Dear Mr. Powers, Although I can't help you from the currency angle, I believe your broadside is almost certainly American. I found that we have several American orations (1811-1813) delivered in one Washington Hall, which was located in New York City. Around this same time there were other "Washington Halls" in Boston, Philadelphia and even, I believe, in Kennebunk, Maine. Sincerely, Rebecka Persson Boston Athenaeum 10 1/2 Beacon Street Boston, MA Phone: 617-227-0270 E-mail: persson@bostonathenaeum.org Fax: 617-227-5266 -----Original Message----- From: Gregory Powers [SMTP:powersrarebooks@mediaone.net] Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 1:11 PM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: A long question about early American currency Dear All: I have a theatrical broadside from 1797 announcing a production of "The Child of Nature" (by Mrs. Inchbald) and I'm trying to figure out whether it's American or English. Here are my clues so far.. The broadside mentions that a Mrs. Graupner will sing the popular hunting song, "Tally Ho!", between the play and a subsequent "Humorous Musical Entertainment." Mrs. Graupner also plays the part of Priscilla Tomboy in the latter piece. I found a reference to a Mrs. Catherine Comerford Hillier, nee Graupner, who was the daughter of a London attorney who became an opera singer, first in Charleston, SC, and after 1794 in Boston. She made her first solo appearance at the Boston Theatre in 1796. Her husband, Johann Christian Gottlieb Graupner, was the organizer of the Boston Phil-harmoic Society and co-organizer of the Handel and Haydn Society. Although Graupner seems like an uncommon enough name, it strikes me as unlikely that a woman of such seemingly high birth and culture would be singing hunting songs and playing a tomboy. Another clue is the theatre where this extravaganza was held--Washington-Hall. I have a hard time believing that a British theatre at this point in time would be named Washington, but stranger things
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