Mathews's Trip to America
Isaac Robert Cruikshank British
Publisher John Limbird British
Subject Charles Mathews British
Not on view
Mathews was an acclaimed comic actor, hugely popular in London between 1818 and 1834. His talents for mimicry, facial and physical contortion, and ventriloquism were used to embody multiple characters and poke fun at a range of social and national types. His annual "At Homes" (one-man theatrical performances that presented roles in quick succession) featured a range of accents, quick costume changes, and songs and were avidly anticipated theatrical events each Spring. The characters shown here relate to "Trip to America," a performance which opened in March 1824, a year after Mathews returned from a year-long tour of the eastern United States. They represent Colonel Hiram Peglar (a Kentucky shoemaker), Agamemmon (a runaway slave), Jonathan W. Doubikin (a real Yankee), and Miss Mangelwurzel.
