''My Official Wife'' is an 1891 novel by

Richard Henry Savage Richard Henry Savage (June 12, 1846 – October 11, 1903) was an American military officer and author who wrote more than 40 books of adventure and mystery, based loosely on his own experiences. Savage's life may have been the inspiration for the ...

, popular in its day, soon after adapted for the stage, and for silent films in 1914 and in 1926, and a German-language film in 1936.

Book

Savage wrote the first draft of his first novel in 1890, while recovering in New York after being struck by illness in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

. Encouraged by friends who lauded his five-chapter tale of adventure set in contemporary Russia, Savage was inspired to rewrite and expand the story into a novel. First published by

Archibald Clavering Gunter Archibald Clavering Gunter (25 October 1847 – 24 February 1907) was a British-American writer primarily known today for authoring the novel that the film '' A Florida Enchantment'' was based upon, and for his hand in popularizing "Casey at the ...

's Home Publishing Company in May 1891, it was a quick best-seller, and was translated into multiple languages,Vollmer, Clement
The American Novel in Germany, 1871–1913
p. 26 (1918) (German translation is ''Meine offizielle Frau'', which "became well known and cherished by German readers in the following years.") but not Russian, as it was reportedly banned in Russia.(5 July 1891)
Literature
''The Morning Call'', col. 3Mathes, George P. (July 1894)
Won Sudden Fame
''The Bookseller's Friend'', p. 15 Though not every review was so glowing,(7 September 1891)
New Books (review)
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (this review ran in September 1891, when the book had been out a few months, and was described as "wild, rough in part, and slangy, but for all that no means wanting in effectiveness .... The dramatic elements in Russia are not wanting; they are overwhelming.")(13 July 1891)
With the Books
''St. Paul Daily Globe'', p. 4, col. 6 ("one of the most entertaining of the lighter books of the season ... just the book for hammock weather") ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' in London notably called it "a wonderful and clever ''tour de force'', in which improbabilities and impossibilities disappear, under an air that is irresistible."''Current Opinion'', p. 177.
Current Literature Pub. Co, 1891 Buoyed by the novel's success, Savage began producing more books at a rapid rate, about three a year. In 1913, the '' Bookman'' noted that while few Americans may know

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is conside ...

, Chehkov, or

Korolenko Korolenko ( Ukrainian: Короленко) is a Ukrainian surname. The root of the word ''Korol'' means ''King'' in English. ''-enko'' is a patronymic suffix. It may refer to the following notable people: * Caesar Korolenko, a Russian psychiatrist ...

, "very many Americans have, at some time in their lives, dipped into the pages of Colonel Savage's perfectly trivial story."About the Continent in One Hundred Novels
'' The Bookman'' (August 1913) An 1896 synopsis of the novel:

This clever skit is permeated by a Russian atmosphere, in which visions of the secret police, the
Nihilists Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that moral values are baseless, and that knowledge is impossible. Thes ...
, and social life in
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
, are blended like the vague fancies of a trouble dream. Colonel Arthur Lenox, with passports made out for himself and wife, meets at the Russian frontier a strikingly beautiful woman whom he is induced to pass over the border as his own wife, who has remained in Paris. At St. Petersburg, Helene, the "official wife", receives mail addressed to Mrs. Lenox, shares the Colonel's apartments, and is introduced everywhere as his wife. But he has learned that she is a prominent and dangerous Nihilist, and is in daily fear of discovery and punishment. Lenox frustrates her design to assassinate the Emperor; after which Helene escapes by the aid of a Russian officer whom she has beguiled. Meantime the real wife has come on from Paris, and endless complications with the police ensue. The Colonel secures his wife's release by threatening the chief of police that otherwise he inform the Tsar of the inefficiency of the police department, in not unearthing the scheme for his assassination.Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Volume 44
pp. 263–264 (1896)

Many claims were made regarding the basis for the novel's heroine, all of which Savage denied. For example, some papers reported that a Sophie Gunsberg, executed in 1891 in Russia, was the inspiration.(18 October 1891)
Literature
''The Morning Call''

Play

The novel was adapted for the stage by Gunter, and under the management of Frank W. Sanger, first performed in

Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...

on November 7, 1892.(8 November 1892)
"My Official Wife" In Utica
''

''Chatterjee, Choi
The Russian Romance in American Popular Culture 1890–1939
pp. 91–92, in ''Americans Experience Russia: Encountering the Enigma, 1917 to the Present'' (2013) After out of town warm-ups,(8 January 1893)
The Chicago Playhouses
''

'' (played at the

Schiller Theater The Schiller Theater is a theatre building in Berlin, Germany. It is located in the central Charlottenburg district at Bismarckstraße 110, near Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Opened in 1907, the building served as a second venue for the Konzerthaus Berl ...

in Chicago) its Broadway debut occurred at the

Standard Theatre Standard Theatre or Standard Theater may refer to: ;in Australia *Royal Standard Theatre, in Sydney, known as "Standard Theatre", since demolished ;in Canada; * Standard Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) ;in the United States *Standard Theatre, early n ...

on January 23, 1893. Minnie Seligman starred as Helene, and her wealthy husband but novice actor Robert L. Cutting, Jr. also played a role. While the overflow crowd at the debut "enjoyed themselves immensely," it was not well-regarded by the critics.(28 January 1893)
My Official Wife (play review)
''Evening World'' ("Sossher is played by Mr. Robert L. Cutting, junior – exceedingly junior ... Manager Sanger, when he goes to the Standard Theatre, should blush with shame.")(24 January 1893)
My Official Wife (opening night review)
''

'' Cutting's very poor acting was especially noted.Elsmere, Jr., Bob (January 1899
As to The Cuttings
''Broadway Magazine'', Vol. II, no. 10, p. 738(24 January 1893)
The Plays Last Night (review)
''New York Press'' The play ran on Broadway for about three weeks.(12 February 1893)
The Theatrical Week
''

'' (reporting a well-attended matinee on February 11, 1893; but ''The Sportsman'' debuted on February 14) In 1896, ''The New York Times'' commented that the play "was a pretty bad play, very badly acted except as regards the title role," yet that did not stop ''Die Officielle Frau'', based on the German translation from Hans Olden, from appearing at the

Irving Place Theatre The Irving Place Theatre was located at the southwest corner of Lexington Avenue (Manhattan), Irving Place and East 15th Street (Manhattan), 15th Street in the Union Square, Manhattan, Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Built ...

.Die Officielle Fraud. A New Season, a New Policy, and Semi-New Play in Irving Place
''

'' The German play was censored in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, which drew more attention to it when performed in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

at the

Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz The Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz (; State Theatre at ), commonly called the Gärtnerplatztheater, is an opera house and opera company in Munich. (The "Gärtnerplatz" is an urban square in the borough Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt.) Designed by , ...

.(1 September 1896)
Echoes from The Green Room
''The Theatre'', p. 172 The authors of the 1895 English play ''The Passport'', B. C. Stephenson and William Yardley, also gave credit to the novel for inspiration.(4 May 1895)
Dramatic Family Likenss
''Punch'', p. 205.

1914 film

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

issued a 1914 silent film version of the story directed by James Young and starring

Clara Kimball Young Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball; September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era. Early life Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...

Harry T. Morey Harry Temple Morey (August 21, 1873 – January 24, 1936) was an American stage and motion picture actor who appeared in nearly 200 films during his career. Biography Born in Charlotte, Michigan, Morey had two brothers. Their mother was Addie C. ...

, and Rose E. Tapley.

''Out of the Depths'' (1919 film)

A German film directed by

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 ...

, and starring Ellen Richter.

1926 film

''My Official Wife'' was again filmed in 1926, directed by Paul L. Stein (his first American film), and starring

Irene Rich Irene Frances Rich ( Luther; October 13, 1891 – April 22, 1988) was an American actress who worked in both silent films, talkies, and radio. Early life Rich was born in Buffalo, New York. At age 17, she wed Elvo Elcourt Deffenbaugh at ...

and

Conway Tearle Conway Tearle (born Frederick Conway Levy, May 17, 1878 – October 1, 1938) was an American stage actor who went on to perform in silent film, silent and early sound films. Early life Tearle was born on May 17, 1878, in New York City, the ...

''Eskapade'' (1936 film)

The German language film ''Eskapade'' (alternate titles: ''Seine Offizielle Frau'' and ''Gehemagentin Helene'') based on the novel was released in 1936, starring

Renate Müller Renate Müller (26 April 1906 – 7 October 1937) was a German singer and actress in both silent films and sound films, as well as on stage. One of the most successful actresses in German films from the early 1930s, she was courted by the N ...

Georg Alexander Georg Alexander (born Werner Ludwig Georg Lüddeckens; 3 April 1888 – 30 October 1945) was a German film actor who was a prolific presence in German cinema. He also directed a number of films during the silent era. Personal life He was married ...

, and

Walter Franck Walter Franck (16 April 1896 – 10 August 1961) was a German film actor. He appeared in 32 films between 1926 and 1952. Selected filmography * '' Master of the World'' (1934) * '' The Island'' (1934) * '' Escapade'' (1936) * '' Stronger Th ...

. It was directed by

Erich Waschneck Erich John Waschneck (29 April 1887, in Grimma, Kingdom of Saxony – 22 September 1970, in Berlin) was a German cameraman, director, screenwriter, and film producer. Early life Erich was the son of Karl Hermann Waschneck, a blacksmith, and his ...

.Goble, Alan (ed.
The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film
p. 409 (1999)

References

External links

My Official Wife
(1891 edition) (Google books)
Two clips from 1914 movie at archive.org
compiled in 1931 Vitaphone short "The Movie Album", rest of 1914 film is lost * (1926) *{{IMDb title, qid=Q28155595 (1936)

1891 American novels Novels set in Russia 1893 plays American novels adapted into films American novels adapted into plays Plays based on novels Plays by Archibald Clavering Gunter