William Dunlap

Bio

(1766-1839) Dramatist, theatrical manager. Born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He was first a portrait painter, but then wrote plays for the American Company. His second comedy, “The Father; or, American Shandyism,” produced in 1789, was his first success. “The Fatal Deception; or, The Progress of Guilt” (1794; pub. 1806 as Leicester) and “Fontainville Abbey” (1795) are excellent examples of the Gothic romance school. His “AndrÉ” (1798), a tragedy based on an actual occurrence in the Revolution, was the first native play on American material. He was a partner in the American Company (1796-97) and he later was manager of the Park Theatre, New York City (1798-1805). To meet the demand for new drama, he translated and adapted numerous French and German plays. Dunlap was a founder and secretary of the National Academy of Design. His “History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of Design in the United States” (1834) are invaluable source books and contain important autobiographical material.