File:Richard Mansfield as Napoleon Bonaparte (1).jpg

Identifier: lifeartofrichard01wint (find matches)
Title: Life and art of Richard Mansfield : with selections from his letters
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Winter, William, 1836-1917
Subjects: Mansfield, Richard, 1857-1907
Publisher: New York : Moffat, Yard and company
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
admiredfor his presentation of the famous Corsican. Readersof Bon Gaultier will remember the ballad of TheMidnight Visit, descriptive of Lord Castlereaghsconsternation on beholding Bonaparte,—supposed tohave escaped from St. Helena,—and of the relief ofthat statesman, when the phantom vanished, and heread, in the mystic scroll which had been left uponhis table, Napoleon, for the Thousandth time, byMister Gomersal. In recent years the conquerorhas largely figured on our stage as the domesticdespot in the ingenious drama of Mme. Sans Gene.Mansfield was always especially sympathetic withthe character of Napoleon, and indeed,—howeverextravagant the statement may seem, at first glance,—his personality comprised some of the attributes ofthat character,—stalwart courage, vaulting ambi-tion, inflexible will, resolute self-confidence, greatcapacity for labor, iron endurance, promptitudeof decision, propensity for large schemes, and pas-sionate taste for profusion of opulent surround-
Text Appearing After Image:
Courtesy of Baker Art Gallery, Columbus. Oliio MANSFIELD AS NAPOLEON BONAPARTE NAPOLEON 223 ings. Like Napoleon, also, he was sensitive toweird imagery and to far-off musical, melancholysounds, and especially fond of children. The wishto act Napoleon had long been cherished by him.He often mentioned it to me. In 1893 he wrotethat he had planned certain scenes which he thoughtcould be acted, but which, in representation, wouldneed to be conjoined by an interlude of prose nar-rative, for recitation,—somewhat after the model ofthe Greek Chorus; and he asked me to write thatinterlude—a dubious expedient for modern theatri-cal use, which I declined to furnish. He also, asalready mentioned, proposed the subject to AugustinDaly, but without, at that time, practically inter-esting that manager. Daly produced a version ofMme. Sans Gene January 3, 1899, at his theatrein New York, Ada Rehan acting Catherine, after-ward Duchess of Dantzig, and George Clarke(1840?-1906) appearing as the Empero

Note About Images