Mrs. John Wood (Matilda Charlotte Vining) (ca. 1831-1915)

Born in Britain, Vining became a popular American actress and theater manager. She made her U.S. debut in 1854 in Boston. In 1858 she headed west and managed two theaters in California. By 1860 Vining had returned to New York to manage Laura Keene’s Varieties Theater, renaming it Mrs. John Wood’s Olympic Theater. Vining continued to manage theaters in New York as well as London until 1893. This carte de visite is by Napoleon Sarony, the famous photographer to the stars, in New York City.