HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNA CORA MOWATT
MARCH 5, 1819 - JULY 21, 1870
Born in Bordeaux, France, she was the 10th of 14 children. Her father was an American merchant; her mother was a granddaughter of a signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence. From a young age she was encouraged to read and showed a passion for writing and acting. When she was six years old, her family returned to the United States. At age 15 she eloped with James Mowatt, a prominent and wealthy New York lawyer. They moved to an estate in Flatbush, New York and her husband encouraged her to continue her education and write. Her first book (The Cavern of Covadonga) was published in 1836, then Reviewers Reviewed for which she used the pseudonym "Isabel". Other than novels there were plays. Gulzara was published in New World. Using the psuedonym Henry C. Browning, she wrote a biography of Goethe. But in 1841, due to financial problems, she became a public reader. Her first performance was attended by Edgar Allen Poe, who wrote of her, " A more radiantly beautiful smile is quite impossible to conceive." Her best known play, Fashion, was published in
1845 and received rave reviews. Later she made her acting debut
as Pauline in The Lady of Lyons with great success. She also
performed leading roles in Shakespeare, melodramas and her
own plays. After her husband died in 1851, she took a short
break, resumed her acting career and published her book
Autobiography of an Actress in 1853. Her last appearance on
the stage was June 3, 1854. She would write six more novels
before she died in Twickenham England in 1870.
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