A brief but exceedingly rare autograph letter from the expatriate African-American Shakespearean actor, who made a name for himself as an actor in London and is one of the most celebrated artists of his time for breaking gender and racial barriers onstage. He is widely considered to be the first notable African American actor.  1 page. 22 Kidd Place [London], Friday 3 PM (No date/year), in full: "Dear Sir ["Marius Davies Esq"], Please to oblige me with your account in connection with Mrs. Aldridge. I am yours / Very respectfully / Ira Aldridge." Left edge slightly rough, light staining to corners, overall fine. Incredibly, we have been unable to find any record of even a single other letter from Aldridge ever having appeared at auction or within the trade. 4.5 x 7.25 inches; 11.5 x 18.5 cm. Together with a modern photographic reprint of an engraving depicting Aldridge as Aaron from Titus Andronicus.

Born in New York City, New York to free blacks Reverend Daniel and Lurona Aldridge, he joined the prestigious African Grove Theatre, an all-black theatre troupe in 1821, but emigrated in 1824 in search of greater opportunities. He moved to England and made his debut in London in 1825 as Othello at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, a role he would remain associated with until his death. The critic reviews gave Aldridge the name Roscius (the celebrated Roman actor of tragedy and comedy). Aldridge embraced it and began using the stage name “The African Roscius.” He even created the myth that he was the descendant of a Senegalese Prince whose family was forced to escape to the United States to save their lives. This deception erased Aldridge’s American upbringing and cast him as an exotic and almost magical being. He slowly worked his way up through the regional theaters of Great Britain and Ireland and went on to a long career, touring frequently and collecting honors around Europe as one of England's leading actors. He is the only actor of African descent to be honored with a plaque at the Shakespeare Memorial Theater.

Aldridge married Margaret Gill, an Englishwoman from Yorkshire, in 1825 and they were married for 40 years until she died in 1864. While his wife’s health was beginning to decline, Aldridge began a relationship with a Swedish singer named Amanda Brandt, who also enjoyed making up family ancestry, and who falsely claimed to be a baroness. They were married in 1865, a year after the death of his first wife. We have been unable to find any record of Aldridge residing on Kidd Place in London and are thus unable to determine which period and thus which "Mrs Aldridge" is referred to in the present note.