Charles Farrar Browne
Charles Farrar Browne, born on a small New England farm, emerged as a prominent American humorist in the 19th century, best known for his comic persona, Artemus Ward. At a young age, he apprenticed as a printer and honed his skills in journalism, eventually settling in Boston where he began writing humorous articles that depicted rustic life and characters. His success led him to become the editor at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where he developed the Artemus Ward character—a traveling showman characterized by rural vernacular and naive charm. Browne's wit and creativity gained him national fame, culminating in his role at Vanity Fair, where his works were compiled into published collections. His performances of comedic lectures drew large audiences, including a memorable encounter with President Abraham Lincoln. Following successful tours across the U.S. and into Canada, Browne took his act to England, where he received widespread acclaim. Sadly, his promising career was cut short by tuberculosis, leading to his death in 1867 in Southampton. Browne's legacy endures as a significant figure in American humor and literature.
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Charles Farrar Browne
Humor Writer
- Born: April 26, 1834
- Birthplace: Waterford, Maine
- Died: March 6, 1867
- Place of death: Southampton, England
Biography
Charles Farrar Browne was born on a small farm in New England to a father who was at times a farmer and at times a storekeeper. By thirteen he had been apprenticed to a printer in Lancaster, New Hampshire, and he began learning the newspaper trade. He worked for several New England newspapers before settling down with a Boston print shop in 1851. During his years in Boston, he began publishing humorous articles, trying out in sketches the comic portraits of rustic people that would one day make him a household name. After relocating to Ohio as a printer’s assistant, he began working as an editor in Toledo and then at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
While working in Cleveland, he began writing comic stories from the point of view of a traveling showman who approached life with a combination of worldly ignorance, rural vernacular (and misspellings), country humor and rustic naiveté. This character was named Artemus Ward, and before long Browne’s name became so associated with Ward’s that the appellation became Browne’s pseudonym. Writing of (and as) Ward, Browne soon became popular enough that he was able to move to New York and assume a position with Vanity Fair, where he worked until 1862.
During Browne’s tenure with Vanity Fair, his reputation was such that his writings were collected and published under the title Artemus Ward: His Book. Two more collections of his articles would be published over the next few years as well. Not long afterward, he made the acquaintance of famous show promoter E. R. Hingston, who convinced Browne that he should develop Ward’s dramatic persona. Drawing from many of his previous works, Browne created a comedic “lecture” titled “The Babes in the Woods. “ He first performed in New London, Connecticut, then in Boston, and eventually in New York, all to great acclaim. Reportedly, his fame and popularity were such at this time that Abraham Lincoln laughed heartily at one of Browne’s newspaper columns recounting a fictional encounter between the president and Ward, and that same day went on to sign the Emancipation Proclamation.
With Hingston’s guidance and management, Browne visited San Francisco and met such great success that he went on to present his comic lectures throughout California and Nevada. During this time, he made friends with a young newspaper writer named Samuel Clemens (better known as Mark Twain), upon whom he would have a great influence; Browne helped get Clemens’s first short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” published.
After his success in touring both the East and West Coasts of the United States, as well as sizeable portions of Canada, Browne decided that he should present his Artemus Ward comic lectures in England. He sailed to England in the summer of 1866, and yet again his routines were met with great acclaim. It was during his trip to England, however, that Browne eventually succumbed to tuberculosis. He died in the spring of 1867 in Southhampton.