Twenty-three-year-old Wright and her younger sister Camilla made their first trip to the United States in 1818. The sisters toured the country for two years before returning to England. While Wright was visiting New York City, "Altorf", her play about the struggle for Swiss independence from Austria, was anonymously produced and performed beginning on February 19, 1819, but it closed after three performances. For its Philadelphia premiere on January 5, 1820, an advertisement noted that it was "performed in New York last season with distinguished success."