Transatlantic fame: European celebrities in nineteenth-century America

Drawing attention to the work that has been done on celebrity in Britain and America in the nineteenth century, this special issue argues for the importance of exploring the transnational dimensions of celebrity in this era. It underlines and explores the provocative implications of nineteenth-century US culture honouring, celebrating or memorialising European writers, performers and artists at a time when it was attempting to establish its cultural independence from Europe. This introductory essay outlines the insights and nuances offered by the articles in this special issue to current understanding of the popularity, reputations and cultural power of European celebrities in the US and of the nature of transatlantic celebrity. Clarifying the interdisciplinary perspective provided by this collection of essays, this introduction briefly surveys the lives, careers and activities of very different European celebrities who, by appealing to US audiences, enjoyed public recognition as orators, performers, artists, lecturers and writers.