
 manager at the same time. No man 
 was better known in the thirties and 
 forties in New York than Tom Ham- 
 blin, and his fine Roman head and 
 strongly marked face were familiar at 
 Windust's, Florence's, the Astor and all 
 such places where men loved to con- 
 gregate. He was a strong melodramatic 
 
, Appendix 
 
 actor, but troubled with a severe asthma 
 which frequently affected his speech. He 
 died at his residence in Broom Street, 
 January 8, 1853. 
 
 (13) Mrs- Shaw, nee Eliza Marion 
 Teewar, fourth and last wife of Tom 
 Hamblin,came here from England when 
 twenty-five and made her first appear- 
 ance at the Park as Marviana in " The 
 Wife," February 28, 1836; she also 
 appeared successfully before becoming a 
 fixture at the old " Bowery," in Juliet, 
 Christine, Evadne, Julia, and the lighter 
 characters of tragedy, although her 
 beauty and talents were better adapted 
 to high comedy, and as the heroine of 
 Knowles' plays and in Beatrice, Violante, 
 Juliana, Lady Teazle, and Rosalind she 
 charmed the playgoers. Her fine tall 
 figure showed to rare advantage in 
 " breeches parts," and she included 
 Hamlet, Ion, Romeo, Young Norval, and 
 Jack Sbeppard in her repertory. From 
 
Appendix 
 
 1839, with the exception of brief star- 
 ring trips through the country, she re- 
 mained with Hamblin and the " Bow- 
 ery " as leading lady, unsurpassed in the 
 general excellence of her very varied 
 personations. She retired from the stage 
 on account of her increasing stoutness 
 before i860, and died July 4, 1873. 
 
 (14) George Horton Barrett (" Gen- 
 tleman George ") came here as an in- 
 fant from England, where he was born 
 June 9, 1794, and appeared, when but 
 thirteen years old, as Young Norval at 
 the Park Theatre. He afterwards be- 
 came one of the best known light 
 comedians on our stage, performing 
 with great success, Charles Surface, Puff 
 in the " Critic," Captain Absolute, Dori- 
 court, and similar characters from 1822 
 to 1855, when he took his farewell 
 testimonial benefit at the New York 
 Academy of Music. Mr. Barrett was 
 especially celebrated as a stage manager 
 
Appendix 
 
 through a long part of his fifty years of 
 professional life, first with Gilfert of the 
 Bowery Theatre, then with Tom Barry 
 at the Tremont Theatre in Boston : 
 afterward with Caldwell of the New 
 Orleans Theatre. 
 
 He was the best known in this city 
 as the manager of Colonel Mann's 
 Broadway Theatre from its opening in 
 1847. He was a tall and graceful actor, 
 with a refined manner which secured his 
 well-known appellation. He died in 
 New York City, September 5, i860. 
 
 (15) Thomas Apthorpe Cooper left 
 unappreciative London in his twentieth 
 year to try his fortune with Manager 
 Thomas Wignellat the Chestnut Street 
 Theatre in Philadelphia in 1796. 
 There, as afterward in New York, his 
 handsome face and figure, fine voice, 
 and unquestioned ability made him the 
 popular favorite in leading parts both of 
 tragedy and genteel comedy. 
 
Appendix 
 
 During the first quarter of the cen- 
 tury he was the acknowledged leader of 
 the profession, and both on and off the 
 stage courted and admired. In 1806 
 he became, first with Dunlap then with 
 Stephen Price, the manager of the Park 
 Theatre until 18 14. In 1803 he had 
 visited England and again in 18 10 with 
 only moderate success. At the latter 
 visit he induced George Frederick Cooke 
 to come to America with him ; during 
 Cooper's last visit to England in 1828 he 
 was coldly treated as an American, but 
 welcomed home warmly when, with 
 J. H. Hackett as lago, he produced 
 u Othello " on his return. Both these 
 parts, with Hamlet, Macbeth, Leon, 
 Pierre, Mark Anthony, Beverly, Hotspur, 
 Petruchio, Doricourt and Charles Surface, 
 were ranked among the best of the one 
 hundred and fifty characters he fre- 
 quently appeared in. He practically left 
 the stage in 1835, although he played 
 
Appendix 
 
 occasionally until 1838. Through the 
 influence of his son-in-law, Robert 
 Tyler, he was appointed a New York 
 Custom House officer, a position he 
 held until his death at Bristol, Pa., in 
 his seventy-third year, April 21, 1849. 
 (16) Edmon Sheppard Conner, born 
 in Philadelphia, September 9, 1809, at 
 twenty left the tailoring board to do 
 small parts at the Arch and Walnut 
 Street Theatres, thence to Cincinnati 
 and the West. He was a fine-looking, 
 tall and versatile actor; he played all 
 sorts of business with Wemyss from 
 1834 to 1838 in Pittsburg and Phila- 
 delphia. In the latter year he became 
 leading juvenile at Wallack's National 
 Theatre in New York, and for several 
 years thereafter performed mainly in 
 New York and his native city lighter 
 parts in both tragedy and comedy, with 
 occasional dashes into melodrama, which 
 was his best forte. His favorite parts 
 
Appendix 
 
 were Claude Melnotte, Wallace, Rob Roy, 
 etc. He also, with moderate success, 
 managed the Arch Street Theatre from 
 1850 to 1852, and the Albany Theatre 
 in 1853 an d J 854- For twenty years 
 he made starring tours through this 
 country (visiting England in 1875), 
 where his commanding presence and 
 remarkable versatility were fairly ac- 
 ceptable. He died at Rutherford, N. J., 
 on December 15, 1891. 
 
 (17) Charlotte Saunders Cushman, 
 descendant of the Puritan Cushmans of 
 Mayflower days, fought down the ill- 
 success attending her first essay in 
 opera, and after years of struggling as a 
 poorly paid stock actress at the Bowery 
 and Park Theatres, by sheer merit rose 
 to the position of the Queen of Trag- 
 edy, and maintained it for twenty years. 
 From* 1845 to 1849, and again from 
 1852 to 1857, sne was so recognized in 
 England and divided the applause with 
 
Appendix 
 
 Macready at the Princess's Theatre in 
 London on her first visit. Her forcible 
 and almost masculine manner and face 
 prevented success in comedy, but made 
 her Meg Merrilies, Nancy Sykes, and 
 Helen McGregor, as well as Lady Mac- 
 beth, Alicia, £)ueen Catherine, and Bianca, 
 world-renowned. In heavy tragedy and 
 melodrama no one has filled her place. 
 She was acceptable as Romeo, which she 
 often played, and passable as Hamlet, 
 Wohey, and even Claude Melnotte. Dur- 
 ing the war she performed several times 
 for the sanitary commissions, and gave 
 liberally of her large fortune. She con- 
 tented herself with giving readings, 
 which were uniformly successful, from 
 1870 to 1875, and died, in her native 
 city of Boston, February 18, 1876, in 
 her sixtieth year. 
 
 (18) James Thorne, from the Eng- 
 lish Opera House, London, made his 
 first appearance in America at the Park 
 186 
 
Appendix 
 
 Theatre, New York, on the occasion of 
 Miss Mary Rock's benefit, November 
 5, 1830, as Count Belino, and performed 
 with various success in several operas, 
 making a hit here, as he had in Eng- 
 land, as Figaro in the " Barber of Se- 
 ville." He gave up singing in 1834, 
 and forming a partnership with James 
 M. Scott managed the Cincinnati and 
 Vicksburgh Theatres, where, as in 
 other western cities, he acceptably 
 played " old men's " characters in come- 
 dies. He died on his way home in 
 
 1843. 
 
 (19) Tyrone Power, the Waterford 
 boy, tried the army and navy. Early in 
 life he was sent to South Africa, but 
 soon returned, and in his twentieth year, 
 in 1 8 15, became an actor, struggling in 
 light comedy and as general utility man 
 in small London and country theatres 
 for ten or twelve years, with a brief re- 
 tirement about 18 19 and 1820. In 
 187 
 
 i 
 
Appendix 
 
 1827, much to his disgust and against 
 his remonstrances, he was cast for an 
 Irish character which made such a hit 
 he thereafter became exclusively an 
 Irish comedian — dwarfing his predeces- 
 sors, Irish Johnstone and Connor, and 
 even obliterating Moody, the first stage 
 Irishman. Murtoch Delany, Bulgrud- 
 dery, Dr. O' Toole , and Maj or O 'Flaherty 
 became famous ; his own plays of " St. 
 Patrick's Eve," " Rory O'More," and 
 " Flannigan and the Fairies " added to 
 his celebrity, and the Haymarket gladly 
 paid him £150 a week in 1834, when a 
 dozen years before he had received but 
 three. He became immensely popular 
 in America, which he visited in 1833, 
 1836, and 1839; and his well-known 
 book, " Impressions of America," 
 shows a hearty appreciation of the 
 country and his many warm friends 
 here. Besides being the best Sir Lucius, 
 Paddy O'Rafferty, Tim Moore, and Sir 
 
Appendix 
 
 Patrick O'PIenipo ever seen, his genial 
 persona] character and the talents he ex- 
 hibited as playwriter, poet, and novelist 
 made his visits here reciprocally delight- 
 ful, and the loss of the steamship Presi- 
 dent in March, in 1 841, caused genuine 
 mourning on both sides of the ocean, for 
 the brilliant actor and gentleman who 
 sank with her. 
 
 (20) John R. Scott, a talented, ro- 
 bust tragedian and melodramatic actor 
 of the Forrest school, was born in the 
 birthplace of many eminent American 
 actors, Philadelphia, October 17, 1808. 
 His early career was a series of struggles 
 from his first appearance in 1827, until 
 
 1 846, when he visited England, playing 
 at the Princess Theatre in London in 
 
 1847, and returned to the Old Bowery, 
 where he had been for years the favor- 
 ite of the east side theatre-goers. He 
 remained at the Bowery, with the ex- 
 ception of brief starring visits South and 
 
Appendix 
 
 West, till 1852, then joined Purdy's 
 National Theatre until his death, which 
 occurred March 2, 1856, and which 
 was hastened by his unfortunate social 
 habits and indulgence. 
 
 In early life he had supported Forrest 
 with great effect, and in later years per- 
 formed many of Forrest's parts with 
 power and vigor, especially Pierre in 
 " Venice Preserved," Damon, Virginius, 
 Macbeth, and Carwin. 
 
 (21) William Charles Macready, 
 born March 3, 1793, was well educated 
 in his native London and at Rugby, 
 with a view to the practice of law, but 
 his father's ill-success at management 
 in the provinces drove him to the stage, 
 and at the age of sixteen he essayed 
 Romeo successfully in Birmingham. 
 Three years after he performed Orestes 
 at Covent Garden, and soon became 
 the leading tragedian of England, filling, 
 for over twenty years, the place held 
 
Appendix 
 
 before by Edmund Kean and the Kem- 
 bles, and after his retirement in 1851, 
 by Phelps and Irving. 
 
 This acknowledged leader and pride 
 of the British stage also won the admi- 
 ration of the more cultured citizens 
 during his three visits to America in 
 1826, 1843, and 1848. The last visit, 
 however, closed with the unhappy 
 quarrel with Forrest and consequent 
 terrible riot in Astor Place. Full of 
 mannerisms, with peculiar voice and 
 homely visage, his genius, industry, and 
 wonderful ability as an artist kept him 
 in the front and defied all opposition, or 
 even competition. He left the stage in 
 the height of his power and popularity 
 at the age of fifty-eight, living in quiet 
 retirement with his books and studies 
 and eminent friends until his death in 
 
 i873- 
 
 His range extended through the 
 higher walks of tragedy and melodrama, 
 
Appendix 
 
 his most appreciated parts being Mac- 
 beth, Othello, Werner, Wallace, Richard 
 II. , Rob Roy, Virginius, and Richelieu. 
 Of the last three he was the original 
 performer, and also of Gisippus, William 
 Tell, Alfred Evelyn, and Claude Mel- 
 notte. 
 
 His eccentricities of temper are best 
 indicated by his published diary, a strange 
 compound of piety, petulance, and peni- 
 tence. 
 
 (22) John Drew, Sr., was not only 
 a renowned personator of Irish charac- 
 ters, but an admirable actor of light 
 eccentric comedy parts, which he often 
 played in the early portion of his too 
 brief career. In New York, Philadel- 
 phia, San Francisco, Albany and other 
 cities where he was an especial favorite, 
 he was more closely identified with 
 "Handy Andy," Dr. O' Toole, Sir Lu- 
 cius O 'Trigger, " The Irish Emigrant," 
 and other popular representations of 
 

 r 1 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 si M - 
 
 F ^H 
 
 ^7 ^jP 
 
 \F«r 
 
 if 
 
 
 Silver Ewer and Goblets 
 
 Presented to Mrs. John Dreiv on Accession to the 
 Management of the Arch Street Theatre, 1861. In 
 the possession of John Dreiv, Esq. 
 
 Silver Salver presented to Mrs. John Drew 
 by the stockholders of the Arch Street Theatre, 
 l86l. In the possession of John Dreiv, Esq. 
 
Appendix 
 
 Irishmen than any actor since the 
 days of Tyrone Power. Philadelphia 
 may be claimed as the home of John 
 Drew, and the Arch Street Theatre 
 saw its halcyon days under the excellent 
 management of Mr. Drew and his part- 
 ner, William Wheatley. Mr. Drew 
 was born in Dublin, September 3, 1827, 
 and died in Philadelphia, May 21, 1862. 
 (23) Edward Loomis Davenport, 
 one of the most versatile and talented of 
 our American actors, was a Boston boy, 
 born in 18 16. In the early forties he 
 was a favorite stock actor at the Bowery, 
 joining Mrs. Mowatt on her starring 
 tour, commencing in 1 845 and perform- 
 ing with her most of the time until 1 854, 
 mainly in England, where both were 
 well received. He played leading and 
 alternate business with Macready on the 
 latter's farewell engagement at the Hay- 
 market in 1 85 1. His repertory in- 
 cluded widely divergent parts, from 
 
Appendix 
 
 Hamlet, Othello, Sir Giles Overreach, 
 Brutus, and Pescara, to William (" Black- 
 Eyed Susan"), Bill Sykes, Hezekiah 
 Pokeabout, Captain Hawksley, and Sir 
 Harcourt Courtley. In all he was 
 
 equalled by few and in many excelled 
 by none. A fondness for occasional 
 management caused the loss of most of 
 his hard earned and deserved gains, and 
 in his later years he formed part of such 
 combinations as the " Wallack-Daven- 
 port" and " Barrett, Davenport and 
 Bangs" starring sets. This most worthy 
 gentleman and admirable actor died on 
 September I, 1877, at his daughter 
 Fanny's residence in Canton, Pa. 
 
 (24) Edwin Booth, named by his 
 eccentric father after his then admira- 
 tion — Forrest — changed afterward in 
 temporary anger to Edwin Thomas, 
 has filled too large a space to require 
 more than passing mention. The Ber- 
 tuccio, Iago, Ruy Bias, Richelieu, and 
 196 
 
Appendix 
 
 Don Ccesar, of the stage and the ideal 
 Hamlet of the cultured and intelligent 
 lover of the drama, has been portrayed 
 recently by Irving, Winter, Barrett, 
 Hutton, Bispham, Young, Hill and a 
 dozen other writers, and his sweet, simple 
 manners, brilliant talents and genial gen- 
 erosity extolled by numberless admirers. 
 His gentle spirit departed June 7, 1893. 
 (25) Joseph Jefferson (Our Joe), 
 fourth of the Jeffersons and third of the 
 Josephs, was born in Philadelphia, Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1829. His first recorded 
 appearance, witnessed by Mrs. John 
 Drew, was when tumbled out of a bag 
 at T. D. Rice's benefit in 1833 at the 
 Washington Theatre, with the follow- 
 ing couplet introduced in his famous 
 song by the negro delineator : " Ladies 
 and Gemmen, I'd have you for to know 
 I've got a little darkie here to jump Jim 
 Crow," which Joe did, imitating per- 
 fectly his sable carrier. His barn-storm- 
 
Appendix 
 
 ing struggle in the West and South, and 
 adventures in Mexico, as well as later 
 triumphs in England, Australia, and 
 through the Union, are familiar to all 
 his myriad of admirers through his own 
 charming autobiography. In this city 
 his first comic part was at Chanfrau's 
 National Theatre (the old Chatham) in 
 September, 1849, w ^ tn ^ s step-brother, 
 Charley Burke, and Mrs. Barney Wil- 
 liams, but his great success was not to 
 come until October 10, 1858, when 
 Laura Keene presented "Our American 
 Cousin." After that enormous run he 
 joined the new enterprise of Stuart and 
 Boucicault called the Winter Garden 
 Theatre (where the Grand Central 
 Hotel now stands), and made a series 
 of hits as Caleb Plummer, Dr. Pan gloss, 
 Salem Scudder, Newman Noggs and Rip 
 Van Winkle, establishing his reputation 
 as the first comedian of the age. In 
 1866 he adopted Boucicault's revised 
 
Appendix 
 
 version of " Rip," making an immense 
 success with it, first in England and 
 then at home, and has adhered to it ever 
 since, occasionally performing Bob Acres 
 by way of variety. 
 
 (26) James Edward Murdoch, one 
 of the finest elocutionists and light com- 
 edians of the American stage, born 
 January 25, 181 1, first became cele- 
 brated as leading juvenile at the Chest- 
 nut Street Theatre in his native city, 
 where he supported Fanny Kemble in 
 1833. He afterward was stage manager 
 of that theatre, and later, in 1 841, of 
 the National Theatre, Boston. Until 
 1858 he performed at intervals in the 
 leading theatres of the United States, 
 achieving an unsurpassed reputation in 
 Young Mirabel, Claude, Rover, Vapid, 
 Benedick, Orlando, Evelyn, and Mercutio, 
 and in these especial characters he was 
 fortunate enough to please the English 
 critics on his visit in 1856. 
 199 
 
Appendix 
 
 The breaking out of the Civil War 
 in 1 86 1 brought him from his Ohio 
 farm, to which he had retired in 1858, 
 and with patriotic zeal he devoted three 
 years to reading and lecturing for the 
 various sanitary commissions or enter- 
 taining the sick and wounded at the 
 soldiers' hospitals. Mr. Murdoch's last 
 performances were at the grand dra- 
 matic festival in Cincinnati in 1883, and 
 he died in that city May 19, 1893. 
 
NOV 18 1899 
 

 .37