Miss Julia Dean (1830-68) as Beatrice,
Publisher: Johnson Fry & Company

For an early performance the New York Herald hailed her as “a child of nature,” while Laurence Hutton later recalled, “We have never seen her equal. Her light, graceful figure and beautiful face won her the sympathy and interest in the first act that her genius and fire enabled her to maintain until the fall of the curtain.” Dean followed her success with equally acclaimed performances in Romeo and Juliet. Julia Dean won renown for her Hero in Much Ado, but later she also was admired for her portrayals of Juliet, Ophelia, and Desdemona. She died early in childbirth. Furness Shakespeare Collection, University of Pennsylvania Library