Edwin Booth (1833-1893) 1874

This photograph, taken by Jeremiah Gurney, captures the famous 19th-century actor Edwin Booth in costume. The image invites us to consider the complex relationship between identity, performance, and historical context. Booth, the brother of John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Lincoln, lived under the shadow of this infamous act. His life was a tangle of fame and infamy, a dichotomy reflected in his intense, brooding stage presence. Here, dressed in elaborate historical garb, he seems to be simultaneously embodying a character and wrestling with his personal demons. His raised hand and the cross in his left hand are gestures that seem full of unspoken meaning. The photograph itself, a relatively new technology at the time, flattens the three-dimensional presence of the actor, yet it also immortalizes him. It serves as a poignant reminder of the burdens of family history, public perception, and the art of transforming oneself through performance.