By Molly Thomas
Master Julian Reed was born February 23, 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were John Roland Reed and Mary Lewis.[1] According to historian T. Allston Brown, Julian Reed began performing as a child actor in Philadelphia when he was “but a few weeks of age.” His first infantile performance was likely as The Baby in an 1863 production of Madelaine, the Foundling of Paris, at the Walnut Street Theatre.[2] A few years later, in November 1867, he appeared in John Brougham’s Lottery of Life at the Walnut Street Theatre, and distinguished himself as both a “fancy dancer” (a technical dancer) and a character delineator. He was featured in the show doing a Sailor’s Hornpipe, a Scotch Fling, and imitations of Edwin Forrest and Junius Brutus Booth.[3] In 1868, Brougham took Lottery of Life to Wallack’s Theatre in New York, and Reed went too. In a review of the New York show, The Daily Phoenix singled Reed out for his “capital dancing,” which reportedly delighted audience members and earned nightly encores.[4]
After his New York debut, Reed returned to Philadelphia, where excitement over his performances grew. In September 1869, when he performed at the Theatre Comique, doing songs, dances, and imitations of celebrity actors, he was advertised in The Evening Telegraph as “The American prodigy.”[5] This, despite the fact that he was only the opening act for a headlining production of Little Nell’s Appeal, which featured celebrated actress Miss Rosalie Jack. After the success of his Theatre Comique performances, in 1871, Reed accompanied Miss Rosalie Jack and J.H. Jack to the Memphis Theater, where again he presented imitations of American and European stage celebrities.[6] At the Memphis Theater he also took a more prominent role as Little Pickle in The Spoiled Child.[7] Reed was praised for both acts, with the Public Ledger hailing him as “the child wonder,”[8] “the young phenomenon,”[9] and asserting that he would astonish all theatregoers with his “startling representations.”[10]
In 1874, Reed performed with one of America’s foremost actors, Mr. Joseph Jefferson. Jefferson had travelled to England, Australia, and throughout the United States with his play Rip Van Winkle, in which he played the lead character Rip (a loveable drunk). In 1874, he brought it to an audience of at least two thousand people at Booth’s Theatre in New York. Reed was a member of the cast. He played Young Hendrick (an earnest Dutch boy) and The Dwarf, and according to a review in the New York Tribune, he proved himself “a bright boy” and “filed, to general acceptance” his two supporting roles.[11]
Between 1874 and 1884 Reed’s actions and whereabouts are largely unknown. He may have been married, perhaps even twice. The first time to Miss Mary D. Gordon, and the second to a woman named Margaret E. It is also possible that he toured through the south with his brother-in-law, singing and dancing in various cities; however, all of these details are unconfirmed.[12]
One explanation for Julian’s disappearance is the growing prevalence of his brother Roland Reed on the national theatre scene during the 1870s. Roland (born 1852) was eight years older that Julian. Also a child actor, he was early on engaged by Mrs. John Drew at the Arch Street Theatre, where he remained until around 1870.[13] Shortly afterward, Roland began working as a low comedian in the company at The Academy of Music in New Orleans.[14] By the mid 1870s he was being given starring roles and had become a favourite in New Orleans and St. Louis.[15] In 1879 he was performing with the Colville Opera Burlesque Company,[16] and in 1880, with financial endorsement from managers Gulick and Blaisdell, he starred in a touring production of Augustin Daly’s “An Arabian Night.”[17] In 1881, Roland’s own theatre company had fully formed. Its first success was a comedy called Cheek, which played throughout America from 1881-1885.[18]
Around 1884, Julian Reed’s name reappears in American newspapers. In January of that year, he played a character called Jabez Duck in The Romany Rye at the Opera House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This play, written by George Borrow, had been highly successfully for two years at the Princess Theatre in London, and had already been made popular in many American cities. In Milwaukee, it was produced with a cast of seventy-five, which (the advertisements boasted) included twenty-seven “actual ‘gypsies’” along with seventeen changes of scenery.[19]
In 1885, Reed played Jester Judkins in Burr Oaks at The National Theatre in Philadelphia. He was acknowledged by one critic for successfully holding up the humorous side of the piece. The show itself was described as a “picturesque melodrama,” with “settings that were more than ordinarily pretty.” Though the plot was deemed fairly unoriginal.[20]
It was shortly after this production that Julian joined his brother Roland’s touring company as a stock actor. In 1887 the Roland Reed Company performed Humbug at the Academy of Music. Julian played a character called Dick Podds, while Roland played the lead, a “humbug” named Jack Luster.[21] In 1889 the company performed The Woman Hater in Chicago. Roland again played the lead, Samuel Bundy, and Julian played a minor character called Olando Hawkins.[22] Julian Reed continued performing with his brother’s company throughout the 1890s. He played supporting roles in a number of comedies, such as The Club Friend,[23] Lend me Your Wife (as Wilkins, the doctor’s boy),[24] and The Politician.[25]
It is difficult to gauge how Julian might have felt about his minor position in Roland’s company. Little information is available concerning the relationship of the two brothers. Certainly it’s clear that both boys showed talent at an early age, yet it was Roland who captured the prestige of lead roles in adulthood. Julian, on the other hand, went from a fancy-dancing, celebrity-impersonating “child wonder” to being a commendable actor who specialized in dwarfs, jesters, and boy characters.
Notes
[1]“Julian REED,” Tregarthen Genealogy Site, RootsWeb.com, Ancestry.com, Joan Tregarthen Huston, 2014, Web, October 23, 2015, http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgibin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=tregjm&id=I02336
[2] “AMUSEMENTS, WALNUT STREET THEATRE,” North American and United States Gazette (Philadelphia, PA), May 2, 1863, Web, November 18, 2015, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, http://find.galegroup.com/ncnp/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=NCNP&userGroupName=yorku_main&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&docId=GT3008034672&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0
[3] Brown, T. Allston, “Reed, Master Julian,” A History of the American Stage (New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1870), 306, Web, November 18, 2015, Victorian Popular Culture, Adam Matthew, May 4, 2015.
[4] “PLACES OF AMUSEMENT,” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia, SC), June 23, 1868, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027008/1868-06-23/ed-1/seq-3/
[5] “THEATRE COMIQUE, SEVENTH STREET, BELOW ARCH,” The Evening Telegraph (Philadelphia, PA), September 1, 1869, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025925/1869-09-01/ed-1/seq-3/
[6] “To-morrow night,” Public Ledger (Memphis, TN), February 14, 1871, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033673/1871-02-14/ed-1/seq-3/
[7] “AMUSEMENTS. MEMPHIS THEATER,” Public Ledger (Memphis, TN), February 14, 1871, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033673/1871-02-14/ed-1/seq-3/
[8] “Master Julian Reed,” Public Ledger (Memphis, TN), February 15, 1871, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033673/1871-02-15/ed-1/seq-3/
[9] “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Public Ledger (Memphis, TN), February 16, 1871. Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033673/1871-02-16/ed-1/seq-3/
[10] “MEMPHIS THEATER,” Public Ledger (Memphis, TN), February 17, 1871, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033673/1871-02-17/ed-1/seq-3/
[11] “THE DRAMA, BOOTH’S THEATRE,” New-York Tribune, November 10, 1874, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1874-11-10/ed-1/seq-4/
[12] Julian REED,” Tregarthen Genealogy Site.
[13] Brown, “Reed, Master Julian.”
[14] “Academy of Music—The New Season,” New Orleans Republican, September 1, 1872, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016555/1872-09-01/ed-1/seq-1/
[15] “NEW ORLEANS, APRIL 1874,” New Orleans Democrat, April 19, 1874, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016555/1874-04-19/ed-1/seq-4/
[16] “AMUSEMENTS,” Cincinnati Daily Star, September 23, 1879, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025759/1879-09-23/ed-1/seq-1/
[17] “Amusements,” The Ottawa Free Trader, August 14, 1880, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84038582/1880-08-14/ed-1/seq-2/
[18] “AMUSEMENTS,” Fort Worth Daily Gazette, February 2, 1884, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86064205/1884-02-02/ed-1/seq-8/“OPERA HOUSE,” Dallas Daily Herald, January 30, 1885, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025733/1885-01-30/ed-1/seq-1/
[19] “The Drama, THE LOCAL STAGE,” Milwaukee Sentinel, January 20, 1884, Web, November 18, 2015, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/ncnp/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=NCNP&userGroupName=yorku_main&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&docId=GT3003290702&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 c:set var=”TI” value=”The Drama”/> <p>What Have Been and What Will Be the Local Attractions <b><i>The Milwaukee Sentinel</i></b>. Jan 20, 1884</p
[20] “‘BURR OAKS’ AT THE NATIONAL,” The North American (Philadelphia, PA), December 22, 1885, Web, November 18, 2015, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/ncnp/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=NCNP&userGroupName=yorku_main&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&docId=GT3009877965&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 c:set var=”TI” value=”Dramatic and Musical”/> <p>Opening of a Season of German Opera at the Academy of Music—John T. Raymond Appears in a New Role—Cella … <b><i>The North American</i></b>. Dec 22, 1885</p
[21] “AMUSEMENTS, ACADEMY OF MUSIC,” The Daily Picayune (New Orleans, LA), January 17, 1887, Web, November 18, 2015, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/ncnp/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=NCNP&userGroupName=yorku_main&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&docId=GT3014200429&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 c:set var=”TI” value=”Amusements”/> <p> <b><i>The Daily Picayune</i></b>. Jan 17, 1887</p
[22] “AMUSEMENTS,” The Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL) October 13, 1889, Web., November 18, 2015, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/ncnp/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=NCNP&userGroupName=yorku_main&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&docId=GT3001375494&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0
[23] “On the occasion…” The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, May 19, 1892, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026844/1892-05-19/ed-1/seq-5/
[24] “ROLAND REED’S PLAYS,” The Wheeling Intelligencer, May 21, 1892, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026844/1892-05-21/ed-1/seq-8/
[25] “The new play,” The Salt Lake Herald, September 2, 1894, Web, November 18, 2015, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058130/1894-09-02/ed-1/seq-12/