FRANCIS WILSON - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 05/24/1899 - HFSID 296889

FRANCIS WILSON
Chatty letter, using Stephen Foster lyrics and other dialect reflecting his minstrel show background.
Autograph Letter signed: "Francis Wilson", 1 page (front and verso), 8¼x11. Knickerbocker Theatre Building, New York City, 1899 May 24. To "Dear Cary", in full: "I spend my vacations - a good part - with Ravennes. I ain't gwine ter do it no mo'. I shall be glad to linger by your side, Sweet Ellen Bayne, when you show the Players the University Club. Yes, Cousin George, by all means. I changed it a few seconds since. She is pretty - but she likes Manhattan cocktails - and somehow it suggests cloves, olives and things. I'm not squeamish 'cept in three or four matters & that's one of 'em. 'He was allus d-n particular about his [?]. Cordially". Francis Wilson (1854-1935) began his career in minstrel shows but was soon appearing in stage productions and operas. He made his Broadway debut in 1886 in Erminie, which was revived in 1899 by his Francis Wilson Opera Company. Wilson was married to actress Edna Bruns (1886-1960), with whom he co-starred in When Knights Were Bold (1907) and The Bachelor's Baby (which Francis wrote). Wilson, who was the first President of the Actors' Equity Association (1913-1920), made his final appearance on Broadway in 1930 in a revival of The Little Father of the Wilderness. "While I linger by thy side, Sweet Ellen Bayne" is a Stephen Foster lyric. The other quotations in dialect were no doubt familiar to the letter's recipient. Normal mailing folds. Light foxing. Worn. Creased. Multiple tears and nicks at edges. Otherwise, fine condition.