Anna Cora Mowatt

Fashion (Dodo Press) Anna Cora Mowatt

Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie (1819-1870) was an American author, playwright, public reader, and actress. Her first book, Pelay; or, The Cavern of Covadonga, was published in 1836, then Reviewers Reviewed in 1837. She also wrote articles which were published in The Ladies’ Companion and Sargent’s Magazine. She wrote a six act play, Gulzara, which was published in The New World. She wrote two novels: The Fortune Hunter (1844) and Evelyn (1845) using the pseudonym “Helen Berkley”. In 1841, due to financial problems, she became a public reader. In 1845, her best known work, the play Fashion was published. In 1845, she made another career move to acting, she debuted at the Park Theatre as Pauline in The Lady of Lyons with great success. In 1853, her book Autobiography of an Actress was published. Her last appearance on the public stage was in 1854. During the next few years she wrote few more novels including: Mimic Life (1855), Twin Roses (1857), and Fairy Fingers (1865).