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The life of Edmund Kean: in two volumes
Barry Cornwall (1787-1874)
London: Edward Moxon, 1835
Rare Books & Manuscripts
Theatre Collection 92 K244.MO
We thank our donor...
Conservation treatment of The life of Edmund Kean was generously funded by the Friends of the University of Adelaide Library in 2020.
Synopsis
Edmund Kean was born in 1787 and, whilst his parentage has often been questioned, he was likely the son of itinerant actress, Ann Carey, and Edmund Kean (d. 1793), an unstable youth who died tragically at age 22.[1] The boy’s childhood was reportedly loveless and he spent much of it being shipped between his Aunt, Mrs Price, and the mistress of his Uncle Moses, Charlotte Tidswell. The latter, who enjoyed small roles with the Drury Lane Theatre Company, provided Kean with a rudimentary education and introduced him to life backstage.
In his youth Kean set out to conquer the stage, the only world he knew. He made appearances as Hamlet, Hastings and Cato in York Theatre, he recited at Windsor and even joined Saunder’s circus, where he fell and broke his legs during an equestrian act.[2] He struggled to achieve his ambitions, though, and being small in stature with a harsh voice, he could not compete with his more handsome, melodious contemporaries. By 1813, he was penniless. His eldest son, with wife Mary Chambers, had died (aged just four), and his contract with London’s Olympic Theatre was paltry.
His luck was about to change, though. Close to bankruptcy itself, Drury Lane Theatre resolved to take a chance on Kean, allowing him to play the role of Shylock in 'The Merchant of Venice' on 26 January 1814. He was an instant success. In his 2004 biography, Eric Thompson, noted that Kean found points of identity with Shylock, acting with an inner fury that fuelled his finest performances and thrilled his audiences.[3] He filled the theatre every night until the end of the season in July 1814. More roles followed and Kean excelled as Richard III, Iago, Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet.
Regrettably, Kean was to become the victim of his own success. He abused his voice, cracking it under strain and holding it back for the majority of a performance, preserving it for necessary peaks.[4] His behaviour in public deteriorated and he frequently made a fool of himself amongst polite society. He was plagued by fear of losing his position as head of the British stage and was regularly betrayed into displays of jealousy against potential rivals. The climax came, according to Playfair, in 1825 when he was successfully sued for adultery, sending the press into a virulent campaign against him.[5] He descended into a life of excesses and in 1833 collapsed on stage at Covent Garden whilst playing Othello. He died just a few weeks later. He was survived by his son, pioneer of representational realism, Charles Kean.
The Life of Edmund Kean is Barry Cornwall’s two volume biography of the immensely talented actor. Covering all aspects of his ancestry, childhood and career, it is an enlightening and revealing read.
Original Condition
Calfskin binding, split along the front and rear hinges, revealing spine lining. Front endpaper and adjacent page of annotations detached. Rear endpaper also beginning to detach. Textblock starting to split in multiple places. Minor loss of leather to board corners, edges and spine.
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Restored Condition
Cover removed from textblock to reveal existing spine lining. Damaged lining removed and new spine lining inserted. Item rebacked with new black goat skin. Original spine, including label, reapplied to new leather. Textblock resewn where splitting and minor paper repairs completed. Front and rear endpapers tipped back in.
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Footnotes:
[1] Playfair, Giles William, ‘Edmund Kean’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed online 16 March 2020, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmund-Kean
[2] ‘Edmund Kean and Charles Kean’, Arthur Lloyd.co.uk: the music hall and theatre history site dedicated to the Arthur Lloyd, 2002. Accessed online 16 March 2020, http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Kean.htm
[3] Thomson, Peter, ‘Kean, Edmund’, 2004, online version (2015) accessed online 17 March 2020, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-15204
[4] As above
[5] Playfair, Giles William, ‘Edmund Kean’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed online 16 March 2020, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmund-Kean
Lee Hayes
March 2020
