Editorial comment for this plate:

LAWRENCE BARRETT.

We are pleased to give our readers this week a phototype from Mr. Gutekunst’s excellent negative of the lamented Lawrence Barrett. The likeness shows the strong face of the tragedian, with his fiery eyes, his determined mouth, and the grizzled hair over the impressive forehead. A study of this face goes far toward explaining the reason why the “lean and hungry” Cassius of “Julius Caesar” was Lawrence Barrett’s greatest achievement on the stage. As some one has said, physical gifts and personal limitations count for more in the actor’s calling than in any other profession, and so it was, that by the very limitations of Lawrence Barrett, he excelled in the great characters which he chose to enact.

Mr. Barrett’s recent death, and the consequent newspaper notices of his career which every one has read, make it unnecessary for us to speak of his life at this time. Perhaps no actor was better known throughout the entire country than Lawrence Barrett, who was manager and author as well as actor.

Lawrence Barrett: 1838-1891

Lawrence Patrick Barrett was an American stage actor. Barrett began his career in 1853 in Detroit and made his first New York appearance in 1856. Barrett enlisted for the American Civil War in 1862, but resigned in 1863. He later managed the California Theatre in San Francisco from 1868 to 1870 alongside John McCullough. Barrett performed a variety of roles, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth. He was especially known for his portrayal of Cardinal Richelieu in Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s drama. Barrett acted in London on multiple occasions and produced and starred in several plays. He frequently collaborated with fellow stage actor Edwin Booth, touring together and achieving immense success. Barrett’s health began to decline in 1890, and he died in 1891 during a performance of Richelieu.—Wikipedia (2026)