Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie (, Ogden; after first marriage, Mowatt; after second marriage, Ritchie;
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
s, Isabel, Henry C. Browning, and Helen Berkley; March 5, 1819July 21, 1870) was a French-born American author, playwright, public reader, actress, and
preservationist Preservationist is generally understood to mean ''historic preservationist'': one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects, or sites from demolition or degradation. Historic preservation us ...
. Her best known work was the play ''Fashion'', published in 1845. Following her critical success as a playwright, she enjoyed a successful career on stage as an actress. Her ''Autobiography of an Actress'' was published in 1853. Anna Cora Mowatt played a central role in lobbying and fundraising during the early years of the
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) is a non-profit organization that preserves and maintains the Mount Vernon estate originally owned by the family of President George Washington. The association was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunni ...
, the oldest national
historic preservation
Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...
organization in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Childhood
Anna Cora Ogden was born in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, France, on March 5, 1819.
She was the tenth of fourteen children. Her father was Samuel Gouveneur Ogden (1779–1860), an American merchant. Her mother was Eliza Lewis Ogden (1785–1836), granddaughter of
Francis Lewis
Francis Lewis (March 21, 1713 – December 31, 1802) was an American merchant and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation as a representative of ...
, a signatory to the
United States Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...
. In 1826, when Anna was six years old, the Ogden family returned to the United States.
She attended private schools but was primarily educated at home. From a young age she was encouraged to read and showed a passion for writing and acting.
Career
![ANNA CORA MOWATT RITCHIE A woman of the century (page 621 crop)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/ANNA_CORA_MOWATT_RITCHIE_A_woman_of_the_century_%28page_621_crop%29.jpg)
On October 6, 1834, at age 15, Anna Cora Ogden eloped with James Mowatt (1805–1851), a New York lawyer. They moved to an estate in
Flatbush, New York
Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, a ...
, where her husband encouraged her to continue her education and to write. She wrote of her elopement:
Anna Cora Mowatt's first
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
, ''Pelayo, or The Cavern of Covadonga'', was published in 1836, then ''Reviewers Reviewed'' in 1837 using the pseudonym "Isabel".
She wrote articles which were published in ''
Graham's Magazine
''Graham's Magazine'' was a nineteenth-century periodical based in Philadelphia established by George Rex Graham and published from 1840 to 1858. It was alternatively referred to as ''Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine'' (1841–1842, and J ...
'' and ''
Godey's Lady's Book
''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil ...
'' and other periodicals. She wrote a six-act play, ''Gulzara'', which was published in ''
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
''. Under the pseudonym Henry C. Browning, she wrote a biography of Goethe. Using the pseudonym "Helen Berkley", she wrote two novels: ''The Fortune Hunter'' and ''Evelyn''. ''Evelyn'' is written in the
epistolary
Epistolary means "in the form of a letter or letters", and may refer to:
* Epistolary ( la, epistolarium), a Christian liturgical book containing set readings for church services from the New Testament Epistles
* Epistolary novel
* Epistolary poem ...
style.
In 1841, due to financial problems, Anna became a public reader. Her first performance was attended by
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
, who wrote of her, "A more radiantly beautiful smile is quite impossible to conceive."
Her readings were popular and well attended, but her career as a reader was short lived due to respiratory problems. While recovering from her illness, she returned to her writing.
![Anna Cora Mowatt NYPL 834066](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Anna_Cora_Mowatt_NYPL_834066.jpg)
In 1845, her best-known work, the play ''
Fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
''
was published. It received rave reviews and opened at the
Park Theatre, New York, on March 24, 1845. On June 13, 1845, she made another career move to acting, she debuted at the Park Theatre as Pauline in ''The Lady of Lyons'' with great success.
Although her next play, ''
Armand, the Child of the People'' was published in 1847, and also received good reviews, she continued in her acting career. She performed leading roles in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
(for instance, in a production of ''
Cymbeline
''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerni ...
'' in London, 1843), melodramas, and her own plays. She toured the United States and Europe for the next eight years.
On February 15, 1851, her husband, James Mowatt died. After a short break she resumed her acting career. In December 1853, her book ''Autobiography of an Actress'' was published. Anna Cora Mowatt's last appearance on the public stage was June 3, 1854.
Later years
On June 7, 1853, Anna married William Foushee Ritchie (? – 1868), son of
Thomas Ritchie. Their wedding was a lavish affair, attended by
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
,
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...
and his
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
.
During the next few years she wrote two more novels, ''Mimic Life'', published in 1855 and ''Twin Roses'', published in 1857. She played a prominent role in raising funds for the preservation of
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
's home,
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
,
serving as secretary of the Central Committee of the early
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) is a non-profit organization that preserves and maintains the Mount Vernon estate originally owned by the family of President George Washington. The association was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunni ...
.
Anna left her husband in 1860 and moved to Europe. She wrote the
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
''Mute Singer'', published in 1861. She wrote ''Fairy Fingers'', published in 1865. In 1865, she moved to England, where she wrote ''The Clergyman's Wife, and Other Sketches'' in 1867. Anna Cora Ogden Mowatt Ritchie died in
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
, England, on July 21, 1870. She is buried in
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, beside her first husband, James Mowatt.
References
Bibliography
*
Further reading
*
External links
The Lady Actress: The Life and Career of Anna Cora Mowatt-an up-to-date summary by a Mowatt scholar, including a historical timeline for context and a digital bibliography of online Mowatt resources
*
*
*
of her play, ''Fashion''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mowatt, Anna, Cora
1819 births
1870 deaths
19th-century American novelists
19th-century American actresses
19th-century American women writers
19th-century American dramatists and playwrights
French emigrants to the United States
American women novelists
American stage actresses
Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery
American expatriates in the United Kingdom
People from Flatbush, Brooklyn
Actresses from New York City
American women dramatists and playwrights
Writers from Brooklyn
Novelists from New York (state)
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century
19th-century pseudonymous writers
Pseudonymous women writers