[Illustration: George Horton Barrett.[D]
From a photograph by Meade Brothers, New York. In the collection of
Peter Gilsey, Esq.]
[Illustration: Miss Fanny Kemble.[E]
From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by Gigoux. Published by
John Spratt, London, 1830. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq.]
I must mention now that my mother had been married some months before to
Mr. John Kinlock, 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 determined
that I should be a second "Clara;" I appeared at the Bowery Theatre, at
that time a rival to the Old Park, and was managed by the celebrated Mr.
Gilfert. George Barrett and his beautiful wife, Charles Young and his
really lovely wife, Mrs. Gilfert and Mrs. Holman were in the company.
Shall I ever forget my stage-fright whilst waiting 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 remained. From this time to the latter part of 1830 I played
as a star with varying success (financially); among other parts,
_Dr._ _Pangloss_, 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 Mowbrays;"
_Thomas_, in "The Secret;" _Gregory_, in "Turn Out," and the fourth
and fifth acts of Richard III. I would here mention that, in acting
_Dr. Pangloss_ at the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, the elder
Joseph Jefferson, grandfather of the present great actor of that name,
played _Zekiel Homespun_. Think of that great old actor playing 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 orchestras were the
great difficulties. In Buffalo, a pretty village, the only available
music was one violin played by an old darkey, and all he knew was
"Hail, Columbia," and "Yankee Doodle;" so, as Celeste danced twice,
the orchestra (!) commenced the first time with "Hail, Columbia," and
finished with "Yankee Doodle," and for the second dance reversed the
order of precedence. Poor Celeste, who spoke very little English then,
her patience exhausted, exclaimed "D—— 'Yankee Doodle' and 'Hail,
Columbia.'" The latter part of 1830, father, bitten with the idea
of management, arranged a partnership with a Mr. Jones, in New York,
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 standing, 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 Domingo. 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 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 settled ourselves to stay for some time, as they ascertained that
we were forty miles from any settlement, 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 Kingston, Jamaica. The company was quite successful there; but
yellow fever killed my father, his youngest child, a baby of ten months,
and nearly took my mother. Indeed, she had such a siege of illness
as for a time to completely prostrate me. By the doctor's advice she
went to the north part of the island, to Falmouth. I suppose we acted
there, but have no remembrance of it. I only remember the amount of
kindness we met with there, really unparalleled. Rumors of insurrection
became alarming, and my mother and myself, driven by the leader of the
orchestra, Mr. Myers, came across the country to Kingston—more kindness
there, till finally we embarked for New York; then to Philadelphia
during the first cholera 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 Alexina and
I were very dear friends. She married John Lewis Baker, a very good
actor. She was a charming actress, and they made a moderate fortune in
California, which was injured by the deterioration in property. At this
time, 1832, the Arch Street Theatre was flourishing pretty well with
an entire company 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 the Arch
Street Theatre—"The Gladiator," "Metamora," "Broker of Bogota," and
later "Jack Cade." This season, 1832, "The Ravel Family" came to cheer
the oppressed 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 President's
Levee—General Jackson then filling the chair of state. She introduced
me to him. He was very kind and sweet to me, kissed 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!)
[Illustration: Charles Kemble.[F]
From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by R. J. Lane, A.R.A.
Published by J. Dickinson, London, May, 1830. In the collection of
Douglas Taylor, Esq.]
[Illustration: Junius Brutus Booth.
From a daguerreotype in the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq.
Junius Brutus Booth was restless and erratic even in youth. After
absorbing a fine classical education he attempted to learn the
printing-trade, then studied law, which he soon left to enter the
navy; finally, at seventeen, he became a strolling actor with Penley's
Circuit, and, after two years of provincial playing, 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, 1821, for
America.
Having already achieved a success with all but Kean's supporters in
"Richard III.," he chose that for his principal part in the New World,
and soon established 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 intemperance, approaching at times to insanity. After
1838, when an accidental 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 November, 1852, and he died on the boat, on his way home, on
the 22d of that month.]
[Illustration: Alexina F. Baker.[G]
From an engraving by H. B. Hall, after a crystalotype. In the
collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq.]
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 dignity 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, known to the profession as "Nosey" 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 beautiful;
he made the figure stand before you! It was infinitely tender. Some
of the passages of "Lear" were touching in the extreme, though he used
Cibber's frightfully bad edition of that sublime tragedy. He had some
very odd ways at times. We were playing "Hamlet" one night in Natchez,
and during _Ophelia's_ mad scene a cock began to crow lustily. When the
curtain fell upon that fourth act this crowing became more constant; and
when the manager could not find Mr. Booth to commence 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 President.
[Illustration: Madame Celeste.[H]
From a photograph by Fredricks, New York. In the collection of Peter
Gilsey, Esq.]
Mr. Hamblin was a splendid-looking man and a very good actor. I don't
think he could ever have been called "great." He 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 married Mrs. Shaw, a once beautiful woman,
bearing a strong resemblance 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 handsome man (the remains of one, when I saw
him), eminently gentlemanlike 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, Barrett would not let Cooper
disarm 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!"
[Illustration: Charlotte Cushman[I] as _Romeo_.
From a photograph by Case & Getchell, Boston. In the collection of
Peter Gilsey, Esq.]
[Illustration: Thomas Apthorpe Cooper.[J]