Historical Figures

Some basics on the more prominent historical figures of Ragtime:

Henry Ford: “Every worker, a cog in motion, well that’s the notion of Henry Ford.” (Lyrics from Ragtime)

“Ford established the final proposition of the theory of industrial manufacture-not only that the parts of the finished product be interchangeable but that the men who build the products be themselves interchangeable parts” (Doctorow from his novel Ragtime)

Born in 1863, Henry Ford was one of the most influential American industrialists of the early 20th century, most famous for his creation of the Model T automobile which democratized car ownership in the U.S.. As the above lyrics from Ragtime suggest, Ford advanced a way of mass producing his cars by using an assembly line of specialized workers for maximum efficiency. In the musical Ragtime, Coalhouse Walker’s purchase of one of Ford’s automobile’s stands as a statement of his claim to participate in the American Dream. The relationship to this car –and to the dream it symbolized- ultimately becomes a catalyst for the tragic actions that unfold in the play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P3Y6bAv8ms&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P3Y6bAv8ms&feature=player_embedded

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Emma Goldman: "Let me at those sons of bitches! These men are the demons who are sucking your very souls dry! I hate them!"

"The radical anarchist Emma Goldman fought against the
ravages of American capitalism as she watched her fellow immigrants' hopes turn to despair on the Lower East Side." (From the Prologue to Ragtime)

"I wanted to do more with Emma Goldman, but the book ended before I could." (Doctorow on Ragtime)

Notorious for her activist political rhetoric, Goldman was a prominent figure in the  development of the anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe during the earlier parts of the Twentieth century. A Russian immigrant herself, Goldman joined the anarchist movement in 1889 and was at the prime of her anarchist involvement in 1906, where she also founded the anarchist journal Mother Earth. She lectured on women's rights and social issues, and was jailed numerous times mostly due to starting riots and inducing violent acts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTCMcO4WTjE

Harry Houdini: “For all his achievements, he knew he was only an illusionist. He wanted to believe
there was more...” (From the prologue to Ragtime)

“His dedication to the perfection of what he did reflected an American ideal…” (Excerpt from Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow)

Like other characters who populate the world of Ragtime, the historical “Harry Houdini” came to America as a young immigrant. Son of a rabbi, Erich Weisz was born on March 24th, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, and would rename himself Harry Houdini in 1894 in honor of the famous French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. His show would become the highest paid act in American vaudeville, featuring daring acts of escape and illusion. Through the years, his act escalated from escaping from handcuffs to straightjackets to nailed packing crates. Most famous was his escape from the “Chinese Water Torture chamber” which required him to hold his breath for 3 minutes while he got out of his restraints. In the novel, Doctorow comments on his enduring significance: “today nearly fifty years since his death the audience for escapes is even larger.”


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3r8qr-p9z5g

Matthew Henson: “Because of the light, the faces are indistinguishable, seen only as black blanks framed by caribou fur.” (Excerpt from Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow)

“Peary defined the virtues of Eskimos as loyalty and obedience, roughly the same virtues one sought in the dogs ... Driving Henson and the Esquimos mercilessly, he had refused to let them sleep more than an hour or two at the end of each arduous day.” (Excerpt from Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow)

An African-American explorer best known for his expeditions with Robert Peary, Matthew Henson may have been the first person to reach the North Pole on a journey with five others in 1906. Though Peary had to be pulled by sled during the later part of the hike, Henson was neglected for his service and assistance on this expedition in particular, skeptically because of his race. Approximately thirty years later, Henson was awarded a duplicate silver medal given to Peary for their excursion to the North Pole in 1944. He spent the majority of his life after the climb working as a clerk in a federal customs house in New York.

JP Morgan: “Like Pharoahs reincarnate, stood J.P. Morgan” (From the prologue to Ragtime)

“He had once arranged a loan to the United States Government that had saved it from bankruptcy. He had single handedly stopped the panic of 1907 by arranging for the importation of one hundred million dollars in gold bullion” (from E.L. Doctorow)

J.P. Morgan was a titan of the American business world in the late nineteenth and early 20th century. By the time of his death in 1913, Morgan had become one of the most influential financiers and bankers in U.S. history. Despite his enormous financial success, Morgan was heavily criticized during the “progressive era” for his ruthless pursuit of wealth. In the play, his monopolistic business practices stand in stark contrast to politics of Emma Goldman and “Younger Brother” who represent the working class Morgan was accused of oppressing.

Evelyn Nesbit: "Evelyn Nesbit was the most beautiful woman in America,If she wore her hair in curls, every woman wore her hair
in curls."

"After her husband shot her lover, Evelyn became the biggest
attraction in Vaudeville since Tom Thumb." (From the Prologue to Ragtime)

Born as Florence Evelyn Nesbit, the young American chorus girl and model was at the prime of her entertainment career at the top of the 20th century. Considered the Marilyn Monroe of this era, Nesbit began as a novice model in New York where she was known as the prominent source of income for her family, as early as age twelve. In 1901, she began exploring the realm of live performance by joining the chorus line of a popular show by the name of Florodora where she met Stanford White, another company member and notorious womanizer who immortalized her as The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing. Starting one of the most scandalous love triangles in history, White was murdered at the hands of her jealous husband, Harry Kendall Thaw.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D0DE7DA1E3EE733A25755C2A9609C946797D6CF

Admiral Peary: "It's men like you who've made this country great." (Lyrics from Ragtime)

On exploration: “it proposed that human beings, by the act of making witness, warranted times and places for their existence other than the time and place they were living through” (From Ragtime by Doctorow)

Admiral Robert E. Peary, US Navy (1856 – 1920) was an American explorer, most famous for his expeditions in pursuit of the North Pole, which Peary was credited with reaching in 1909. Peary embodied the American spirit of adventure in the age of Teddy Roosevelt, who said of his trip to the North Pole: 'Peary, I believe in you and if it is possible for men to get there, I know you'll do it.'

Harry Kendall Thaw: "Mr. Henry Thaw...eccentric millionaire...a jealous man." (Excerpt from "The Crime of the Century of Ragtime)

"I did it because he ruined my wife! He had it coming to him. He took advantage of the girl and then he abandoned her!"


Thaw was an heir to his father's railroad fortune, and he carelessly spent it as he tried to attain the lavish party life of a socialite, allegedly coining the term "playboy". With exhibitions of sociopath behavior, Thaw's mental illness caused him to engage in dangerous activities, harming himself and others. Thaw is most well-known for murdering Stanford White, the lover of Thaw's wife, Evelyn Nesbit Thaw.

Booker T. Washington: "For the sum of my life I have lived in hope we might all be Christian brothers. I have worked to persuade every white-skinned man that he need not fear our race." (Excerpt from "Look What You've Done" of Ragtime)

"In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." (Excerpt from Atlanta Compromise speech)

Washington was a bi-racial man who was an essential leader to the African-American community, founding the Tuskegee Institute, the National Negro Business League, and delivering the Atlanta Compromise speech in 1895. He believed in Blacks earning social rights and respect through "industry, thrift, intelligence, and property", contrasting with W.E.B. DuBois' more aggressive and demanding approach. Washington would often pacify white Southern leaders by assuring them that Blacks were fit to stay in a lower social rank, content to work laborious and agricultural jobs.

Stanford White: "He's a famous architect!" (Excerpt from "The Crime of the Century" of Ragtime)

"He put me on a velvet swing, and made me wear--well--hardly anything!" (Excerpt from "The Crime of the Century" of Ragtime)

White was an architect who designed various public projects in New York City, such as the second Madison Square Garden and the Washington Square Park Arch. He also designed homes for high-society families in the city, as well as in New Rochelle, New York. He was romantically involved with his chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, until Ms. Thaw's husband Harry Kendall Thaw murdered White on Madison Square Garden's rooftop.