CDV Civil War Era Carte de visite English actor Edward askew sothern pre.Lincoln

Description

CDV Civil War Era Carte de visite English actor Edward askew sothern performing on the stage at Ford’s theater the night pre.Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth.this is a great piece to have if you collect Lincoln memorabilia.
Sothern was given a part in
Tom Taylor
's
Our American Cousin
at
Laura Keene's Theatre
. This piece would later become famous as the play that
Abraham Lincoln
was watching when he was assassinated. Sothern's role was
Lord Dundreary
, a caricature of a brainless English nobleman. At first, he was reluctant to accept the role; it was so small and unimportant that he felt it beneath him and feared it might damage his reputation.
[8]
[9]
He mentioned his qualms to his friend,
Joseph Jefferson
, who had been cast in the leading role of Asa Trenchard in the play. Jefferson supposedly responded with the famous line: "There are no small parts, only small actors."
[10]
On 15 October 1858,
Our American Cousin
premiered in New York. After a couple of unhappy weeks in the small role, Sothern began portraying the role as a lisping, skipping, eccentric, weak-minded fop prone to nonsensical references to sayings of his "bwother" Sam.
[11]
His ad-libs were a sensation, earning good notices for his physical comedy and spawning much imitation and merry mockery on both sides of the Atlantic. His exaggerated, droopy side-whiskers became known as "Dundrearys". Sothern gradually expanded the role, adding gags and business until it became the central figure of the play. The most famous scene involved Dundreary reading a letter from his even sillier brother. The play ran for 150 nights, which was very successful for a New York run at the time.
[2]
Sothern made his London debut in the role when the play ran for 496 performances at the
Haymarket Theatre
in 1861, earning rave reviews.
[12]
The Athenaeum
wrote, "it is certainly the funniest thing in the world... a vile caricature of a vain nobleman, intensely ignorant, and extremely indolent".
[13
Sothern's passion for practical joking amounted almost to a mania. He would often falsely announce the death of a friend or send people on fool's errands.
[34]
Among his most elaborate practical jokes was the following. When the husband of actress
Adelaide Neilson
, Philip Henry Lee, visited New York in the mid-19th century, he had been warned about the wild, bohemian behaviour of American authors, but expressed his doubt as to the veracity of the stories. Sothern assured him it was true and arranged a private dinner for Lee with twelve "writers and critics", who were really actors. During the dinner, a quarrel arose over literary matters, culminating in a fight breaking out. The men, apparently drunk, brandished an axe, knives and revolvers. The room was filled with shouts, shots and struggle. Someone thrust a knife into Lee's hand, saying, "Defend yourself! This is butchery, sheer butchery!" Sothern advised him to "Keep cool, and don't get shot", before the joke was exposed.
[35]
Inventory #621050eb
PLEASE KNOW: These are used Vintage/Antique items. But, as with Vintage items and older stuff they may show wear, tone or color loss and moving parts may stick may not work as well as new ones.
The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
Please look at all the pictures below before buying
. Ask any and all questions
.
?
Good Luck and Happy Bidding!!!
We ship the majority of our Products within two business day. We do not ship over the weekend.
PURCHASER TO PAY BY PAYPAL WITHIN 72HOURS
SHIPPING TO CONTIGUOUS US
WILL SHIP USPS STANDARD SHIPPING WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. Shipping to Hawaii or Alaska will have to be calculated.
For International shipping we use EBay?s
Global Shipping Program.
In general I do not accept returns: an
item can always be returned if it doesn?t match the listing description.
In the event of a return Buyers are responsible for paying for shipping charges. All items returned must be in original condition and may not have any additional flaws
.
KEPT IN A
SMOKE-FREE, PET-FREE
ATMOSPHERE
I have many other interesting things up for sale /auction
Please look at my other items!
Be sure to add me to your
favorites list
!
I will always leave positive feedback for buyers once they have let me know they are happy with their purchase by leaving positive feedback for me.Thank you For Your Business .K