USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2 > Part 22
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93
An oratorical exhibition given by Mr. Dwyer at Colonel Mack's Hotel in November, 1822, in- cluded recitations from Addison, Spenser, Shake- speare, Swift, Coleman and Campbell and con- cluded with Dryden's ode "Alexander's Feast." A number of lectures are announced from time to time on such subjects.
The Columbia Street Theatre was not success- ful enough to pay expenses and in 1825 it passed by public sale into the hands of two private indi- viduals. Not the least interesting of the points connected with its history were the rules and reg- ulations which printed as a poster for the benefit of the patrons on May 1, 1830, read as follows :
I. Gentlemen will be particular in not disturbing the audience by loud talking in the Bar-Room, nor by per- sonal altercations in any part of the house.
II. Gentlemen in the boxes and in the pit are ex- pected not to wear their hats nor to stand nor sit on the railing, during the performance; as they will there- by prevent the company behind, and in the lobby, from seeing the stage. Those in the side boxes will endeavor to avoid leaning forward as, from the construction of the house, the projection of one person's head must in- terrupt the view of several others on the same line of seats.
III. The practice of cracking nuts now abandoned in all well regulated Theatres should be entirely avoid- ed during the time the curtain is up; as it must neces- sarily interfere with the pleasure of those who feel dis- posed to attend to the performance.
IV. Persons in the upper Boxes and Gallery will be careful to avoid the uncourteous habit of throwing nut-
641
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
shells, apples, etc., into the Pit; and those in the Pit are cautioned against clambering over the balustrade in- to the Boxes, either during or at the end of the Per- formance.
V. Persons in the Gallery are requested not to dis- turb the harmony of the House by boisterous conduct, either in language or by striking with sticks on the seats or bannisters, etc. The same decorum will be expected and enforced from that part of the audience as from any other. .
VI. As both manager and performers are discon- certed by the presence of spectators during the hours of Rehearsal from 10 to 2, it is found necessary to pro- hibit the entrance of visitors, on such occasions, further than the outer lobby or Box-office. Intrusions behind the scenes, on nights of performance, are also pro- hibited-except in urgent cases. Messages from the audience to the manager can be conveyed, whether by direct calls or through the agency of the Door-keeper.
VII .. The Box-Office (on the left side of the vesti -. bule) will be open from 10 to I, and from 3 to 6, every day, where seats may be taken and secured in either tier, until the opening of the 2d Act. Gentlemen will, of course, leave unoccupied those seats which are marked as engaged by others, until the stipulated time ; as the interruption, on the arrival of the proper owners, must be unpleasant to all parties.
VIII. The prices of admission will continue as usual, viz: Ist Tier of Boxes, and Pit, 75 cents :- 2d Tier, 50 cents :- Gallery, 25 cents. Colored persons will oc- cupy the Gallery Slips on the East side. On occasions of great attraction, it may be found expedient to unite the upper and lower Boxes, according to the original plan.
IX. When side Benches are placed in the lobbies, it is proper to remember that they are intended to en- able the second row of standing spectators to overlook the first ;- an object which is entirely frustrated by dragging them ont from the wall and impeding the passage to the boxes.
X. For the purpose of accommodating those, who may be prevented from an earlier attendance, the Man- ager will, on ordinary occasions, allow a deduction in the price of admission after the Fourth act-or first half of the performance.
XI. Checks are only receivable the same evening they are issued, and from the persons who originally obtained them.
XII. Smoking is altogether prohibited, as a practice at once dangerous and offensive.
The Manager being resolved to render the theatre worthy of the patronage of an enliglitened and refined community, respectfully submits to the friends of the drama the foregoing rules adopted for their protection ; and has only to hope that he may rarely have oceasion to call to his aid the authority employed for enforcing them.
After 14 years of varying success this first of Cincinnati's houses of amusement was destroyed by fire on the night of April 4, 1834.
On July 4, 1832, another theatre opened its doors to the public. The originator of this en- terprise was James H. Caldwell, who if living to- day would be called the magnate of a theatrical syndicate. He managed theatres in Louisville,
St. Louis, Natchez, New Orleans, Mobile and arranged for tours of the principal actors of the day which should take in these different estab- lishments. At the opening performance Mr. Caldwell delivered an address written by Mrs. Hentz for which a prize of $50 had been awarded and an essay in support of the drama written by Isaac A. Jewett which had won a $100 prize. In this theatre which lasted but two years appeared some of the most distinguished actors of the time. Shortly after the opening, Edwin Forrest and Mrs. Roe appeared in a benefit in the parts of "Lear" and "Cordelia." Another well known actress, Mrs. Knight, took part in "Perfection" and also in "Invincible or the Little Cup." On the 25th day of October, 1836, the theatre after a short but brilliant life was burned to the ground. The stage carpenter, John Martin, who lived in the building was unable to escape from the flames and was the first of those who have lost their lives in Cincinnati's theatres. This theatre was a very pretentious affair for its time. A description has been given by Judge A. G. W. Carter as follows :
"This theatre was two stories high on Third street, and on account of the descent from Third to Lower Market street, was five stories high on the latter street, extending as it did from street to street. It was an imposing structure, built of brick, about seventy feet on Third and Lower Market, and one hundred and twenty feet from street to street. The front was adorned with a pediment supported by flattened columns, and a flight of steps extending across the whole front led up to the doors. The interior had a most beautiful blue-colored cloth curtain, trimmed in gold, which opened in and drew up from the mid- dle. The orchestra place was very large, and then there was a large pit and three tiers of boxes, the upper one being the gallery, where the 'gods and goddesses' used to assemble on days, or rather nights of yore. The stage was adorned with the most beautifully-painted scenery of any theatre then in this country, the scenic artist be- ing the then celebrated Italian painter Mondel- li." (Carter's "Old Court House.")
Another theatre, for many years the most prominent in the city and the most complete per- haps in its equipment andl arrangement in the United States, began its long career just at the close of the city's half century. The destruction of the Columbia Street Theatre in 1834 and of the Third Street Theatre in 1836 left the city for a time without any regular home for the drama. In 1837 a number of citizens became interested
642
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
in a plan. to erect a building which should sur- pass all its predecessors. The enterprise for a time seemed likely to fail and finally John Bates the owner of the Exchange Bank took the matter in his own hands and erected on the east side of Sycamore street between Third and Fourth the structure which still stands there and which for many years, known as the National Theatre, was regarded as among the most important houses of amusement in America. A remarkable cir- cumstance about the erection of the building was the fact that it was erected and opened to the public in less than two months. The first per- formance was on July 3, 1837, and the plays given are familiar to the stage-goers of to-day : "The Honeymoon" and "Raising the Wind." The managers were Scott and Thorne and the latter, the elder of that distinguished name, ap- peared in both the plays. As was the custom, the theatre was opened with a recitation, a prize address written by F. W. Thomas and recited by Mrs. Mason. The lot upon which was built the National Theatre had a frontage of 100 feet and a depth of 206 feet which made it possible to erect a stage of unusually large size. From the fact that this was larger than the well known stage of Drury Lane, the National for many years passed under the title of "Old Drury." For many years this theatre was the home of the legitimate drama in Cincinnati and it is to the performances given here by the greatest actors of the world that the old theatre-goers of to-day look back with the kindliest memories. A stone front was added to the house in 1856 and in the remodeled shape the theatre so far as its exterior is concerned stands to-day. It is now occupied as a warehouse.
In addition to the regular theatrical perform- ances, other forms of amusement attracted the citizens of this city. We are told of a traveling museum shown at Harlow's Tavern at No. II West Front street in the year 1823. This in- cluded wax works and transparencies and other similar objects of interest in charge of Mr. and Mrs. Manly and under the management of Messrs. Jerome and Clark. There was a Vaux- hall Garden in General Gano's orchard on the cast side of Main street above Fifth in the year 1823, kept by two Frenchmen, the brothers Du- milliez-Charles and Vincent.
The circus came to town on the 4th of July, 1824, a grand, "panregal" affair of Pepin and Barnes. This collection of wonders included musical instruments 24 feet long and 13 life-size automata which played on trumpets. Six years
later at the celebration held on the 5th of July, 1830, there appeared the wandering show of Ma- comber & Company at the corner of Sixth and Wainut. This organization included a small menagerie with a polar bear, a spotted leopard and a striped tiger. In the evening Herr Cline wheeled a barrow up a rope wire.
The Fourth of July seems to have been cele- brated at all times by entertainments of various characters. In 1819 Mrs. Belinda Groshon gave a performance of "Isabella."
THE MUSEUMS.
Included in the places of amusement must be the museums. The first suggestion of an insti- tution of this character came from William Steele who proposed to Dr. Drake and others the found- ing of a public museum. At the very time when Drake's mind was occupied with the founding of the Lancaster Seminary, the Medical College, the Poor House and Hospital, he took up this subject of amusement and instruction. A public meet- ing was held and a large sum of money sub- scribed. Drake's idea was that it should be a complete school for natural history in which would be concentrated the choicest natural and artificial curiosities in the Western country. An account of this institution as the Western Mu- seum has already been given in the extracts from Drake's and Mansfield's book. In 1834 at which time it was kept at the corner of Pearl and Main streets it included, in addition to specimens of natural history, Egyptian and American an- tiquities, a large number of microscopic designs, cosmoramic, optical and prismoramic views of American scenery and buildings and specimens of the fine arts such as paintings, models in wax, plaster and the like.
We are told that "Not the least interesting portion of the Western Museum is the 'Infernal Regions.' This is a very splendid representa- tion of Hell prepared by Mr. Hiram Powers of this city, a young artist of uncommon genius. The taste and mechanical skill displayed by him in the preparation and arrangement of this novel and striking scene are of the highest order and should claim the patronage of the public. The Infernal Regions are kept in the same building with the Western Museum and are open every night for the accommodation of those who may wish to make a call upon his Satanic Majesty who is always ready to see company." (Directory of 1834.)
So striking an exhibition as this, which it is said is wrongfully attributed to Powers, would
1
:
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
643
naturally attract comment from the observant Mrs. Trollope, who says that Mr. Dorfeuille "has constructed a pandemonium in an upper story of his museum, in which he has congre- gated all the images of horror that his fertile fancy could devise; dwarfs, that by machinery grow into giants before the eyes of the specta- tor ; imps 'of ebony with eyes of flame ; monstrous reptiles devouring youth and beauty; lakes of fire and mountains of ice; in short, wax, paint, and springs have done wonders. To give the scheme some more effect, he makes it visible only through a grate of massive iron bars, among which are arranged wires connected with an elec- trical machine in a neighboring chamber ; should any daring hand or foot obtrude itself within the bars, it receives a smart shock, that often passes through many of the crowd, and, the cause being unknown, the effect is exceedingly comic; terror, astonishment, curiosity, are all set in action, and all contribute to make Dorfeuille's Hell one of the most amusing exhibitions imag- inable."
Michel Chevalier in his "Travels" tells us that the young girls resorted to these "Infernal Regions" "in quest of excitement which a com- fortable and peaceful, but cold and monotonous manner of life denies them. This strange spec- tacle seems to afford a delicate agitation to their nerves, and is the principal source of revenue to the museum."
Another interesting feature was a sawmill op- crated by two bears and Harriet Martineau tells us of "a mermaid not very cleverly constructed, and some bad wax figures, posted like sentinels among the cases of geological and entomological specimens." She found also a very complete collection of the currency of the country from its earliest days and of other countries as well. Upon the death of Dorfeuille, the museum came into the possession of Frederick Franks the artist who removed it to the corner of Third and Sycamore. A stage was added where plays were given at times. In front of the structure was erected Schafer's wooden statue of Minerva. On March 31, 1840, the flames of the "Infernal Regions" spread to the rest of the building and the entire structure, including the collections in it, was consumed. Franks reestablished his museum, however, and continued it at the same place for 10 years longer, after which time it passed into the charge of Frank Franks who continued it as late as 1853, at No. 78 Sycamore street.
Another museum also mentioned was that of Letton and Willet begun in 1818 and occupying
the upper story of a building at Main and Upper Market streets. By 1826 Willet had dropped out and it was known as Letton's Museum. It was then in two spacious halls on the second and third story of the brick building at Fourth and Main streets. In addition to the articles already described by Drake and Mansfield, special men- tion is made at a later time of the equestrian statues of General Jackson and Black Hawk and a single oyster shell which weighed 130 pounds. The most interesting feature was a gallery of paintings in which were 50 portraits of citizens of the place. In 1836 the museum was trans- ferred to the northwest corner of Fifth and Main. No mention of Letton's Museum is made in the Directory of 1840.
Another place designed for amusement met with a tragic end before it was opened to the public. David A. Lippincott, a wealthy stable- man and dealer in horses, conceived the idea of erecting a great brick building on the southwest corner of Second and Sycamore for use as a cir- cus building, to be known as "Lippincott's Am- phitheatre." It was especially designed for eques- trian performances to be given by Bancker and Nichols who had already successfully given per- formances in a frame structure where after- wards the National Theatre was built. The large building of Mr. Lippincott was to include a circus space and a stage for other performances. The building was entirely completed and the opening performance by the troupe was an- nounced for January 31, 1824, when on the 29th the building took fire and burned to the ground, destroying a large number of very valuable, trained horses which had been stabled in the building. Not one animal in the whole troupe was saved. This misfortune preyed on Mr. Lip- pincott's mind and very shortly afterwards he became insane and hanged himself.
Not the least interesting place of entertainment of the time was the Bazaar erected by Mrs. Trollope. A description of this historic building as contained in the Directory of 1829 is given elsewhere.
In 1828 was opened a gallery of fine arts by Frederick Franks. This was on the southwest corner of Main and Upper Market or Fifth streets above the drug store of Allen & Sonn- tag. Franks had in his gallery paintings of "Napoleon Crossing the Alps," of the "Battle of Bunker Hill and the Death of General Warren," Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" pre- senting a full length portrait of each of the signers of that instrument and to him is attribu-
6 14
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
ted by some authorities the "Infernal Regions" of Dorfeuille. In Franks' gallery were also sev- eral cosmoramic tableaux and a crystalomancy representing the business and bustle of the streets and markets of Cincinnati.
Frederick Eckstein's "New Academy of Fine Arts," established in the year 1826, was also a place of resort for those in search of amusement of a high type. This was on Main street between Third and Fourth streets. Eckstein was from Berlin, a son of a distinguished artist who flour- ished in Prussia under the patronage of Fred- erick the Great. He brought with him to this city a crayon portrait of that monarch taken after death by his father. He had also brought with him busts and other works of art which were the nucleus of his academy, the first of its kind in the city. Of course such an undertaking as this called for comment from Mrs. Trollope and she cites the affair of the academy as an evi- dence of the little appreciation of art in the city at that time. "Perhaps the clearest proof of the little feeling for art that existed at that time in Cincinnati, may be drawn from the result of an experiment originated by a German, who taught drawing there. He conceived the project of forming a chartered academy of fine arts; and he succeeded in the beginning to his utmost wish, or rather 'they fooled him to the top of his bent.' Three thousand dollars were subscribed-that is to say, names were written against different sums to that amount, a house was chosen, and finally application was made to the Government and the charter obtained, rehearsing formally the names of the subscribing members, the professors, and the officers. So far did the stream of their zeal impel them, but at this point it was let off ; the affair stood still, and I never heard the academy of fine arts mentioned afterwards."
The academy started with a considerable col- lection from the works of the local artists as well as such works of merit as could be borrowed from the private houses. Eckstein was appoint- ed curator and the board of directors displayed considerable energy. The time was not ripe, however, for such an institution and it very soon languished and died.
THE SOCIAL LIFE.
Mrs. Trollope in her extraordinary account of life in Cincinnati tells us that she "never saw any people who appeared to live so mich with- ont amusement as the Cincinnatians. Billiards are forbidden by law ; so are cards. To sell a pack of cards in Ohio subjects the seller, to a pen-
alty of fifty dollars. They have no public balls, excepting, I think, six during the Christmas holi- days. They have a theatre, which is, in fact, the only public amusement of this little town; but they seem to care very little about it, and, either from economy or distaste, it is very poorly at- tended. Ladies are rarely seen there, and by far the larger proportion of females deem it an of- fense to religion to witness the representation of a play. There are no public gardens or lounging shops of fashionable resort, and were it not for public worship and private tea- drinkings, all the ladies of Cincinnati would be in danger of becoming perfect recluses."
However disappointed Mrs. Trollope was with her life and surroundings, she did her share to- wards entertaining her acquaintances. Her house called "Gano Lodge" owned by Daniel Gano, was frequently a scene of gayety. An ac- count of one of these occasions is given by the old musician Tosso who tells us something of her son Henry a gay young fellow who spoke seven languages, was the "Invisible Lady" in Dorfeuille's Museum, and played the part of "Falstaff" in "The Merry Wives of Windsor." One night Tosso tells us in an interview pub- lished in the Gasette that "Mrs. Trollope gave a party to about a hundred guests, and a handsome one it was. First we had 'Les Deux Amis' in French, and then 'The Merry Wives of Wind- sor.' The 'Deux Amis' went off very well. Mrs. Trollope spoke excellent French. So did Dr. Price, Mr. Morgan Neville, Mrs. Ameling, and Henry Trollope. But when the 'Merry Wives' came on, Falstaff's good, round belly was found to be lined with sack instead of capon, and the play was incredibly funny, for he was very drunk, and had a small feather-bed tucked under his waistcoat. 'How was the music?' Fine. I played first violin; Morgan Neville, second fid- dle, and John Douglass, 'cello. After the play came supper, and then the dancing till day- light."
Captain Marryat who visited the city a few years later gives us an explanation of Mrs. Trol- lope's criticisms on the social life which certainly has the appearance of plausibility. The principal portion of Captain Marryat's statement has ap- peared in a preceding chapter of this work, and we will give here but his concluding remarks :
"The fact is, that Mrs. Trollope's representa- tion of the manners and customs of Cincinnati, at the period when she wrote, was probably more correct than the present inhabitants of the city will allow : that it would be a libel upon the Cin-
645
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
cinnatians of the present day is certain; whether it was one at the time she wrote, and the city was, comparatively speaking, in its infancy, is quite another affair. However, one thing is cer- tain, which is, that the Americans have quite forgiven Mrs. Trollope, and if she were again to cross the water, I think she would be well re- ceived. Her book made them laugh, though at their own expense; and the Americans, although appearances are certainly very much against it, are really, at the bottom, a very good tempered people." ( Marryat's Diary in America, pp. 238- 239. )
Alfred Bushnell Hart thinks that Mrs. Trol- ' lope much misrepresented the social life of the city : "However accurately that anthor described the life which she saw, the diaries and letters of Chase, then living in the city, show that there was much which she did not see. To the mind of the cultivated Englishwoman, dirty streets, tobacco chewing, and the coarseness of a frontier town seemed incompatible with refined society ; but such a society there was, and Chase at once found a share in it. In a few months he was the welcome friend of the Burnets and the Long- worths, the social leaders of the city." Life of Chase, p. 16.)
The character of the society in those days is referred to in the most complimentary terms by the English visitor of 1835, C. A. Murray, who says :
"I have been in company with ten or twelve of the resident families, and have not seen one single instance of rudeness, vulgarity, or incivil- ity ; while the shortness of the invitations and ab- sence of constraint and display render the society more agreeable, in some respects, than that of more fashionable cities. If the proposition stated is merely this, 'that the manners of Cincinnati are not so polished as those of the best circles of London, Paris, or Berlin; that her business, whether culinary or displayed in carriages, houses, or amusements, are also of a lower caste,' I suppose none would be so absurd as to deny it. I hope few would be weak enough gravely to in- form the world of so self-evident a truth ; but I will, without fear of contradiction, assert that the history of the world does not produce a parallel to Cincinnati in rapid growth of wealth and population. Of all the cities that have been founded by mighty sovereigns or nations, with an express view to their becoming the capitals of empires, there is not one that, in twenty-seven years from its foundation, could show such a mass of manufacture, enterprise, population,
wealth, and 'social comfort, as that of which 1 have given a short and imperfect outline in the last two or three pages, and which owes its magnitude to no adscititous favor or encourage- ment, but to the judgment with which the situa- tion was chosen, and to the admirable use which its inhabitants have made thereof." (Travels in North America.)
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.