Tom Taylor

Our American Cousin Tom Taylor

Tom Taylor's popular play, adored by audiences and infamous for its connection to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Asa Trenchard, a well-meaning but uncultured American, travels to England to claim an estate. There, he meets his English relatives, who are members of the aristocracy. A clash of cultures ensues. The play is well known for the character of the befuddled Lord Dundreary, who made famous both Dundrearies (bushy sideburns and whiskers) and Dundrearyisms, which combine two otherwise unconnected aphorisms. President Abraham Lincoln was attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D. C. on April 14, 1865 when he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.