This striking circa-1885 cabinet card presents American stage actress Ida Lillian Olcott (1861–1888) in an elegant profile portrait. She wears an elaborate floral headpiece, dangling earrings, a multi-strand pearl necklace and an ornately decorated theatrical costume. The restrained profile pose emphasizes her classical features and is particularly appropriate for an actress best remembered for performing dramatic and tragic roles. Born in Brooklyn in 1861, Olcott was the daughter of prominent Brooklyn physician Dr. Cornelius Olcott. She first attracted attention as an amateur actress, playing Juliet with the Williamsburg Amateur League in 1882. She subsequently appeared professionally at the Brooklyn Theatre, again portraying Juliet. In 1884, she toured as the star of the melodrama Dark Days. Olcott’s most important role was the title character in Victorien Sardou’s spectacular historical drama Theodora. She traveled to Paris in 1885 and purchased the American performance rights to the play, achieving considerable artistic success with it during the following two seasons. Her ownership of the American rights led to a serious dispute when Sarah Bernhardt was permitted to perform Theodora in the United States. Olcott sued the Franco-American Dramatic Agency for $25,000, alleging that it had violated the exclusive rights she had purchased. The litigation contributed to her company being disbanded in Chicago shortly before her death. Olcott’s promising career ended tragically on April 8, 1888, when she died at New York’s Westminster Hotel at only 26 or 27 years of age. Contemporary accounts reported that she had contracted a severe cold after exposure during the great New York blizzard and subsequently developed an intestinal inflammation. She initially concealed the seriousness of her illness from her parents because she did not wish to worry them; only her maid was with her until her condition worsened. She was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. I have a few cabinet cards of actor and song writer Chauncy Olcott and I wondered if he and Lilian were related. I found no evidence that the two were related. This cabinet card comes from the studio of Charles Eisenmann (1855-1927). He was German born and a well known celebrity photographer during the 1880’s and 1890’s in New York City’s Bowery District. Not only did he photograph celebrities (ie Mark Twain and Annie Oakley) but he also was known for his portraits of “human oddities” (ie. side show acts and people with birth defects). His son in-law, Frank Wendt, took over his studio in 1898. He later became the director of photography for Dupont. His work is very collectible. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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