6 - “African Tragedian” in Golden Prague: Some Unpublished Correspondence

Summary

The name of Ira Frederick Aldridge (1807–67), self-styled “African Tragedian,” has enjoyed respectful but scanty treatment in the history of the theater and of the American Negro. Aldridge, born a United States citizen, was widely acclaimed in Europe as one of the leading Shakespearean actors of the nineteenth century. Racial bias led him to leave his native land and adopt British citizenship, so he is relatively unknown in the United States. The limited references to his life and career reflect neither his true stature nor the measure of his acceptance into the more aristocratic but less racially conscious milieu in Europe.

Aldridge's achievements indicate the range of his talents, while his stalwart defense of human dignity makes him relevant today. His background combined violence, humanitarianism, and Christian fervor. His grandfather, a Senegalese chieftain, was slain with members of his family while defending his decree that prisoners of war should be exchanged rather than sold. Only Ira's father, through the help of an American missionary, escaped murder. Making his way to the United States he converted to Christianity, married, and became pastor to a black congregation in New York, where Ira was born on July 24, 1807.

The boy's father steered him toward the ministry, but Ira dreamed of the stage. His early efforts were thwarted by the angry reactions of New York audiences to a black man in the theater. Not until Ira got the courage to introduce himself to Edmund Kean did his fortunes change. Kean, in New York on tour, liked the youth immediately, hired him as a servant, and took him to England for further education. In 1825 the seventeen-year-old Aldridge made his debut in Othello at the Royalty Theatre in London. Maturing rapidly, he was soon performing in leading English theaters. Kean described him as an actor of “wondrous versatility.”

The years of Aldridge's rise to fame apparently had bright as well as unhappy moments. His stay in England was scarred by professional wrangling, broken contracts, and insults by critics to his acting skill. In Ireland and Scotland, however, he was complimented for his dignity and grace both on and off the stage. When Aldridge toured Europe, he proved a powerful audience attraction. Admiring crowds greeted him in Berlin, Vienna, and St. Petersburg. Students at Moscow University, hailing his Othello, unhitched the horse from his carriage and pulled him triumphantly through the streets.