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Last modified: October 20, 2009
© 2009 University of Delaware Library
Identification: MSS 099, F803
Creator: Kean, Charles John, 1811?-1868.
Title: Charles Kean letter to J. Webster
Inclusive Dates: 1839 March 3
Extent: 1 item (3 pp.)
Abstract: Autograph letter from English actor and theater manager Charles Kean to J. Webster.
Language: Materials entirely in English.
MSS 099, F803, Charles Kean letter to J. Webster, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.
Shelved in SPEC MSS 099
Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library / Newark, Delaware 19717-5267 / Phone: 302-831-2229 / Fax: 302-831-6003 / URL: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Purchase, July 2007.
Processed and encoded by Jaime Margalotti, August 2007.
The collection is open for research.
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, http://www.lib.udel.edu/cgi-bin/askspec.cgi
Son of noted actor Edmund Kean, Charles Keane (1811–1868) began acting at a young age to support his mother after his father left the family. Despite early criticism, Keane rose to prominence and won success with an 1838 production of Hamlet. He married fellow actress Ellen Tree in 1848 and eventually became known as one of most versatile actors of his era. The Keans managed the Princesses's Theater where they became known for meticulously staged plays incorporating innovations in production techniques.
Sources:
M. Glen Wilson, "Kean, Charles John (1811–1868)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15203 (accessed August, 16 2007).
Autograph letter signed from Charles Keane to J. Webster. Kean mentions engagements in Dublin and America.
Charles Kean letter to J. Webster, 1839 March 3 [Box 53 F810]
3 pp.
Autograph letter signed.
