Margaret Mather

She was one of the most famous Shakespearean actresses in the 1880s, although her reputation arose as much from clever publicity as from her skill.

Heavy advance publicity guaranteed a large turnout, but response to her performance was mixed.

She was a manifest failure as Joan of Arc in a translation of Jules Barbier's play on that subject in 1890.

The production, at Wallack's Theatre,[1] was lavish, costing forty thousand dollars, but it failed; the play was too little-known to attract large audiences, and Mather herself was judged too emotional to succeed in the role.

[3] Mather was buried in a white gown from her role as Juliet on Easter Sunday.