Ada Dwyer Russell
Encyclopedia
Ada
Dwyer Russell (1863–1952), was a Mormon
actress of the stage. She performed on stage in Broadway
and London
.
Dwyer married Harold Russell in 1893 but entered a lifelong separation a few years after their marriage. The couple never sought divorce. In 1909 Russell met writer Amy Lowell
. The two entered into long-term lesbian
relationship, or a "Boston marriage
" (the term for a 19th century romantic female relationship) beginning in 1912, which would last until Lowell's death in 1925. Russell was the subject of many of Lowell's explicit poems, such as the Taxi. Russell was also the executrix of Amy Lowell's will, and burned all her items upon request.
In The Taxi, Lowell conveys a strong sense of her separation from Russell and her pain. Collected in Sword Blades and Poppy Seed (published in September 1914), The Taxi serves as an excellent example of Amy Lowell's "polyphonic prose", in which she experimented with different "rhythmic units".
Lowell left her fortune in a trust to Ada Russell.
Ada (name)
Ada is a feminine given name. One source indicates it originates from a Germanic word meaning "nobility". It can also be a short form of names such as Adelaide and Adeline...
Dwyer Russell (1863–1952), was a Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
actress of the stage. She performed on stage in Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Dwyer married Harold Russell in 1893 but entered a lifelong separation a few years after their marriage. The couple never sought divorce. In 1909 Russell met writer Amy Lowell
Amy Lowell
Amy Lawrence Lowell was an American poet of the imagist school from Brookline, Massachusetts who posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926.- Personal life:...
. The two entered into long-term lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
relationship, or a "Boston marriage
Boston marriage
Boston marriage as a term is said to have been in use in New England in the decades spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe two women living together, independent of financial support from a man. The term was little known until the debut in 2000 of the David Mamet play of the...
" (the term for a 19th century romantic female relationship) beginning in 1912, which would last until Lowell's death in 1925. Russell was the subject of many of Lowell's explicit poems, such as the Taxi. Russell was also the executrix of Amy Lowell's will, and burned all her items upon request.
In The Taxi, Lowell conveys a strong sense of her separation from Russell and her pain. Collected in Sword Blades and Poppy Seed (published in September 1914), The Taxi serves as an excellent example of Amy Lowell's "polyphonic prose", in which she experimented with different "rhythmic units".
Lowell left her fortune in a trust to Ada Russell.