Blanche Chapman (November 1, 1851 – December 7, 1941) was an American actress. She starred in numerous

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

productions.

Early life

Blanche Chapman was born in November 1851 in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...

. At age sixteen, she went to school at a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. Her classmate was Marion Booth, who was related to

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...

. Chapman was raised in a theater family. Her great-great grandfather was Thomas Chapman. Her grandfather, Samuel Chapman, was an actor in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. He father brought a three-month old Chapman on stage during his performance in "Mr. and Mrs. Peter White."

Career and life

Early in her career, she performed alongside

Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

John T. Raymond John T. Raymond (1836-1887), whose original name was John O'Brien, was an American stage actor, born in Buffalo, New York, on August 5, 1836; he died in Evansville, Indiana on April 10, 1887. His first appearance was made on June 27, 1853, at a ...

Edwin Booth Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American actor who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Theatre in New York. Some theatri ...

, John McCullough, and

Joseph Jefferson Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...

. In 1874, she and her sister performed as "The Beautiful Chapman Sisters" at the Metropolitan Theatre in San Francisco. It was during a performance at the theater, when

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...

made his debut as a fill in for the sisters during a costume change. In 1875, Chapman married Henry Clay Ford. He was the manager of the Lincoln Theatre. The couple had three children: playwright and novelist

Harry Chapman Ford Harry Chapman Ford was a playwright and novelist in the United States. Two of his plays and one of his novels were adapted to film. Early life Henry Chapman Ford was born in Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List o ...

, drama teacher Frank Ford, and actor manager George Ford. George's wife was comedy actress

Helen Ford Helen Ford (born Helen Isabel Barnett; June 6, 1894, Troy, New York–January 19, 1982, Glendale, California) was an American actress. Biography Ford's father was a manufacturer in Troy, and she was considered a musical prodigy as a child. S ...

. They lived in Logan Circle in Washington, D.C. Chapman performed regularly in New York. In the early 20th-century, after Henry retired from the theater, the family moved to New York City, followed by Rutherford, New Jersey.

Later life and death

In 1929, over a decade after Henry's death in 1915, Chapman requested the arm chair in which Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed, be returned to her from the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, where it was stored. Henry had purchased and installed the chair to provide Lincoln a more comfortable seat. She was returned the chair and within weeks, called

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

to see if he wanted to buy the chair for his museum. He declined. In December 1929, she sold the chair at auction through the

American Art Association The American Art Association was an art gallery and auction house with sales galleries, established in 1883. It was first located at 6 East 23rd Street (South Madison Square) in Manhattan, New York City and moved to Madison Ave and 56th St. in ...

for $2,400. Chapman died in June 1941 at her home in

Rutherford, New Jersey Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 18,834. Rutherford was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 21, 1881, fr ...

References

External links

* * *{{IBDB name , 35043 1851 births 1941 deaths 20th-century American actresses 19th-century American actresses American child actresses Actresses from Kentucky Actresses from New Jersey People from Covington, Kentucky People from Rutherford, New Jersey Actresses from Washington, D.C.