katharine cornell

katharine cornell (1893-1974), or kit to her friends, was dubbed the “first lady of the theatre” for her award-winning acting prowess. in 1921, she married guthrie mcclintic, a young new york city theater director. together the two formed an unstoppable alliance, forming their own theater company where kit would act and guthrie would direct exactly whatever and however they wanted. one of her most famous roles is that of elizabeth barrett in the barrets of wimple street, a play about poet elizabeth barrett browning and her family in london.

historians widely consider kit and guthrie to have had a lavender marriage. guthrie was well known to have relationships with men, and kit had several relationships with women. kit’s long-time partner was nancy hamilton, an actress, playwright, and director of her own accord. and no wonder! nancy self-described herself as “a gay and chatty bachelor girl with a boyish haircut who has beer for breakfast.” when she was a senior at smith college, she shocked her fellow students by sneaking men into male roles for her plays—to much scandal!

kit retired from theatre after guthrie died in 1961, and spent the majority of her time on martha’s vineyard with nancy.