George Arliss as Alexander Hamilton
photographer
White Studio
(active New York, 1903 - 1939)
Date1918
Place MadeNew York, United States, North America
MediumCollodion print on card
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberARC.009149
eMuseum ID725952
EmbARK ObjectID34827
TMS Source ID18283
Last Updated8/9/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryIsabella met actor George Arliss in the fall of 1912, when he was performing one of his best known plays, Disraeli, about the Victorian era British Prime Minister. During the run of the Boston production, Arliss and his wife Florence rented a house in nearby Brookline, Massachusetts—the same town where Isabella had a home named Green Hill. Isabella showed up at their door without any warning or introduction, and from that time on, was a devoted friend.
In 1917, Arliss starred in the play Hamilton that he co-wrote with Mary P. Hamlin. In this production, Arliss sought to convey the characters of the founding fathers. He noted that they were, “real people, and not merely a procession of nice grey-headed old gentlemen....” Isabella probably saw the Boston production of Hamilton at the Hollis Street Theatre in the winter of 1918.
In 1917, Arliss starred in the play Hamilton that he co-wrote with Mary P. Hamlin. In this production, Arliss sought to convey the characters of the founding fathers. He noted that they were, “real people, and not merely a procession of nice grey-headed old gentlemen....” Isabella probably saw the Boston production of Hamilton at the Hollis Street Theatre in the winter of 1918.
BibliographyNotesElizabeth Reluga, "George Arliss's Hamilton," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 30 June 2020, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/george-arliss-hamilton
MarksNotesInscribed in ink (recto, bottom): To Mrs. Gardner / with sincere regards for / "Alexander Hamilton" 1918 / George Arliss
Inscribed in ink (verso): 12648-18 / 33
Printed (recto): White / N.Y. / '18
Inscribed in ink (verso): 12648-18 / 33
Printed (recto): White / N.Y. / '18
ProvenanceNotesGift from actor George Arliss (1868 - 1946) to Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1918 when he was performing in his play "Hamilton" at the Hollis Street Theatre in Boston.
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