English dramatist and editor (1817-1880) who had a prolific theatre career as a playwright, with up to 100 plays staged during his career. His most famous, 1858’s Our American Cousin, was the piece that was being performed in the presence of Abraham Lincoln when he was assassinated in 1865. ALS, one page both sides, 4.75 x 7.5, Local Government Act Office letterhead, October 15. Handwritten letter, in part: “Have you had a talk yet with Robson about the Xmas piece? Are you willing to…use the ‘Fool’s Revenge’ as condition of my doing the same amount of work for you gratis? Let me know.” In fine condition. In 1869, Taylor wrote the play The Fool’s Revenge, an adaptation of Victor Hugo's Le roi s'amuse, which was produced by Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth’s older brother, Edwin Booth, who also frequently starred in the role of Bertuccio, a jester, in this tragedy.
