Sale 2503 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 28, 2019

394 c   (THEATER.) Pair of broadsides for Ira Aldridge’s historic first two performances at London’s Theatre Royal. Letterpress broadsides, each 13 1 / 2 x 16 1 / 4 inches; each with center vertical folds and slight loss from disbinding, minor foxing and wear. [London]: W. Reynolds, 8 and 11 April 1833 [10,000/15,000] Ira Frederick Aldridge (1807-1867) was an African-American actor who was born in New York but emigrated in 1824 in search of greater opportunities. He slowly worked his way up through the regional theaters of Great Britain and Ireland, often billing himself as a native of Africa, and befriended England’s best-known Shakespearean actor of the period, Edmund Kean. In March 1833 at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane in Covent Garden, London, Kean was starring in a production of Othello when he collapsed on stage. He survived for just two more months, and his acting career was over. Kean’s protégé Ira Aldridge was brought in to play Othello for his first opportunity at one of London’s leading theaters. His engagement as Othello lasted for only two performances; he was criticized for his youth and inexperience, and his race was also likely an issue. However, he went on to a long career as one of England’s leading actors; he is the only actor of African descent to be honored with a plaque at the Shakespeare Memorial Theater.