mark twain history – Regarding Books

Colonel Sellers is a character who first made an appearance in Mark Twain’s novel, The Guilded Age, published in 1873. The Guilded Age is the only novel that was a written collaboration between Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. The novel criticizes a period of gross materialism and blatant political corruption in U.S. history during the 1870s.

The Guilded Age gave rise to a play called Colonel Sellers who was portrayed by the actor John T. Raymond. This card was a picture taken of the actor during a performance in Dubuque, Indiana, in June of 1879. The gilt card is in fine condition.

There are numerous other cards depicting John T. Raymond in our collection including Between the Acts and Bravo Cigarettes. This is one of a set of over 500 cards issued between 1880 and 1892.

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This is an old, clipped newspaper article (newspaper unknown and date unknown) titled and sub-titled:

GOT MARK TWAIN STIRRED UP

Humorist, Tired of Listening to Series of Remarkable Stories, Rose to the Occasion.

Here is the content of the article:

A naval officer said at a banquet in New York:
“Some of the war stories that I hear remind me of Mark Twain. Mark, you know, once sat in the smoking room of a steamer and listened for an hour or two to some remarkable lies. Then he drawled:”

‘”Boys, these feats of yours that you’ve been telling about recall an adventure of my own in Hannibal. There was a fire in Hannibal one night, and old man Hankinson got caught in the fourth story of the burning house. It looked as if he was a goner. None of the ladders was long enough to reach him. The crowd stared at one another with awed eyes. Nobody could think of anything to do. Then all of a sudden, boys, an idea occurred to me. “Fetch me a rope!” I yelled. Somebody fetched a rope, and with great presence of mind I flung the end of it up to the old man. “Tie her round your waist!” I yelled. Old man Hankinson did so and I pulled him down.’”

Tag: mark twain history

Actor John T. Raymond Plays Mark Twain’s Colonel Sellers Character

Mark Twain’s Quick Thinking Saved Old Man Hankinson