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Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (view source)
Revision as of 04:33, June 3, 2007
, 04:33, June 3, 2007→The Booths
===The Booths===
===The Booths===
The king of the American stage during the middle part of the 19th Century was Junius Brutus Booth, a British-born actor who mesmerized the crowd with his thrilling and powerful renditions of Shakespeare, as well as leading a scandalizing personal life. He abandoned his wife in favor of a flower girl, Mary Ann Holmes, from one of the English theaters, came to the United States in 1821, and resumed his acting career to great success, settling in the area of Baltimore, Maryland. Although he was totaly devoted to Mary Ann, he would not marry her until 1851; by then they had produced ten children.
The four sons of Booth would try their hands on the stage. Junius Brutus Jr. would enjoy good success on the stage before becoming a theater manager. Joseph's success there was limited, and he would turn to the medical profession. Edwin Booth would surpass even his father in brilliance as an actor, giving performances in such plays as ''Macbeth'' and ''King Lear'' to such a high degree that critics would label him the finest American actor of the 19th Century.
But it was John Wilkes Booth who would place a stamp of theatrical glory on himself, no matter the cost. He was dashing on the stage, dazzling the audience with his impulsiveness and firey acting. He traveled with a wardrobe valued at $15,000, and made sure his travels to the cities he performed in were also accompanied by a visit to the local photographer, where ''cartes de visite'' were made, so that he could hand them out to his many female admirers (TL 26, pp. 34, 60).
==The conspiracy==
==The conspiracy==