Autograph manuscript, signed, by D. D. Davis, with corrections, of George Washington Harley's adaptation of Nick of the Woods; or, Kentucky in '82. Ca. 1838.

From Page to Stage I

Nick of the Woods

Although educated as a physician, Robert Montgomery Bird instead pursued a literary career. In the 1830s, Bird wrote for the theatre, creating many of his plays expressly as vehicles for the actor Edwin Forrest. After a dispute with Forrest, Bird turned from playwriting to fiction writing, only to ensure his books a lasting place in the American theatrical tradition. 

Boston Theatre ... Wednesday evening, Aug. 16, 1871... "Nick of the Woods." Playbill. [Boston]: F.A. Searle, Printer, [1871].

In Nick of the Woods; or, The Jibbenainosay, Bird conceived of an eighteenth-century Kentucky frontiersman who avenges the death of his family at the hands of the Indians. It was successfully adapted as a melodrama for the stage by Louisa H. Medina in 1838. Other adaptations of this novel appeared on stage, as evidenced by the George Washington Harley manuscript on display, but the Medina version remained popular for several decades. Throughout the nineteenth century, plays celebrating the history of the American frontier became favorites with audiences.

[Irving, Washington]. Rip Van Winkle As Played by Joseph Jefferson. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1895.

Rip Van Winkle

Washington Irving's beloved character Rip Van Winkle was translated to the stage several times during the author's lifetime. Sometime after 1829, John Kerr's adaptation appeared as the earliest published version. However, not until the dramatization of Rip Van Winkle by comedic actor Joseph Jefferson III over thirty years later was the title character entrenched in American theatre, creating a signature role for Jefferson.

Kerr, John. Rip Van Winkle; or, The Demons of the Catskill Mountains!!! A National Drama. Philadelphia: R. H. Lenfestey, [1830s].

The son of an established American theatrical family, Jefferson, who had debuted on the stage at the early age of four, sought to create his own adaptation of Irving's story but found his 1859 rendition wanting. Five years later, Jefferson contracted with Dion Boucicault to write a version of Rip Van Winkle specifically for Jefferson to perform on the London stage. His performance proved a success both in London and later in New York, and the role of Rip became synonymous with Joseph Jefferson. For nearly forty years, until his retirement in 1904, Jefferson portrayed Rip Van Winkle in his repertoire of theatrical roles.

Autographed photograph of Joseph Jefferson, as Rip Van Winkle, by Sarony. New York, 18?9.

Chrome lithograph on canvas of Joseph Jefferson, as Rip Van Winkle. No date.

The Spy; Or, A Tale of the Neutral Ground. Theatre program. [Philadelphia, 1823]

The Spy

James Fenimore Cooper's second and highly successful novel, The Spy, was the first American novel to be dramatized on the American stage. The play, written by Charles Powell Clinch just weeks after the publication of the novel, adhered very closely to Cooper's original work. 

Engraving of James Fenimore Cooper, signed, by Thomson from original drawing. London: Colburn and Bentley, 1831.

Opening in New York City on March 1, 1822, at the New Park Theatre, the play remained popular throughout the country well into the 1850s. A historical romance set in New York during the Revolutionary War, The Spy, with its uniquely American characters and themes, appealed to the audiences of early nineteenth-century American theatre. The novel spurred numerous European adaptations as well.