Louise Woodworth Foss

Louisa Woodworth Sanborn Foss (April 19, 1841 in Thetford, Vermont[1] – September 22, 1892 in Malden, Massachusetts[2]) was regarded as the best American elocutionist in her day.

Compared to Charlotte Cushman, Foss was counted among the first woman elocutionists in the world.

[3] She became a teacher and subsequently married Eliphalet J. Foss, the Boston photographer.

After a few years of home life, she adopted the profession of an elocutionist, studying with Richard Reeve Baxter of Harvard College.

Her local reputation as a reader was long known to the literary circles of Boston,[4] where she was affiliated with the Boston Academy of Elocution and Dramatic Arts.