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Edwin Forrest (1806-1872)
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The creator of a distinctly American school of acting, Edwin Forrest made his New York debut in 1826, at the age of twenty, and for many years thereafter enjoyed a popularity with American audiences unequaled in its day. A dynamic performer who imbued his characters with an elemental passion and energy that had their source in his own strong-willed and volatile nature, Forrest captivated audiences with his impassioned delivery and his commanding stage presence. Forrest’s popularity, at its peak by the late 1840s, was subsequently damaged by a senseless feud with the English actor William Macready, as well as by the scandal surrounding Forrest’s widely publicized, acrimonious divorce from his wife. |
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Mathew Brady Studio (active 1844–1883)
Albumen silver print
Frederick Hill Meserve Collection
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
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