4.39 Edwin Booth (1833-93)

In 1852, Edwin toured California with his father, John Junius Booth, and returned in 1856 after a world tour. He excelled in sombre roles such as Hamlet. Edwin Booth's extremely painful family cicumstances gave conviction to his performance of melancholy parts like Richard III and Hamlet, and his more naturalistic style may have evolved first in the less traditional environment of California's theatres. See him as Richard III in Gallery 7.1.9 HMR