"The Contrast", which premiered at New York City's John Street Theater in 1787, was the first American play performed in public by a professional theater company. The play, written by New England-born, Harvard-educated, Royall Tyler was timely, funny, and extremely popular. When the play appeared in print in 1790, George Washington himself appeared at the head of its list of hundreds of subscribers. Reprinted here with annotated footnotes by historian Cynthia A. Kierner, Tyler's play explores the debate over manners, morals, and cultural authority in the decades following American Revolution. Did the American colonists' rejection of monarchy in 1776 mean they should abolish all European social traditions and hierarchies? What sorts of etiquette, amusements, and fashions were appropriate and beneficial? Most important, to be a nation, did Americans need to distinguish themselves from Europeans-and, if so, how? Tyler was not the only American pondering these questions, and Kierner situates the play in its broader historical and cultural contexts. An extensive introduction provides readers with a background on life and politics in the United States in 1787, when Americans were in the midst of nation-building. The book also features a section with selections from contemporary letters, essays, novels, conduct books, and public documents, which debate issues of the era.
ContentsList of Illustrations Preface1 Introduction 2 The Contrast by Royall Tyler 3 Primary Documents A. Arts and Literature in Post-Revolutionary America B. Virtues and Vices of the Theater C. Lord Chester?eld and His Critics D. The Follies of FashionE. The Ideal WifeF. The Ideal Husband G. Educating American YouthH. The Meaning of Equality Suggested Reading Index About the Author IllustrationsAdvertisement for The Contrast, 1787 Frontispiece from the Columbian Magazine, 1789 The Declaration of Independence, by John Trumbull, 1787 Royall Tyler Plan of the City of New York, 1789 George Washington, by Jean-Antoine Houdon, 1785-1792 Title page from The Contrast, 1790 Frontispiece from The Contrast, 1790 Miss Carolina Sullivan, 1776 The Toilet, 1786 A Morning Ramble, or, The Milliner's Shop, 1782 The Copley Family, by John Singleton Copley, 1776-1777 The Washington Family, by Edward Savage, 1789-1796
