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Series II: Boston Opera, 1910-1914
La Scala invoice for operas Mefistofele, Faust, Lakmé, Manon and Roméo et Juliette : Pelléas et Mélisande, January 10, 1912 (New) Hänsel und Gretel, January 27,1912 (New) Tristan und Isolde, February 12, 1912 (New) Le Martyre de Sebastien, March 30, 1912 Les Contes d'Hoffmann, November 25, 1912 (New) La Bohême, November 27,1912 (retouched) Madama Butterfly, November 29, 1912 (New) Il Trovatore, November 30, 1912 Tosca, December 2, 1912 (retouched) Thaïs, December 7, 1912 (retouched) Lucia di Lammermoor, December 14, 1912 Louise, December 18,1912 (New) La Traviata, December 21, 1912 Aïda, December 27, 1912 (Retouched) Cavalleria Rusticana, December 30, 1912 Carmen, January 15, 1913 (retouched) I Gioielli della Madonna, January 17, 1913 (New) Don Giovanni, February 7, 1913 (New) La Fanciulla del West, February 21, 1913 Djamileh, February 24, 1913 (New) Faust, February 26,1913 (redesigned costumes, retouched) La Forêt Bleue, March 8, 1913 (American premiere) (New) Samson et Dalila, March 12, 1913 (retouched) Il Segreto di Susanna, March 17,1913 (New) Monna Vanna, December 5, 1913 (New) Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), December 13, 1913 Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg, January 23, 1914 (New) L'Amore dei Tre Re, February 9, 1914 (New) Otello, Paris Tour, May 5, 1914 (New) Parsifal, Paris Tour, June 3, 1914 (New) Louse Edvina, Musical America, 1/29/16 La Muette de Portici, (Dumb Girl of Portici) November 23, 1915 (New) Elijah, Oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn Erste Walpurgisnacht, Die, Mendelssohn Loeffler's Opera, Charles Martin Loeffler
Series VI: Set Models
Aegyptische Helena [Egyptian Helen] Aegyptische Helena [Egyptian Helen] Palm Beach Girls [Palm Beach Nights] Treasure Girl [Gertrude Lawrence] Treasure Girl [Gertrude Lawrence] Treasure Girl [Gertrude Lawrence] Treasure Girl [Gertrude Lawrence] Treasure Girl [Gertrude Lawrence] Treasure Girl [Gertrude Lawrence] Wild Rose [Hawthorne of the U.S.A.] Ziegfeld Follies 1924 [Lew Fields Follies] |
Summary InformationAt a Glance
ArrangementArrangementThis collection is arranged into 6 series.
DescriptionSummaryCollection contains watercolor renderings, sketches, technical drawings (ground plans, elevations and details), photographs, glass plate and acetate negatives, scrapbooks, set models and some related papers covering Urban's career in Vienna and New York as an architect, set designer, decorator and illustrator. There is a thorough representation of his New York career including his set designs for Florenz Ziegfeld (1915-1932) and the Metropolitan Opera (1917-1933). The collection also contains information on Urban's work for William Randolph Hearst as art director for Cosmopolitan Studios, his exhibitions including his 1921 Wiener Werkstätte store, and his many architectural projects. Biographical information and research gathered by Richard Cole and Randolph Carter including contributions from his daughter,Gretl Urban, and biographical notes and some letters from his widow, Mary Urban, are also present.
Using the CollectionRare Book and Manuscript Library Restrictions on AccessYou 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 on-site. This collection has no restrictions. Some materials in this collection have been digitized and available: Joseph Urban Stage Design Models & Documents Stabilization & Access Project and Digital Library Collection. Terms Governing Use and ReproductionSingle photocopies 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 CitationIdentification of specific item; Date (if known); Joseph Urban papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library. AccrualsMaterials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information. Ownership and Custodial HistoryGift of Mrs Joseph Urban, 1955. Gift of Gretl Urban, 1987-1992. Gift of Randolph Carter, 1988 (audio cassettes). Gift of Robert Reed Cole, 1990 (research notes) & 1992. Gift of Manuel Moreno, 1996. Gift of Randolph Carter, 1998. Immediate Source of AcquisitionSource of acquisition--Urban, Mrs. Joseph. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1955. Accession number--M-55. Research notes and related materials for a book on Joseph Urban: Source of acquisition--Cole, Robert Reed. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--09/12/1990. Accession number--M-90-09-12. Papers: Source of acquisition--Urban, Gretl. Method of acquisition--Gift; Accession number--M-92-04-17. 7 audio cassettes re. Gretl Urban: Source of acquisition--Cole, Robert Reed. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--05/28/1992. Accession number--M-92-05-28. Gold cigarette box: Source of acquisition--Urban, Gretl. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--10/09/1992. Accession number--M-92-10-09. 91 letters & mss. of Gretl Urban: Source of acquisition--Cole, Robert Reed. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--11/09/1992. Accession number--92-11-09. Papers: Source of acquisition--Moreno, Manuel. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1996. Accession number--M-1996. 16 audio cassettes: Source of acquisition--Carter, Randolph. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1998. Accession number--M-1998. About the Finding Aid / Processing InformationColumbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library Processing InformationCataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 09/--/1989. Research notes and related materials for a book on Joseph Urban Added to collection 09/17/1990. Papers Processed HR 05/01/1992. 7 audio cassettes re. Gretl Urban Processed HR 05/28/1992. Gold cigarette box Processed HR 10/15/1992. 91 letters & mss. of Gretl Urban Processed HR 11/20/1992. Papers Processed GC 11/19/1998. 16 audio cassettes Processed GC 11/19/1998. More information about the processing and stabilization of the collection can be found here: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/archives/rbml/urban/. Revision Description2010-04-02 Legacy finding aid created from Pro Cite. 2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration. Subject HeadingsThe subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives. All links open new windows. Genre/Form
Subject
History / Biographical NoteBiographical / HistoricalJoseph Urban (1872-1933) studied architecture at the Akademie der bildenden Künst in his native Vienna. He established himself as an architect as well as a book illustrator, exhibit designer, interior decorator and set designer often in collaboration with the painter Heinrich Lefler. Urban and Lefler were co-founders of the Hagenbund, an exhibiting society similar to the Secessionists. In 1912, at the age of 40, Urban emigrated to the United States and became the designer for the Boston Opera Company where he introduced the innovations of the "New Stagecraft" from the european theater. After the Boston Opera Company went bankrupt in 1914, Urban began designing sets in New York. He designed the Ziegfeld Follies as well as all other Ziegfeld productions from 1915 to 1932. In 1917 he began designing for the Metropolitan Opera and continued to do so until his death in 1933. From 1921 to 1925 Urban was also the art director for William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan Studios He had branched out to other artistic endeavors since moving to New York including designing shop windows, roof gardens and interior decoration. From 1921 to 1922, he introduced the works of Viennese artists to the United States through his Wiener Werkstätte shop. He received his license to practice architecture in the United States in 1926 after which he designed homes, buildings, ballrooms, and theaters in New York and elsewhere. Notable examples of his extant architecture are the Paramount Theater Building and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida and the New School and the Hearst Magazine Building in New york. |