Victorina Hayes collection
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Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Victorina Hayes collection contains material spanning 1833 to 1971 and measuring one half linear foot. In addition to documenting Victorina Hayes's career in New York City and numerous tours, this collection also contains images of Hayes's childhood and family members, as well as documents which discuss her later years.
Biographical note
Victorina Hayes (also known as Victoria Hayes and Victorine Hayes) was an American concert and opera soloist during the early 20th century. Hayes purported to have been discovered by famed composer Giacomo Puccini. She trained for seven years in Europe before returning to the United States to sing in opera, concert, and recitals. She appears to have begun performing in 1907, as Florence Hayes, before touring and singing regularly as Victorina Hayes from 1910 to 1925, often billed as the "Prima Donna Soprano" and the "American Prima Donna." Hayes lived at 550 Seventh Street in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Scope and Contents
The Victorina Hayes collection contains material spanning 1833 to 1971 and measuring one half linear foot. In addition to documenting Victorina Hayes's career in New York City and numerous tours, this collection also contains images of Hayes's childhood and family members, as well as documents which discuss her later years. Items include programs and leaflets from Hayes's performances, newspaper clippings, a diary (written mostly in Italian), a scrapbook, a contract between Victorina Hayes and her agent, and financial statements detailing her care at a nursing home. The collection also contains images, such as studio portraits, cabinet cards, and framed photographs, all of which date from the later 19th and early 20th centuries. Portraits in the series include headshots of Victorina Hayes used for publicity, as well as childhood photographs and images of family members. Two street scenes show a military parade and early automobile, though no location is given.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction rights for photographs have not been evaluated. Please consult library staff for more information.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Victorina Hayes collection, ARC.037, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Alice Marazzini, 1990.
Other Finding Aids
Item-level description and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the library.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level.
This collection combines two accessions: 1990.014 and V1990.061.
