Adah Isaacs Menken
![Adah Isaacs Menken, age 19](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Adah_Isaacs_Menken%2C_age_19%2C_1854-55.jpg)
Menken told many versions of her origins, including her name, place of birth, ancestry, and religion, and historians have differed in their accounts. Most have said she was born a Louisiana Creole Catholic, with European and African ancestry. A celebrity who created sensational performances in the United States and Europe, she married several times and was also known for her affairs. She had two sons, both of whom died in infancy.
Though she was better known as an actress, Menken sought to be known as a writer. She published about 20 essays, 100 poems, and a book of her collected poems, from 1855 to 1868 (the book was published posthumously). Early work was devoted to family and after her marriage, her poetry and essays featured Jewish themes. Beginning with work published after moving to New York, with which she changed her style, Menken expressed a wide range of emotions and ideas about women's place in the world. Her collection ''Infelicia'' went through several editions and was in print until 1902. Provided by Wikipedia