Charles Farrar Browne

See also Artemas Ward (disambiguation).

Charles Farrar Browne
"Artemus Ward"
Born	April 26, 1834 Waterford, Maine
Died	March 6, 1867 (aged 32) Southampton, Hampshire
Nationality	American
Occupation	humorist

Charles Farrar Browne (April 26, 1834 – March 6, 1867) was a United States humor writer, better known under his nom de plume, Artemus Ward. At birth, his surname was "Brown"; he added the "e" after he became famous.^[1]

Biography

Browne was born in Waterford, Maine. He began life as a compositor and occasional contributor to the daily and weekly journals. In 1858, he published in The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) the first of the "Artemus Ward" series, which, in a collected form, achieved great popularity in both America and England. Brownes' companion at the Plain Dealer George Hoyt wrote "his desk was a rickety table which had been whittled and gashed until it looked as if it had been the victim of lightning. His chair was a fit companion thereto, a wabbling, unsteady affair, sometimes with four and sometimes with three legs. But Browne saw neither the table, nor the chair, nor any person who might be near, nothing, in fact, but the funny pictures which were tumbling out of his brain. When writing, his gaunt form looked ridiculous enough. One leg hung over the arm of his chair like a great hook, while he would write away, sometimes laughing to himself, and then slapping the table in the excess of his mirth."^[2] In 1860, he became editor of Vanity Fair, a humorous New York weekly, which proved a failure. About the same time, he began to appear as a lecturer and, by his droll and eccentric humor, attracted large audiences.

"Artemus Ward" was the favorite author of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Before presenting "The Emancipation Proclamation" to his Cabinet, Lincoln read to them the latest episode, "Outrage in Utiky", also known as High-Handed Outrage at Utica.

Ward is also said to have inspired Mark Twain when Ward performed in Virginia City, Nevada. Legend has it that, following Ward's stage performance, he, Mark Twain, and Dan De Quille were taking a drunken rooftop tour of Virginia City until a town constable threatened to blast all three of them with a shotgun loaded with rock salt.

In 1866, Ward visited England, where he became exceedingly popular both as a lecturer and as a contributor to Punch. In the spring of the following year, Ward's health gave way and he died of tuberculosis at Southampton on March 6, 1867.

After initially being buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, Ward's remains were removed to the United States on May 20, 1868. He is buried at Elm Vale Cemetery in Waterford, Maine.

Stories

• A Visit to Brigham Young
• Women's Rights
• One of Mr Ward's Business Letters
• On "Forts"
• Fourth of July Oration
• High-Handed Outrage at Utica
• Artemus Ward and the Prince of Wales
• Interview with Lincoln
• Letters to his Wife

Books

• Artemus Ward His Book
• Artemus Ward His Panorama
• Artemus Ward among the Mormons
• Artemus Ward in London

References

1. Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson, ed. Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc. pp. 400–401.
2. The Complete Works of Artemus Ward by Melville D. Landon, 1898 page 16

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ward, Artemus". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

• Works by Artemus Ward at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Artemus Ward at Internet Archive
• Works by Charles Farrar Browne at Open Library
• Photos from the Maine Historical Society
• 3 short radio episodes of Ward's writing from California Legacy Project.
• Seitz, Don Caros. Artemus Ward (Charles Farrar Browne): a biography and bibliography (1919) (full text online)