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EJ Phillips: Her dramatic career, cross-country travels, and Golden Age of the American theatre DRAFT

How a 19th-century character actress and single mother performed with the great actors in the Gilded Age, and raised a family in her spare time

Mary Glen Chitty   mary@maryglenchitty.com    * Draft available for beta reading. Please email me.

Plucky 19th century Canadian Elizabeth Jane “EJ” Phillips (1830-1904) finds an acting career and love in Toronto. but must support herself and her two young children  when  John Nickinson, their much older father (and possibly her husband) dies in 1864. She becomes a notable Broadway actress, touring California seven times and performing for and meeting Grover Cleveland in the White House. . An indefatigable letter-writer, she left a cache of over 1,000 letters to her young adult son Albert Nickinson, which ended up in a family attic to be  transcribed by her great-granddaughter and researched by the author, her great-great granddaughter. 

Table of Contents

About EJ Phillips and these letters 
About Mary Glen Kuhl Chitty, Acknowledgments 
Cast of Characters

*Prologue : Climbing Pike's Peak 1883
*The Traveling Patchwork Quilt 1878-1930

*Chapter 1 EJ Phillips' early life: 1830-1852 Hamilton Ontario, and Amateur Theatricals

Chapter 2 Toronto and the Royal Lyceum Theatre 1851-1860      
John Nickinson comes to Toronto’s Royal Lyceum Theatre 1851
EJ Phillips joins the Royal Lyceum Theatre 1852 
*SIDEBAR Uncle Tom's Cabin 1853-1861 and other slave plays
Nickinson children born Charles Alderman ((1858-1859) and Christine Harriet Melanie “Hattie” 1860
SIDEBAR Toronto colleagues: JW Wallack James Wallack Jr John Brougham CW Couldock  Louisa Lane Drew Wm J Florence Fanny Morant Denman Thompson
SIDEBAR  John Nickinson's first  marriage and family: New York Mitchell's Olympic Theatre 1837-1850; Did Charles Dickens see John Nickinson act? Laura Keene's 1862
Peripatetic Years 1859 Sept-1863: Theatres in Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Toronto again, New York and on the road
Civil War in Canada 1861-1863

*Chapter 3 Cincinnati and Pike's Opera House 1862-1866  
Pike’s Opera House hired EJ Phillips September 1862 John Nickinson March 1863
Civil War and Cincinnati 1862-1865  Duffield’s Theatre Nashville 1863 July
Albert Edward Nickinson born 1863 July 8 
John Nickinson dies 1864 February 9, “Spirit Letter” from Jno Nickinson 
Lincoln Assassination and Othello  Junius Brutus Booth Jr. as Iago, EJ Phillips as Emilia 
Pike’s Opera House burns 1866 March 22 
Woods’ Théâtre employs EJ Phillips September 1866-1867

Chapter 4 Single Parenthood and no fixed abode 1867-1875
Indianapolis, Metropolitan Theatre 1867 September-1869 September and Edwin Forrest
SIDEBAR Childcare and boarding 1868 May-1875 September
Ben DeBar, theatrical manager New Orleans and St Louis  1869-1873
New Orleans, Varieties Theatre, W R Floyd Theatre 1869-1870 September
Marston & Stowe’s Troupe, New England 1871 January-June
St Louis, Charles Pope and Olympic Theatre and touring 1871-1873
New Orleans, Varieties Theatre: and Travels with Lawrence Barrett to theatres in Memphis, Mobile and Chicago 1873-1875 
SIDEBAR Charlotte Cushman and Lawrence Barrett

Chapter 5 Philadelphia and the Chestnut Street Theatre 1875-1877 
Centennial Exposition 1876 and Our Boys

Chapter 6 Golden Age of the American Theatre: New York and AM Palmer
SIDEBAR Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore 1878 Patience 1881 The Mikado 1886 The Gondoliers 1890
*Trips west 1882-1896 Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland Oregon, Tacome and Seattle, Washington, Vancouver and Victoria
Union Square Theatre Company 1877-1885
SIDEBAR Union Square Theatre Company colleagues: Rose Eytinge Fanny Morant Clara Morris Stuart Robson Sara Jewett Charles Thorne Ida Vernon Thomas Whiffen and Kate Claxton
Chicago 1878, Boston 1880, 1881, 1882 San Francisco  Sacramento
*Oscar Wilde’s Vera the Nihilist 1882-1883
1883 Boston Denver Colorado Springs San Francisco Sacramento
1884 Boston Salt Lake City San Francisco
1885 Washington DC Grover Cleveland's Inauguration and Inaugural Ball March

Madison Square Theatre Company 1885-1888 
Saints and Sinners by Henry Arthur Jones 1885-1891 
W S Gilbert’s Engaged 1886 
1886 Boston Chicago Salt Lake City Mormon Tabernacle, San Francisco Telegraph Hill, Sacramento 
Jim the Penman by Charles Young 1886-1892 
Statue of Liberty and Bartholdi Day Oct 29 1886 
SIDEBAR Washington DC Actors' Fund Jim the Penman performance and visit to the White House April 17, 1887 
1887 Boston and Baseball, Chicago 
1888 Blizzard of 1888 March 12; Boston Chicago Salt Lake City Great Salt Lake, San Francisco Chinatown, Sacramento Los Angeles

Palmer's Theatre Company 1888-1893
1889 Centennial of George Washington's Inauguration April 29-May 1, Boston Chicago Cleveland
1890 Boston Portland Oregon Seattle San Francisco Los Angeles and Lucky Baldwin, Sacramento Salt Lake City Denver Chicago
1891 Boston, Washington DC Arlington House, Lee Mansion, Soldier's Home and Lincoln Cottage
SIDEBAR Actors' Fund Fair May 1892 at Stanford White's new Madison Square Garden,
1892 Chicago, Columbus Celebration, New York October 6,
1892-1893 Ramsey Morris and the Joseph Company Hamilton Toronto  Detroit Washington DC Richmond Cincinnati Milwaukee

Chapter 7 Charles Frohman, AL Hayman and Decline of Stock companies  
*Oscar Wilde and Lady Windermere's Fan 1893-1894 Buffalo Chicago Cleveland Milwaukee Detroit St. Louis 
Columbian Exposition October 1893 Chicago 
Olga Nethersole 1894-1895 Pittsburgh Baltimore Washington DC Toronto Montreal Chicago Boston and Cambridge Washington Elm and Longfellow’s House 
Gay Parisians 1895- 1897 March  Chicago San Francisco and Cliff House Sacramento Los Angeles Portland Oregon Vancouver and Victoria BC Seattle Salt Lake City Knoxville Charlotte Atlanta New Orleans 
Charles Frohman and the Theatrical Syndicate 1896

Chapter 8 Retirement in Philadelphia 1897-1904
Recalled from Retirement March 8-9, 1898 A Bachelor’s Romance
Arrival of the 20th century Dec 31, 1900
Death of Mrs. EJ Phillips  August 3, 1904
Obituaries and West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia

SIDEBARS 
Acting life 
*EJ Phillips' reviews and career 
*Acting the profession as reported by EJ Phillips and others 
Acting Lessons, Actors Fund, Amateur Theatrics, Critics and Criticism, Theatrical Advertising  
Producers and Managers: Augustin Daly AM Palmer James Wallack Lester Wallack 
Playwrights: Dion Boucicault Augustus Cazauran Hendrik Ibsen Denman Thompson 
Actors and Actresses: Barrymores and Drews, Booths 
Palmer Companies Colleagues: Marie Burroughs William Pleater Davidge William Jason Ferguson Maud Harrison EM Holland  Herbert Kelcey William L. LeMoyne James O’Neill McKee Rankin Annie Russell JH Stoddart Ramsey Walden 
Zavistowskis: Christine Antonio Alice Emeline

Children and Grandchildren  Daughter Harriet “Hattie” married John Dolman Jr. in Philadelphia 1887, Grandchildren born Jack 1888,  Elizabeth Ellen 1891-1892, Melanie Nickinson 1897
Son Albert moved to Middletown New York in 1886, Albert’s Career, Married Mary Penelope Macardell 1889,  Grandson Edward Phillips Nickinson born 1890

*Costumes:  Stage Clothes Street Wear Children’s Clothes  Laundry Sewing Machines

*Fires: Fire Prevention Flameproofing Volunteer Fire Departments

Hard Traveling: Strenuous Business of Travel, Hotel Life and Letterheads, Railroads and Train Wrecks, Boat Travel

*Health and Medicine 
Pharmaceuticals, Morphine and Opiates 
Physicians and Medical Education Mortality and Life Expectancy 
Aging and Strokes Cancer Dentistry Homeopathy 
Infectious diseases: Consumption La Grippe Vaccines 
Mental Health: Nerves and Neurasthenia
Suicides and Abortions 
Tonics Patent Medicines and Home Remedies 
Sarah Bernhardt's cold prevention recipe  
Pregnancy and Childbirth: Morning Sickness Family Planning       
Public health: Dr. John T. Nagle and Jacob Riis  

Housekeeping and Boarding House Life  Household Accounts Food and Drink Infant Nutrition, Weight  Food at the Columbian Exposition 1893 

*Legal Matters: Contracts Copyright

*Money and FinanceIncomes Salaries “Vacations” Banks Currency 
Depressions and Panics  of 1837 1857 1873 1893, New York Stock Exchange Railroad Economics Haymarket Affair 1886 Pullman Strike 1894 Sutro Tunnel  
 

*Politics: United States Elections and Presidents: General and President Ulysses S Grant  1885 Inauguration: President Grover Cleveland 1885 Inauguration President Benjamin Harris 1889 William Jennings Bryan vs. William McKinley 1896 Election; Voting Prohibition Party New York Politics Henry George’s Progress & Poverty, International Relations: Hawaiian Trouble 1893 China 1886, 1898, Spanish American War 1898

*Recreation & Sports: Athletics Baseball Bicycles Circuses Dancing Fishing and Hunting Horse Racing and Driving Masons Music Sleighing Swimming  

*RUM and drinking: Did John Nickinson drink with Edgar Allan Poe?  Drinking at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Toronto; Alcoholism and Dissipation

*Scandals and Respectability: Burlesque and Vaudeville, Divorce, Lasciviousness and Violation of Public Decency, Bad Behaviour at Theatres, Syphilis and Affairs, Homosexuality

*Shakespeare: From Burlesques to Lawrence Barrett, Booths and Barrymores Player’s Club Lady’s Days and Shakespeare’s Birthdays; Bawdy and Bowdlerized Shakespeare Charlotte Cushman, Macbeth, and drinking; Charles Frohman, Maude Adams, and Shakespeare

*Slang: blues, down in the dumps, hang out, head of the heap, hustle, kick, kids, knocked silly, Mom, razzle dazzle, snooze, sore 

*Technologies: Air conditioning Electricity Elevators Gas Lighting Photography Refrigeration Telegraph Telephones Typewriters; 20th century Films Web email and Internet

Appendices 
City and Regional Maps 
Nickinson and Phillips Chronology 
Photographs, Playbills, and Artifacts 
Principal Plays and Roles of EJ Phillips

Bibliography

Last updated March 5, 2022

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