Unwrapping the Past: Letters from the Dorothea Dix Hall Association

For most performers, life after the show ended was either feast or famine. For all the glitter, makeup, scenery, and a few nights of local fame, most actors and actresses did not achieve the recognition and remuneration of their well-known contemporaries. Their work was a job; the pay was good when there was work. When they were resting (a polite term for out of work), they depended on their savings, if they had any, and the charity of friends and relatives to get through the lean times. Having young children complicated this situation. Fame-starved entertainers joined a theater company and took the show on the road. Since the companies could keep actors employed for weeks or months at a time, which meant their children either tagged along or were left behind. For some lucky children, the Dorothea Dix Hall Association offered stability, good food, education and the comfort of a home environment. Through the words of those closest to it, these letters reveal the brief but valuable history of this charitable organization-and the fond memories it created.