Annie Louise Cary as Amneris, ca. 1875
Item 98374 info
Cary Memorial Library in Wayne
Annie Louise Cary, preeminent concert and opera singer of the late 19th century, was born in Wayne in 1841.
She studied music and singing in Boston, and then in Milan, Italy. She made her operatic debut in 1868, and thereafter she performed throughout the United States and Europe.
In 1873, Verdi’s opera Aida had its American premiere, with Annie Louise singing the role of Amneris. She was long remembered and praised for this role, perhaps her greatest, which established her reputation as a world-famous contralto.
The New York Times wrote, "It is not too much to say that there is no finer performance on the operatic stage than Miss Cary's Amneris."
She retired from the professional stage in 1881, not long before her marriage to Charles Monson Raymond, a banker. She sang after that for charitable and private events.
Annie Louise Cary, ca. 1885
Item 97123 info
Cary Memorial Library in Wayne
Cary's mother died when she was eight years old and the family left Wayne at that time.
Still, Annie Louise visited Wayne throughout her life, and retained close ties with the town librarian, Jane Thorne Johnson, frequently sending books to the library.
In a letter written in January of 1907 from Norwalk, Connecticut, where she lived during the winter, Annie Louise wrote, "My dear young friends – Your letter of January first has given me great satisfaction and I am pleased that you enjoy the books which I from time to time have sent for the younger population of that beautiful village of Wayne."
The letter was signed Annie Louise Raymond.
Postcard of Annie Louise Cary Raymond and her husband, 1906
Item 98894 info
Cary Memorial Library in Wayne
At her death in 1921, Annie Louise Cary Raymond bequeathed to the library $10,000 and "any books which may be advantageously added to the collection…"
The town library had begun in 1885, with books housed in several locations over the years.
In 1927 the library officers and trustees voted "to build the Annie Louise Cary Raymond Memorial Library" in honor of their famous native daughter.
The new structure, a fine brick building, was dedicated on August 27, 1939.
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