Helen Potter's Impersonations

the long version

Helen Potter was an elocutionist, teacher, and platform impersonator. She was especially active as a costumed impersonator of popular orators and actors in the 1870s and 1880s. In this book she provides detailed instructions about how to develop and perform impersonations. She includes examples of her approach to creating many characters, including Susan B. Anthony, Sarah Bernhardt, Edwin Booth, Charlotte Cushman, Anna Dickinson, John B. Gough, Helena Modjeska, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Oscar Wilde. The hardback edition of this book also includes several photographs of the orators or actors being depicted and, in a few cases, photographs of Potter in costume.