Accession No. TRI.2023.0024: Purchased, 2015 August
[identification of item], Richardson Theatrical Boarding House (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Guest Book, SPEC.TRI.0101, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Casey Blackmore, 2023 October; Finding aid written by: Casey Blackmore, 2023 October.
Theatre of the 19th century saw a great deal of growth in the United States. A number of theatres grew and many were based on English models that were much more comfortable than their American counterparts. Acting became more realistic, as melodrama became less fashionable as a style. An exapansion in population also led to the increase in traveling theatrical companies throughout the United States.
Mrs. E. A. Richardson's boarding house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania provide actors and theater managers with room and board when they were traveling through town to put on a performance. Boarding houses during the 19th century were popular with actors and other artists as they allowed for cheap housing amongst fluctuating incomes.
The inscriptions in the guest book are mainly addressed to Mrs. Richardson, however, no information is known about who she was or when the boarding house opened.
The Richardson Theatrical Boarding House (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Guest Book collection contains inscriptions from actors and theatrical managers who stayed at the boarding house ran by Mrs. E. A. Richardson when they came through town. Some of the signatures that can be found in the guest book include Neil Burgess, Cora Tanner, Fritz Williams and Lillian Lewis. Newsclippings and correspondence with Mrs. E. A. Richardson are also included in the book. The book covers a range of dates spanning 1885 to 1888.