Rare Civil War-Era Broadside Advertising Laura Keene at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre – December 29, 1862 

Description

 Rare Civil War-Era Broadside Advertising Laura Keene 

at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre – December 29, 1862 

Original Civil War-era theatrical broadside issued by Philadelphia’s famed Walnut Street Theatre advertising an appearance by the celebrated actress and theatrical manager Laura Keene and her renowned New York company on December 29, 1862. The broadside promotes the performance of Old Heads and Young Hearts, starring Keene as Lady Alice, together with a full supporting cast drawn from Laura Keene’s Theatre in New York, followed by the comedietta The Maid With the Milking Pail. 

Laura Keene occupies a unique place in American history. One of the most successful actresses and theater managers of the nineteenth century, she is forever linked to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln was attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington when John Wilkes Booth carried out the assassination. In the chaotic aftermath, Laura Keene was escorted to the presidential box where she cradled the mortally wounded President’s head, resulting in one of the most iconic and poignant episodes associated with the tragedy. 

Printed more than two years before Lincoln’s assassination, this broadside documents Keene at the height of her popularity during the Civil War. Surviving theatrical broadsides were intended for temporary display and are considerably scarcer than playbills, particularly examples bearing a direct connection to one of the most famous figures associated with the Lincoln assassination. A highly desirable Civil War-period theater relic combining entertainment history, Philadelphia provenance, and a compelling association with Laura Keene. 

Inventory Number: PRI 225