Ford's Theatre

John T. Ford opened the new Ford's Theatre in August 1863. This "magnificent new thespian temple" seated more than 2,000 people. Approximately 1,700 were in the audience for the April 14, 1865, performance of the comedy Our American Cousin. There were three prices for tickets that evening—25 cents for Family Circle (bench seating in the balcony), 75 cents for the Dress Circle, and $1.00 for Orchestra seating. An upper box ticket cost $10.00 and a lower box ticket cost $6.00, but the ticketed boxes were not in use for the April 14th performance. This undated stereocard shows the front of Ford’s Theatre. Stereocards were a popular way for late-nineteenth-century viewers to have a three-dimensional “you were there” look at buildings, landscapes, and other scenes.