Florence Scovil Shinn Lemme hold the muff cried Australia

''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' is a 1901 novel by American author

Alice Hegan Rice Alice Hegan Rice, also known as Alice Caldwell Hegan, (January 11, 1870 – February 10, 1942) was an American novelist. Her 1901 novel Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch became a play and four films. Biography Alice Caldwell Hegan was born on Ja ...

, about a southern family humorously coping with poverty. It was highly popular on its release,Lowell Hayes Harrison, ''A New History of Kentucky'' (1997), p. 324. and has been adapted to film several times. Rice was inspired to write the book during her "philanthropic work in a

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

slum area, where she met an optimistic and cheerful woman" who was a model for the book's main character. The book is set in a white turn-of-the-century urban slum, with two somewhat wealthy individuals wanting to help the inhabitants. The title character is a widow with three daughters — whom she named after the continents, thinking that geographical names were refined — and two sons, the eldest of whom dies before the middle of the book. As of 1997, the book had sold more than 650,000 copies in a hundred printings. "Lovey Mary", a sequel by Rice, was published in 1903 and features many of the first book's characters.

Adaptations

;Play In 1904 the book was premiered as a play on Broadway at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

. It was written by Anne Crawford Flexner, starring

Madge Carr Cook Madge Carr Cook (1856–1933) was an English-born American stage actress. Biography She was most famous for creating the title role in the 1904 Broadway play '' Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch''. She was also famous as the mother of actress Elean ...

.Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch on Broadway at Savoy Theatre, September 1904 – January 1905
/ref> It had been performed in October 1903 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Helen Lowell Helen Lowell born Helen Lowell Robb (1866–1937) was an American stage and film actress. Life Lowell was born in New York on June 2, 1866, to William and Mary Robb. In 1884 she debuted in the title role of Iolanthe at the Academy of Music in N ...

who appeared in the cast was able to tour to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and across America for the next seven years playing Miss Hazy "in the Cabbage Patch". ;Film * ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' (1914 film), a 1914 silent film starring Blanche Chapman * ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' (1919 film), a 1919 silent film starring

Marguerite Clark Helen Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 – September 25, 1940) was an American theatre, stage and silent film actress. As a movie actress, at one time, Clark was second only to Mary Pickford in popularity. All but five of her films are co ...

and

Mary Carr Mary Carr (née Kenevan; March 14, 1874 – June 24, 1973), was an American film actress and was married to the actor William Carr. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1915 and 1956. She was given some of filmdoms plum mother roles in ...

* ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' (1934 film), a 1934 film released by Paramount Pictures starring Pauline Lord * ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' (1942 film), a 1942 film also released by Paramount Pictures starring Fay Bainter ;Radio The book was also adapted into a radio series which aired from 1935 to 1938.

References

External links

* 1901 American novels Novels set in Louisville, Kentucky American novels adapted into films American novels adapted into plays {{US-novel-stub