Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum Ephemera, 1750-1970
Summary Information
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#0366
- Bib ID:
- 4078713 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 7 units (7 series)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Additional Description:
- https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/libraries/inside/projects/findingaids/scans/pdfs/14_DIA-DRA_20.pdf
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
-
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Summary
A collection of prints, photographs, pamphlets, clippings, playbills, and programs dealing with the theater, chiefly American and English, in all its aspects including drama, opera, dance, movies, puppets, and spectacles. The majority of the material documents the 19th century.
Portrait File: includes 20 lin. Ft. of cartes de visite, 90 linear ft. of cabinet photos, 60 grey boxes and 60 oversized (30") folders. Prints and photographs of actors, actresses, playwrights, composers, opera stars, movie stars, dancers and other performing artists. The portraits are arranged by name in three groups. 1) Prints and Photographs [60% American; 40% English and others] 2) Cabinet Photographs [75% American; 25 % English and others] 3) Carte de Visite Photographs and Prints [90% American; 10% English and others] (ca. 34,500 items) SEE CARD CATALOG FOR NAMES AND LOCATIONS
Subject File: Clippings, pamphlets, programs, prints, and photographs arranged by name and subject. Included are many prints and photographs of scenes from plays. There are extensive files on Shakespeare and Moliere. The programs included are a selective proup of twentieth century programs filed under playwright, producer, composer or other important person connected with a production. They are chiefly for the New York stage and to a lesser extent for other northeastern U. S. cities. In addition there is a selective group of late 19th and early American and English souvenir programs. (ca. 15,000 items)
Program File: A collection of mid-19th and 20th century American, English and to a lesser extent 20th century German and Austrian programs arranged alphabetically by country and subdivided alphabetically by city and theatre. The majority of these programs represent productions of the New York and London stage. For the American stage there are also miscellaneous files arranged alphabetically by title of play and by actor's name. (ca. 23,000 items)
Scrapbook File: A small collection of scrapbooks of programs, norices, reviews, photographs and other clippings relating to the American and English stage and to a lesser extent the German and Austrian stage for the late 19th and 20th centuries. (109 volumes in 46 boxes, includes index). at ReCAP since August 2005. Card shelf list in the RBML Reference Section: 42C-F
Playbill File: American and English playbill broadsides ca. 1750-1900, arranged by country and subdivided by city and theatre, chiefly the New York and London stage with some English provincial and northeastern U. S. cities represented. (ca. 18,000 items)
Poster File: A miscellaneous collection of some 400 19th and 20th century mostly English and American posters from dramatic and musical productions, minstrel shows and other theatrical entertainments. The posters are arranged by country and subdivided by lithographic company, where known. [The posters were microfiched in 1996. The only posters not filmed were duplicate copies. Researchers should use the fiche to identify posters that wnat to see]
Lantern Slides: Twelve lantern slides from various productions of "Romeo and Juliet" showing different stars in the leads (Ellen Terry, John Barrymote, etc.), three from Macbeth and one of a stage rendering from a production of "Midsummer Nights Dream." In addition there are 36 slides in the Theatre Department at Barnard College
Arrangement
This collection is divided into seven series: portrait file, subject file, program file, playbill file, scrapbooks, posters, and lantern slides
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Related Materials
The collections stemming from and relating to the Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum are described and grouped under various collection names. The Brander Matthews Papers, 1827-1967 (MS#0854) also includes a number of separately cataloged items, such as bound volumes of correspondence with Theodore Roosevelt The Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum records, 1910-1971 (MS#0364) are the business records of the Dramatic Museum itself. The Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum collection of documents relating to actors and theatrical managers, 1732-1995 (MS#0365) is collection of letters, manuscripts, and documents of prominent actors, actresses, and theatrical managers. It consists largely of single, unrelated items. The Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum collection of theatrical business records, 1864-1911 (MS#0363) includes box office receipts, salaries, stage properties, and expenses, for American and English theaters and two American booking agents. The Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum Ephemera, 1750-1970 (MS#0366) (this collection) contains a variety of formats dealing with the theater, chiefly American and English, in all its aspects including drama, opera, dance, movies, puppets, and spectacles. The majority of the material documents the 19th century and includes prints, photographs, pamphlets, clippings, playbills, and programs. This collection is divided into seven units: portrait file, subject file, program file, playbill file, scrapbooks, posters and lantern slides. The Dramatic Museum Realia, 1700-1966 (MS#0253) contains 391 puppets, 128 masks, and 30 stage models; Art and Theatrical Machinery are also part of this collection. The Speech Recordings records, 1925-1965 (MS#1182) contain sound recordings divided into four subunits--Speech Recordings Collection, Speech Laboratory Archives, Tape Recordings Collection, American Speech Recordings Collection . The Edward B. Wisely music tape recordings, 1875-1940 (MS#1364) Tape recordings of American, English, and Irish music hall and vaudeville stars. 1875-1940. 15 items. Individually cataloged books and codex manuscripts that form the Brander Matthews Dramatic Library
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Alternative formats
317 Posters filmed on 157: Type of reproduction--microfiche (; Agency responsible for reproduction--funded by the New York State Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials)
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source of acquisition--Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum. Method of acquisition--Transfer; Date of acquisition--1971. Accession number--M-71.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 06/--/1989.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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