BOSTON GAZETTE, April 10, 1809 

* Edgar Allan Poe's mother theater ad (Eliza Arnold Hopkins Poe)

A curious literary item here as the top of page 3 has an advertisement for the "Boston Theatre" for the performance of: "BARBAROSSA", a theatrical performance, with one of the actors being Edgar Allan Poe's mother ("Mrs. Poe) playing "Irene" (see image)
News of the day and other interesting advertisements. Four pages, nice condition.

AI notes: In the spring of 1809, just months after the birth of her son Edgar, Elizabeth Arnold Poe took the stage at the Boston Theatre to portray Irene in John Brown’s popular tragedy, Barbarossa. Performing alongside the celebrated young star John Howard Payne, Elizabeth delivered a performance that highlighted her versatility and resilience; she was a tireless professional who had returned to the grueling schedule of the theater a mere three weeks after labor. As Irene—the conflicted daughter of a usurping tyrant—she occupied a role that demanded emotional depth and "tender personation," qualities for which she was frequently lauded by contemporary critics. This specific engagement served as a high point in her career before the subsequent desertion by her husband, David Poe Jr., and her declining health began to shadow the family's future. The performance remains a poignant snapshot of the "starry-eyed" actress who provided her son with his first exposure to the world of drama and tragedy, long before he would redefine those themes in American literature.