Anna Cora Ogden, 1729-1978 (bulk, 1850-1978)
Series
Scope and Content
From the Collection:
The collection revolves around the internationally recognized sculptor and longtime resident of Santa Fe -- Eugenie Fredericka Shonnard. The bulk of the collection is from the mid-nineteenth century to the late 1970s. The collection is arranged both topically and chronologically. Biographical sketches precede those individuals whose papers comprise a significant portion of the overall collection.
Collection consists of letters, diaries, ledgers, clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, business and financial documents. Collection also includes the papers of her husband Edward Gordon Ludlum, her father Frederic Shonnard, her mother Eugenie Smyth Shonnard, her friend and mentor Alphonse Mucha, and her friend Pedro Ribera Ortega. Among the Shonnard family's papers are genealogies and family histories of the Shonnard, Smyth, and Seymour families.
Collection consists of letters, diaries, ledgers, clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, business and financial documents. Collection also includes the papers of her husband Edward Gordon Ludlum, her father Frederic Shonnard, her mother Eugenie Smyth Shonnard, her friend and mentor Alphonse Mucha, and her friend Pedro Ribera Ortega. Among the Shonnard family's papers are genealogies and family histories of the Shonnard, Smyth, and Seymour families.
Dates
- 1729-1978 (bulk, 1850-1978)
Language of Materials
From the Collection:
English.
Access Restrictions
None
Biographical / Historical
Anna Cora Ogden (3-5-1819 to 7-21-1870) was born in Bordeaux, France, where her father Samuel Ogden worked as the American agent for several French exporting firms. After return of the Ogdens to the United States in 1826, Anna continued her education at home and attended a boarding school for four years. Anna eloped at the age of fifteen to marry James Mowatt, a wealthy New York attorney thirteen years her senior. She initially wrote and published verse for amusement, but later turned to her writings and public readings as a means of support when her husband lost his fortune to speculation in 1841. Encouraged by Espes Sargent, a friend and literary mentor, Anna tried her hand at playwriting. The five act play, Fashion, her best-known work, was written in 1845, and subsequently became a success in the United States and the British Isles. This in turn led to Anna's debut in 1845 as an actress. For eight years she reigned as one of the foremost actresses on the English speaking stage. James Mowatt died in 1851. Anna made her last stage appearance in 1854 and shortly thereafter married her second and last husband, William Foushee Ritchie, the editor of the Richmond Enquirer. Anna left her husband and Richmond for New England at the outbreak of the Civil War. Anna later relocated in England where she died in Twickenham having spent the remaining years of her life writing and fighting the final battle against tuberculosis--the disease having troubled her since 1837 when the symptoms were diagnosed.
Extent
From the Collection: 12 Linear Feet
Repository Details
Part of the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library Repository
Contact:
Fray Angélico Chávez History Library
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Ave
Sante Fe NM 87501 USA
(505) 476-5090
historylibrary@state.nm.us
Fray Angélico Chávez History Library
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Ave
Sante Fe NM 87501 USA
(505) 476-5090
historylibrary@state.nm.us