Mr. Hackett, in the Character of Rip Van Winkle

A character actor who specialized in comic "types,” James Henry Hackett was among the first performers to parlay a successful theatrical career in the United States into triumph on the British stage. Prior to his theatrical debut in 1826, Hackett had amused friends with his gift for mimicry. He later drew on his talent for imitating regional dialects and characteristics in a succession of comic roles. President Abraham Lincoln, an avid theatergoer, was particularly intrigued by Hackett’s performances, and invited him to the White House in 1863 to discuss Shakespeare. Hackett later moved into theater management, producing, and playwriting.

This painting shows Hackett in the role of Rip Van Winkle, as performed in an 1830 production based on Washington Irving’s 1819 story. The role was particularly appropriate for the young United States: Sometime before 1775, the colonial Rip falls asleep and awakens twenty years later, astonished by his transformed world.