Carte de visite photograph, 4 1/8 x 2 1/2", portrays the actor as Rip Van Winkle. Sarony & Co., imprint. Paste on label on back for Lovejoy & Foster, Chicago. Fine tonality, condition and clarity.
Joseph Jefferson (1829-1905), American actor, best known for his portrayal of Rip Van Winkle. A member of a family of actors descended from the British actor Thomas Jefferson, he was born in Philadelphia. He made his stage debut at the age of three and toured with his family for a number of years. In 1865 in London he played for the first time the title role in a new theatrical version of Rip Van Winkle, adapted for him by the Irish-American playwright Dion Boucicault. For many years thereafter Jefferson continued to delight audiences all over the world as the astonished Yankee who had awakened after a 20-year nap.