Account Of The Terrific And Fatal Riot At The New-York Astor Place Opera House, On The Night Of May 10th 1849

Pamphlet with original pictorial wrappers in cloth case. 32 pp. Illustration on back wrapper. Pamphlet is disbound. Front wrapper has chips and tears along edge, but not affecting text. Back wrapper has long tear below the image. Contemporary account of the riot at the Astor Place Opera House that claimed the lives of 22 people and wounded 36 others. The major factor in the riot was the rivalry and quarrels between the well-known American actor Edwin Forrest, and the English actor William C. Macready. Some anti-British and class prejudice also played a part in this incident. Forrest and Macready had been openly feuding, and some felt the American was treated badly by Macready while he was on tour in Europe. Their quarrels spilled over into the press, and on May 7th Macready’s performance at the Astor Place Opera House had to be aborted because of a hostile audience. While Macready wanted to end his engagement he was persuaded by several prominent New Yorkers, including Washington Irving, to continue. On the night of May 10th, a group of generally poor and rowdy Forrest fans were banned from the performance, and a riot broke out. While the military was brought in, a night of violence ended with over 50 people killed or wounded.