Maude Adams

Maude Adams (1872–1953) was an American stage actress celebrated for portraying Peter Pan and for her long association with playwright J. M. Barrie.

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Peter Pan: A boy who refuses to grow up, created by J. M. Barrie and featured in his plays and fiction. Adams made the role iconic in the Broadway production that opened in 1905.
J. M. Barrie: A Scottish novelist and playwright best known for creating Peter Pan. Barrie wrote roles that became closely associated with Adams, especially Peter Pan.
San Francisco: A major California city on the Pacific coast. Adams was born there and began her acting career in its theaters.
Color photography: Photographic methods that record and reproduce color rather than only brightness. Adams supported early color-photography research to improve stage lighting and costumes.
The Little Minister: J. M. Barrie’s play adapted from his 1891 novel about a minister in a Scottish village. Adams’s performance as Lady Babbie helped establish her as a leading star.
Charles Frohman: An American theatrical producer who became one of Broadway’s most influential managers. Frohman managed Adams and produced many of her best-known stage appearances.
California Theatre: A historic San Francisco theater that opened in 1869 and hosted major touring productions. Adams appeared there as a child performer with her mother.
Kinemacolor: An early color-motion-picture process that used alternating red and green filters. Adams helped fund experiments with this process for possible theatrical applications.
Quality Street: J. M. Barrie’s comedy about two sisters whose lives are altered by war and changing fortune. Adams starred in its 1901 Broadway production, another major Barrie collaboration.
John Singer Sargent: An American portrait painter known for elegant portraits of prominent people. Sargent painted Adams in a portrait that helped preserve her public image.