New-York Historical Society theatrical portrait collection
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Theatrical Portrait Collection is an amalgam of portraits, mainly photographic, of an array of theatrical performers in a broad sense, encompassing performers from dance, vaudeville, opera, and music. Materials include various photographic techniques and formats, such as albumen prints, cabinet photographs, cartes de visite, and film stills, as well as clippings and illustrations. Principally represented are actors and actresses of the stage and, to a lesser extent, silent film, from the latter half of the nineteenth century through the first two decades of the twentieth century. These portraits provide a comprehensive pictorial record of this period in the history of the New York stage, with all the major performers represented in many of the roles and costumes that made them famous, including the Barrymores, the Booths, the Davenports, Augustin Daly's company, Lillie Langtry, Jenny Lind, and Lillian Russell, among many others. The file also includes photographs of theatrical productions, Gilbert and Sullivan, and silent film productions. A set of Capezio dance portraits provides a glimpse into the full array of performers in the mid-1940s from the worlds of ballet, theatre, and modern avant-garde dance. Also included are photographs taken of theatrical portraits distributed by the firm of Thomas Houseworth & Co.
Historical note
The Theatrical Portrait Collection represents an era of collecting that has largely disappeared. Institutions such as the New-York Historical Society are the beneficiaries of a fashionable recreational hobby that built reputations and filled auction rooms with enthusiastic buyers. When the stage was the most popular form of entertainment throughout the nation, the hobby of collecting photographic portraits of actors blossomed. To feed this growing interest, many New York photographers, particularly the Sarony, Falk, and Mora studios, began to specialize in theatrical portraits. Houseworth & Company of San Francisco was another nationally known studio that specialized in this market, selling "Houseworth's Celebrities," as their portraits of theatre stars were known, to collectors by mail order.
New York resident Gertrude Bushfield Weed (1877–1927) and her husband, Raphael (1873–1931), were two such avid theatre collectors. They eventually amassed over 2,000 images acquired from mail-order establishments, theatrical acquaintances, and auction houses, where they purchased other significant collectors' holdings. Raphael Weed gave the "Gertrude Bushfield Weed Collection of Theatrical Portraits (Players of the New-York Stage)" to the New-York Historical Society after his wife's death, and those carefully labeled images form the backbone of the Theatrical Portrait Collection.
At the New-York Historical Society, the Weed collection was enhanced by theatrical portraits donated by others, including George C. D. Odell (1866–1949). Odell's portraits date from the 1870s and 1890s, and were used to illustrate his fifteen-volume Annals of the New York Stage (New York: 1927–49), describing performances and performers in New York from 1798 through 1894. In addition to the photos, Odell's volumes relied heavily on newspaper articles and other primary sources and were, for many years, the definitive history of the early New York theatre scene.
Another donor, Harold Seton (1883–1951), a noted writer on theatre history, gave the New-York Historical Society in the late 1920s and early 1930s approximately 350 individual theatrical portraits. Included in that number were photographs originally collected by Mrs. Charles B. Hillhouse in 1878 and subsequently acquired by Seton. In addition, in 1935 he gave a group of fifty "old flashlight group photos of New York stage plays" and stills of silent picture stars.
Approximately 400 portraits dating from the 1860s to the 1890s were donated in 1929 by Robert Goelet (1880–1966). Goelet had acquired pictures collected by Joseph Norton Ireland (1817–1898), whose Records of the New York Stage from 1750 to 1860 (New York: 1866–67) was the definitive history of the theatre until the publication of Odell's Annals.
The remainder of the Theatrical Portrait Collection consists of various donations, often covering the same time period. Many portraits in the collection were formerly owned by singer Emma Thursby (1845–1931) and were given to the New-York Historical Society by her sister, Ina. They are mainly images of people with whom Thursby worked; her personal and family photographs can be found in the Print Room's Emma Cecilia Thursby Photograph Collection (PR 126). Gifts of the devoted collector E. B. Child (1846–1946) document a number of Gilbert and Sullivan productions in which Child appeared as an amateur performer; his acting career culminated in his 1896 performance as Bunthorn in "Patience" at the Metropolitan Opera House. During his lifetime, Child became a first-nighter at practically every opening on or off Broadway. He also gave the New-York Historical Society his collection of silent film movie stills.
A notable group of portraits of a single performer are those of Jenny Lind, which were given by Leonidas Westervelt (1875–1952), an American playwright and renowned collector of theatrical books and manuscripts. The remainder of his Jenny Lind material, as well as his collection of circus material, is available in the New-York Historical Society's Library and in the Print Room's Cased Image File (PR 012).
Arrangement
The collection is organized in five series:
- Series I
- Individuals, undated
- Series II
- Groups, circa 1852-1942, undated
- Series III
- Unidentified, undated
- Series IV
- Productions, 1855-1907, undated
- Series V
- Capezio Dance Portraits, circa 1943
Scope and Contents
The Theatrical Portrait Collection spans the period from the early nineteenth century to the 1980s, but consists primarily of portraits dating from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. The collection is arranged in five series: Individual Portraits, Group Portraits, Unidentified Portraits, Productions, and Capezio Dance Portraits. Where the portraits have been further subdivided by size, the small format images are housed in boxes and the medium and large format images are housed in flat file drawers.
Series I. Individuals is arranged in three subseries: Small Format, Medium Format, and Large Format portraits. In the small format, sitters with more than five images have their own folders and are so listed in the finding aid; a parenthetical number following a name refers to the number of folders for any individual or surname. The remaining small format sitters are filed in the alphabetical "miscellaneous" folders. Every sitter included in the medium and large formats is listed in the finding aid; a number in parentheses after a name refers to the number of images available. Dates are not included for the small portraits but are given for the medium and large portraits when available. Names have not been cross-referenced, so researchers should check each size for a particular artist or search the finding aid electronically.
This portion of the collection consists of portraits of individuals who worked in a theatrical context, using a broad definition of the term "theatrical" to cover many performers and types of performance. The portraits range from sideshow and vaudeville entertainers, such as Tom Thumb and Eugen Sandow, to opera singers such as Geraldine Farrar, Emma Albani, Enrico Caruso, and Nellie Melba; from minstrels such as Sam Devere the Whistlin' Coon to African-American entertainers such as Cool Burgess; from dancers such as Anna Pavlova and Della Fox to musicians such as Ole Bull and conductor Walter Damrosch. However, portraits are arranged alphabetically by sitter and are not organized by subject.
The bulk of the collection is held in the first subseries: portraits of actors and actresses from the nineteenth century into the first decades of the twentieth century, primarily in the form of cabinet cards of both large and intermediate size, and the smaller cartes de visite. Beyond the value of the images of the actors or actresses themselves, the photographs are interesting for what they show of the history of theatrical costumes during this period. Many of the artists are shown in theatrical dress from their most famous stage roles but also appear in their street clothing, allowing for an interesting record of changes in fashion.
Many important acting families of New York are found throughout the Theatrical Portrait Collection, notably the Davenports, the Wallacks, the Booths, and the Drews, including the grandchildren of the illustrious Mrs. John Drew, the Barrymore triumvirate of Ethel, John, and Lionel. The members of Augustin Daly's Company are well represented, including Daly himself, along with actors of his company including Ada Rehan, Mrs. George Gould, Linda Dietz, and Kate Claxton, among others.
Actors who have made New York history are also well represented. For example, there are many portraits of both British actor William Charles Macready and his American counterpart Edwin Forrest, whose stage rivalry was the spark that ignited the Astor Place Riots of May 1849. Many of the actors from the December 5, 1876, production of "The Two Orphans," headed by Kate Claxton of the Union Square Theatre Co. and playing at the Brooklyn Theatre, are in the file. During the last scene of that production, a fire tore through the building and killed 280 people, including actor Harry S. Murdoch, whose portrait is included in the collection. Gertrude Weed specifically collected the photos of the members of the cast from this tragic evening. One significant single image in the Theatrical Portrait Collection is a photograph of Mark Twain shaking hands with John T. Raymond, whose most famous role was in Twain's play "The Gilded Age."
Filed throughout this series are portraits of many silent movie stars that document the early years of the film industry.
The final folder of small format portraits holds composite photographs of celebrity portraits. There are eleven cabinet card prints holding composites of cabinet size theatrical portraits offered for sale by Houseworth & Company in San Francisco. The portraits, which were meant to be ordered by Houseworth's inventory number and sent out through the mail, include multiple images of Maud Granger, Emily Rigl, Mabel Santley, and Julia Wilson, among others. These cards illustrate one way theatrical portraits were marketed to collectors, and as such represent one source of the type of photographs that populate the Theatrical Portrait Collection. Three miscellaneous sheets of composite photographs are also found here; their purpose is not clear, and most of the actresses are not identified.
Series II. Groups is divided into Medium Format and Large Formats portraits, and arranged thereunder by Music or Theatre. The group photographs in the small format are either in Series III or filed under a specific production in Series IV.
An amateur theatre group, the Bronx Opera Club, is represented for the years 1928 to 1932 in posed shots with the entire company in costume. The Weber and Fields Company has three medium-format portraits showing their entire company, including Lillian Russell. The Callender Minstrel Festival of 1883 is represented by a poster showing a portrait of every performer. This San Francisco festival was notable for the significant number of popular African-American performers appearing in one place, and did not include a single white entertainer performing in black face, the more familiar form of minstrelsy at that time.
Series III. Unidentified is divided into Small Format and Medium Format portraits, and arranged thereunder by Children, Groups, Men, and Women. The portraits date from the mid-nineteenth century to the early decades of the twentieth century. The series includes people who are obviously performers but whose names are absent or indecipherable.
Series IV. Productions is comprised of photographs of theatrical productions and movie stills. It is arranged in three subseries: Small Format, Medium Format, and Large Format images, and grouped thereunder by Theatre, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Motion Pictures.
The theatrical photographs are predominantly from the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. Several Gilbert and Sullivan productions are documented, notably the 1893 New York stage productions of "The Mikado" and "Patience," and the 1939 movie production of "The Mikado" starring Kenny Baker. In addition, many individual actors dressed for a Gilbert and Sullivan production, such as Fritzi Scheff from a scene in "The Mikado," can be found in Series I.
The film stills are from the silent era of moving pictures, with the exception of "Knickerbocker Holiday" and Walt Disney's "Johnny Tremain." A majority of the stills are from films with American history themes, such as two pictures set in the colonial era, "Eve of the Revolution" and "Gateway to the West." There are also films fictionally chronicling the westward migration in the nineteenth century, including "The Golden Trail."
The last file in the series holds mostly unidentified and early film stills. Within the folder is a set of snapshots described as having been taken from an apartment on West 57th Street in Manhattan of a film shoot on the roof of a garage on West 56th Street. The unidentified film was made in the 1912–1916 period and featured Mary Pickford with a basket of wash and a laundry line.
Series V. Capezio Dance Portraits are eighty-nine 3 x 5-inch cards, donated by Capezio Dance-Footwear in 1943, which are reproductions of photographs. Most were inscribed for Capezio by the subjects, and were used by the company for promotional purposes. The portraits provide a comprehensive look at the history of dance in the mid-1940s from ballet to theatre to modern avant-garde performances.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: Theatrical Portrait Collection, PR-104, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Composed of gifts from various donors from the 1910s onward, including Gertrude and Raphael Weed, George C. D. Odell, Harold Seton, Ina Thursby, Robert Goelet, E. B. Child, Leonidas Westervelt, Capezio Dance-Footwear, and the La Porte County Historical Society Museum (accession no. PPAC.2022.020).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Rick Hunter processed this collection in March 2003. Archivist Joseph Ditta migrated Hunter's finding aid from a WORD document to ArchivesSpace in May 2020, and updated the whole to reflect an addition to the collection in May 2022.
Repository
Series I. Individuals, undated, inclusive
Arrangement
Portraits are filed alphabetically by sitter, and are arranged in three subseries: Small Format, Medium Format, and Large Format.
Subseries I.A. Individuals (small format), undated, inclusive
Individuals (small) "A", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Aa - Az miscellaneous
Abbott, Emma
Adams, Maude
Aimee, Marie
Albani, Emma
Aldrich, Mariska
Allen, Viola
Individuals (small) "A" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Anderson, Mary (3 folder)
Arbuckle, Matthew
Archer, Belle
Arliss, George
Armstrong, Sydney
Arthur, Julia
Individuals (small) "B", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Baa - Bon miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "B" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Boo - Bz miscellaneous
Bancroft, Helen
Barrett, Lawrence
Barrett, Wilson
Barrymore
Barrymore, Ethel
Barrymore, Maurice
Bateman, Kate
Belasco, David
Bellew, Kyrk
Bernhardt, Sarah
Individuals (small) "B" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Bingham, Amelia
Blanchard, Kitty
Boniface
Booth
Booth, Agnes
Booth, Edwin (3 folders)
Boyd, Anna
Branscombe, Maude
Bull, Ole
Burroughs, Marie
Burton
Byron
Individuals (small) "C", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Caa - Coq miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "C" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cor - Cz miscellaneous
Calve, Emma
Campanini, Italo
Campbell
Cardinali, Franco
Carleton, W. T. (William T.)
Carmencita
Carter, Leslie, Mrs.
Caruso, Enrico
Cavendish, Ada
Cayvan, Georgia
Individuals (small) "C" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Chanfrau
Chapin, Ben
Cheatham, Kitty
Child, Edmund Bramhill
Clarke
Claxton, Kate
Clayton, Estelle
Coghlan, Rose
Collins, Lottie
Cooke
Coquelin, Constant
Individuals (small) "C" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Crabtree, Charlotte
Crane, Willam H.
Cushman, Charlotte
Individuals (small) "D", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
D miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "D" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Daly, Augustin
Damrosch, Walter
Dauvray, Helen
Davenport
Davenport, Edward L.
Davenport, Fanny (2 folders)
Davenport, May
Davis
Individuals (small) "D" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
De Treville, Yvonne
Dietz, Linda
Dillon, Louise
Dixey, Henry E.
Don, Laura
Douglas, Lillian
Draper, Ruth
Drew
Drew, John
Dunning, Alice
Dyas, Ada
Individuals (small) "E", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
E miscellaneous
Eames, Emma
Ellis
Ellsler, Effie
Emmet, J. K. (Joseph Kline)
Ethel, Agnes
Evans, Lizzie
Evesson, Isabelle
Eytinge
Individuals (small) "F", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
F miscellaneous
Farnum
Farrar, Geraldine
Faversham, William
Fernandez, Bijou
Fetter, Selene
Individuals (small) "F" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Fields, Julia Winston ?
Fisher
Fiske
Florence, William Jermyn
Forbes-Robertson
Forrest, Edwin
Forsyth, Kate
Fougere, Eugenie
Fox
Fox, Della
Fox, George Lafayette
Fuller, Loie
Individuals (small) "G", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
G miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "G" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Garrick, David
Gerrish, Sylvia
Gilbert, Mrs. G. H.
Gilbert, John
Glaser, Lulu
Goodwin, Nat C. (Nathaniel Carll)
Granger, Maude
Grubb, Lillian
Individuals (small) "H", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
H miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "H" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Hackett, James Keteltas
Hading, Jane
Hall, Pauline
Harned Virginia
Harriot, Clara Morris
Harris
Harrison
Harrison, Maud
Hart
Hauk, Minnie
Henderson
Heron
Hilliard, Robert Cochran
Holland
Holland, E. M.
Hoffman, Josef
Hopper, De Wolf
Hopper, Edna Wallace
Individuals (small) "I", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
I miscellaneous
Irving, Henry
Irving, Isabel
Individuals (small) "J", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
J miscellaneous
Jackson, May
James, Louis
Janauschek, Francesca Romana Magdelena
Jansen, Marie
Jefferson, Joseph (2 folders)
Jewett, Sara
Johnson, Benjamin
Jones
Individuals (small) "K", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
K miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "K" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Kean, John Charles
Kean, Edmund
Keene, T. W.
Kelcey, Herbert
Kellogg, Clara Louise
Kemble
Kendal, Madge
Kendal, William Hunter
Kidder, Kathryn
King
Kirk, Doris
Individuals (small) "L", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
L miscellaneous
Langtry, Lillie (3 folders; includes 2 cabinet cards, the gift of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, accession no. PPAC.2022.020)
Individuals (small) "L" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Lee
Lehman, Lilli
Leslie, Elsie
Lewis
Lewis, James
Lewis, Jeffreys
Lind, Jenny (3 folders)
Individuals (small) "M", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
M miscellaneous
Includes cabinet card of "Count and Countess Magri," she being Lavinia Warren, widow of General Tom Thumb (gift of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, accession no. PPAC.2022.020).
Individuals (small) "M" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
McCullough, John
Mac Dowel, Melbourne
Macready, William Charles
Mannering, Mary
Mansfield, Richard
Mantell, Robert B. (Robert Bruce)
Marfield, Dwight
Marie, Paola
Markham, Pauline
Marlowe, Julia (2 folders)
Martin, Luke
Martinot, Sadie
Individuals (small) "M" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Massey, Rose
Mather, Margaret
May
Melba, Nellie, Dame
Miller, Henry
Miskel, Caroline
Mitchell, Maggie
Modjeska, Helena
Montague, H. J. (Henry James)
Moore
Moore, Adelaide
Morant, Fanny
Morris, Clara
Morton, Dorothy
Murdoch
Myers, Annie
Individuals (small) "N", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
N miscellaneous
Neryda
Neilson, Adelaide (2 folders)
Nilsson, Christine
Nordica, Lillian
Individuals (small) "O", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
O miscellaneous
Olcott, Chauncey
Oumiroff, Bougea
Individuals (small) "P", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
P miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "P" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Paderewski, Ignace Jan
Palmer, Minnie
Parselle, John
Pateman, Isabella
Patti, Adelina (includes cabinet card, gift of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, accession no. PPAC.2022.020)
Pavlova, Anna
Pinza, Ezio
Pixley, Annie
Plympton, Eben
Potter, Mrs. James Brown (includes cabinet card, gift of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, accession no. PPAC.2022.020)
Individuals (small) "R", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
R miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "R" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Rankin, McKee
Raymond, John T.
Reddisch, Meta
Rehan, Ada (3 folders)
Reszke
Reynolds, Genevieve
Rhea, Hortense
Rice, Fanny
Rigl, Emily
Rignold, George
Ristori, Adelaide
Individuals (small) "R" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Robe, Annie
Robson, Stuart
Rogers
Rolson, Stuart
Roze, Marie
Russell
Russell, Annie
Russell, Lillian (4 folders)
Russell, Sol Smith
Russell, Tommy
Individuals (small) "S", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Sa - Sr miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "S" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Ss - Sz miscellaneous
Salvini, Alexander
Salvini, Tommaso
Sandow, Eugen
Scalchi, Sofia
Sembrich, Marcella
Sheridan, W. E. (William Edward)
Siddons, Scott, Mrs.
Individuals (small) "S" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Smith
Sothern, Edward Askew
Sothern, E. H. (Edward Hugh)
Stanhope, Adeline
Stanley
Starr, Frances
Steele, Joseph F.
Stevenson, Charles A.
Stoddart, James Henry
Strakosch
Strakosch, Moritz
Individuals (small) "T", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
T miscellaneous
Taber, Robert
Taylor
Tearle, Osmond
Tempest, Marie
Templeton, Fay (includes cabinet card, gift of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, accession no. PPAC.2022.020)
Terry, Ellen (includes cabinet card, gift of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, accession no. PPAC.2022.020)
Thomas
Thompson, Lydia
Thorne, Charles R. Jr.
Tree, Herbert Beerbohm, Sir
Individuals (small) "U", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
U miscellaneous
Urquhart, Isabelle
Individuals (small) "V", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
V miscellaneous
Varian, Nina
Vokes, Rosina
Individuals (small) "W", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
W - Wel miscellaneous
Individuals (small) "W" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Wen - Wz miscellaneous
Wainwright, Marie
Wallack
Wallack, Lester
Waller
Ward
Warfield, David
Weathersby, Eliza
Webb
Webster, Lizzie
Wendell, Evert Jansen
Individuals (small) "W" (continued), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Wheatley, William
Williams
Williams, Barney
Williams, Hattie
Wilson, Francis
Wittkowska, Marta
Wood
Wood, John, Mrs.
Wyndham, Charles
Individuals (small) "Y", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Y miscellaneous
Yeamans
Yoel, Peggy King
Individuals (small) "Z", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Z miscellaneous
Zula Zeleah ("Circassian Beauty"; cabinet card, gift of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, accession no. PPAC.2022.020)
Individuals (small) "composite portraits", undated, inclusive
Subseries I.B. Individuals (medium format), undated, inclusive
Individuals (medium) "A", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Adams, Maude
Alda, Frances (2 images)
Anderson, Mary
Anglin, Margaret (3 images)
Apollo Musical Club
Aston, Tony
Augusta, La Petite
Individuals (medium) "B", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Banci, Alessandro
Bancroft, Squire
Barrett, Lawrence
Barry, Billy
Barrymore, Ethel
Baxter, Pete
Behr, Carrie
Belasco, David
Bernhardt, Sarah
Booth (separate folder)
....Booth, Agnes
....Booth, Edwin (3 images)
....Booth, John Wilkes (4 images)
....Booth, Junius Brutus (2 images)
....Booth, Rachel
Bowers. Mrs. D. P.
Brignoli, Pasquale
Brougham, John
Bryant, Dan
Bull, Ole (2 images)
Burton, William E. (William Evans)
Individuals (medium) "C", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Calve, Emma
Campanini, Cleofonte
Carey, Eleanor
Caron, Rose
Carter, Helen E. H.
Caruso, Enrico
Cary, Annie Louise
Celeste, Madame (Celine)
Cheatham, Kitty
Child, Edmund Bramhill (2 images)
Christy, Edwin Pearce
Coghlan, Rose (3 images)
Collier, William
Cook, Augustus
Cooke, George Frederick
Coquelin, Constant (2 images)
Cornell, Katharine
Crane, William H.
Crosman, Henrietta
Cushman, Pauline
Individuals (medium) "D", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Dailey, Peter F.
Daly, Augustin
Damrosch, Leopold
Davenport, Fanny
Davenport, May
De Bar, Ben
Dempsey, John
Dewey
Dougherty, Hughey
Downing, Robert
Drew, John (2 images)
Dunning, Alice
Duse, Eleonora
Dyck, Ernest van
Individuals (medium) "E", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Eddinger, Wallace
Elssler, Fanny
Emmet, J. K. (Joseph Kline)
Individuals (medium) "F", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Faversham, William
Fechter, Charles
Fetter, Selene
Fish, Nicholas (2 images)
Fisher, Charles (2 images)
Fiske, Minnie Maddern
Florence, William Jermyn
Florence, Mrs. W. J. (William Jermyn)
Forrest, Edwin (2 images)
French, Colonel
Individuals (medium) "G", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Galli-Curci, Amelita
Garden, Mary (2 images)
Garrick, David
Gaylor, Bobby
Geddes, Norman Bel
Gilligan, Helen
Goodwin, Myra
Goodwin, Nat C. (Nathaniel Carll)
Gordon, Amy
Griffin, Richard
Gulick, Earl
Individuals (medium) "H", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Hackett, James Keteltas
Hading, Jane
Hall, M. Andre
Hamlin, Tom
Harris, Estelle
Harris, William (2 images)
Hart, Tony, including Gallant 69th (2 images)
Hauk, Minnie
Haynes, Minnie Gale
Hepburn, Katharine
Holland, E. M.
Holland, Mrs. E. M.
Hopper, De Wolf (2 images)
Howard, Cordelia (2 images)
Hutchinson family (2 images)
Individuals (medium) "I", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Irving, Henry, Sir (2 images)
Individuals (medium) "J", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Jamieson, William
Jefferson, Joseph (4 images)
Johnson, Louise
Jones, George, Mrs.
Jones, M. Sissieretta (2 images)
Juch, Emma
Individuals (medium) "K", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Kalich, Bertha
Kean, Charles John
Kean, Edmund (3 images)
Kean, Ellen (2 images)
Keene, Tom
Kemble, John Philip
Kernell, Harry
Kerrigan and McCarthy
Individuals (medium) "L", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Lackaye, Wilton
Lauder, Sir Harry (2 images)
Langtry, Lillie (2 images)
Lecomte
Lewis, James
Lind, Jenny (separate folder; 74 images)
Little Mac
Individuals (medium) "M", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
McCullough, John
Mac Dowel, Melbourne
MacGregor, Helen
Macready, William Charles
Magnier, Marie
Mansfield, Richard
Marlowe, Julia (2 images)
Mayo, Frank
Modjeska, Helena
Montez, Lola
Moore, Flora
Morris, Clara
Morris, Nina
Muratore, Lucien
Individuals (medium) "N", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Neilson, Adelaide
Nelson, Miss
Nethersole, Olga
Newcomb, Bobby
Nilsson, Christine (2 images)
Nordica, Lillian
Noria, Jane
Individuals (medium) "O", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Otis, Elita Proctor
Individuals (medium) "P", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Paderewski, Ignace Jan
Palmer, Minnie
Parker, Louisa V.
Parodi, Teresi
Passmore, Walter
Paul, Mr. and Mrs. Howard
Paullin, Louise
Phelps, Samuel
Piccolomini, Marietta (2 images)
Pickford, Mary
Powers, James T.
Primrose, George
Proctor, J.
Individuals (medium) "R", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Rachel
Ratchkoff, Bess (Nadia) de
Raymond, John T.
Reddisch, Meta
Rehan, Ada
Reszke, Jean de
Rhea, Hortense
Rice, Tom
Ristori, Adelaide
Robson, Stuart (2 images)
Rogers, Gus
Rogers, Max
Rogers, Will
Ross, Charles J.
Rothberg, Elizabeth
Russell, Annie (2 images)
Russell, Lillian (10 images)
Russell, Marie Booth
Individuals (medium) "S", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Salvini, Tommaso (3 images)
Sedgwick, Amy
Sembrich, Marcella (2 images)
Scanlan, W. T.
Schaffer, Josephine (4 images)
Scheff, Fritzi
Siddons, Sarah (2 images)
Skipworth, Alison
Slezak (2 images)
Sontag, Henriette
Sothern, Edward Askew
Sothern, E. H. (Edward Hugh) (separate folder; 15 images)
Spalding, Albert
Strauss, Henrietta Treffz
Individuals (medium) "T", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Taglioni, Marie
Tauscher, Johanna
Terris, William
Terry, Ellen, Dame (2 images)
Thompson, Denman
Thumb, Tom
Toole, John Lawrence
Individuals (medium) "V", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Valentino, Rudolph
Valleria, Alvian Lohmann (Schoning)
Individuals (medium) "W", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Wainwright, Marie
Wallack, James William
Wallack, Lester
Wallack, William
Walsh, Blanche (2 images)
Walsh, Mike
Warren William
Watkins, Harry
Weekes, Frederick Delano
West, Lillie
Western, Lucille
Westerner, Lillian
Williams, Gus
Winans, Mrs. John
Wittkowska, Marta (5 images)
Subseries I.C. Individuals (large format), undated, inclusive
Individuals (large) "C", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Crane, William H. (2 images)
Individuals (large) "G", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Green, William B.
Individuals (large) "L", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Lind, Jenny (separate folder; 4 images)
Individuals (large) "M", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Marlowe, Julia
Individuals (large) "P", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Patti, Adelina
Potter, Mrs. James Brown
Powers, Leland T. (2 images)
Individuals (large) "R", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Russell, Lillian (separate folder; 5 images)
Individuals (large) "S", undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Siddons, Sarah
Siddons, Mrs. Scott
Series II. Groups, circa 1852-1942, undated, inclusive
Arrangement
Portraits are filed alphabetically by name of the group.
Subseries II.A. Groups (medium format), 1875-1942, undated, inclusive
Music (medium), 1889-1942, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Henry E. Abbey and Maurice Grau opera artists, 1889
Hearons Sisters Concert Co., undated
Mendelsohn Glee Club, 1942
Montauk Ladies' Quartet, undated
New York Edison & Consolidated Gas Choral Society, 1926
Oratorio Society of New York, undated
Theatre (medium), 1875-1936, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
American Gilbert and Sullivan Association dinner (2 images), 1936
Bronx Opera Club, (separate folder; 7 images)
"The Gondoliers," 1931
"HMS Pinafore," 1929
"The Mascot," 1933
"The Mikado," 1928
"Olivette," 1932
"Patience," 1929
"The Sorcerer," 1932
Callender Minstrel Festival, 1883
Augustin Daly's company, including John Drew, Ada Rehan, 1884
Empire Theatre Stock Company, 1903
Daniel Frohman's Company, 1900
Harrigan and Hart's Theatre Comique Company, 1875
John E. Kellerd repertory productions cast (separate folder; 12 images), 1906–1911
"Hamlet"
"Macbeth"
"Merchant of Venice"
Weber and Fields Company, including Lillian Russell (3 images), undated
Subseries II.B. Groups (large format), circa 1852, 1917, 1930, inclusive
Music (large), circa 1852, 1930, inclusive
Scope and Contents
American Bandmasters Association, 1930
Germania Musical Society, circa 1852
Theatre (large), 1917, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"Lest We Forget" poster with portraits of deceased actors, 1917
Series III. Unidentified, undated, inclusive
Arrangement
The unidentified portraits are arranged in two subseries: Small and Medium Format.
Subseries III.A. Unidentified (small format), undated, inclusive
Unidentified children (small), undated, inclusive
Unidentified groups (small), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Music
Theatrical
Unidentified men (small), undated, inclusive
Unidentified women (small), undated, inclusive
Unidentified women (small), undated
Subseries III.B. Unidentified (medium format), undated, inclusive
Unidentified women (medium) (7 images), undated, inclusive
Series IV. Productions, 1855-1957, undated, inclusive
Arrangement
Images are arranged in three subseries: Small, Medium, and Large Format, then filed thereunder alphabetically by name of production.
Subseries IV.A. Productions (small format), 1875-1957, undated, inclusive
Theatre (small), 1875-1917, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"Geisha," 1907
"Genevieve de Brabant," undated
"The Highest Bidder," undated
"King John," undated
"Living Art Studies," 1901
"Miss Multon," 1876
"Our Boarding House," 1877
"Pique," 1875–76
"The Private Secretary," 1885
"Romeo and Juliet," undated
"Sweet Lavender," 1888
"Trilby," 1895
"Uncle Tom's Cabin," undated
"Wanderer," 1917
Gilbert and Sullivan (small), 1893, 1939, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"The Mikado," theatrical production 1893
"The Mikado," movie stills 1939
"Patience," 1893
Miscellaneous productions (2 folders), undated
Motion Pictures (small), circa 1912-1957, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"Destiny, or The Soul of a Woman," 1916
"Eve of the Revolution," 1924
"Gateway to the West," 1924
"The Golden Trail," 1920
"Johnny Tremain," 1957
"Knickerbocker Holiday," 1944
"Vanity Fair," 1915
"Your Wife and Mine," 1919
Westerns, miscellaneous 1923–31, undated
Miscellaneous and unidentified circa 1912, undated
Subseries IV.B. Productions (medium format), 1880-1939, undated, inclusive
Theatre (medium), 1880-1906, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"Diplomacy," 1901
"Erminie," undated
"Hazel Kirke," 1880
"King Henry IV," undated
"Merchant of Venice," undated
"The Princess and the Butterfly" (2 images), 1897
"Rogers Brothers in Central Park" (2 folders; 11 images), 1900
"Roi de Lahore," opera production undated
"Romance" (2 images), undated
"Sally," undated
"Septimus" (2 images), undated
"Sunny South," undated
"The Tourists," 1906
"Yankee Circus on Mars," undated
Unidentified (6 images), undated
Gilbert and Sullivan (medium), 1939, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"The Gondoliers" (4 images), undated
"HMS Pinafore" (4 images), undated
"Iolanthe" (3 images), undated
"The Mikado" theatrical production (7 images), undated
"The Mikado" motion picture stills (6 images), 1939
"Patience" (4 images), undated
"Thespis," undated
Unidentified (2 images), undated
Subseries IV.C. Productions (large format), 1855, 1887, inclusive
Theatre (large), 1855, 1887, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"Romeo and Juliet" (Margaret Mather production), 1855
"Taming of the Shrew," 1887
Series V. Capezio Dance Portraits, circa 1943, inclusive
Arrangement
Portraits are filed alphabetically by sitter.
Capezio Dance Portraits "A", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Alonso, Alicia
Argentinita
Asquith, Ruby
Capezio Dance Portraits "B", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Bales, William
Baronova, Irina
Bettis, Valerie
Bolender, Todd
Bowman, Patricia
Capezio Dance Portraits "C", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cansinos
Caton, Edward
Chase, Lucia
Chouteau, Yvonne
Capezio Dance Portraits "D", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Danilova, Alexandra
De Mille, Agnes
Delza, Sophia
Dolinoff, Alexis
Dollar, William
Dudley, Jane
Dunham, Katharine
Capezio Dance Portraits "E", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Eglevsky, Andre
Essen, Viola
Etheridge, Dorothy
Capezio Dance Portraits "F", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Fay, Vivien
Flier, Freda
Capezio Dance Portraits "G", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Gansert, Jack
Graham, Martha
Grantzeva, Tatiana
Guerard, Roland
Capezio Dance Portraits "H", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Haakon, Paul
Hawkins, Erick
Hightower, Rosella
Holm, Hanya
Humphrey, Doris
Capezio Dance Portraits "I", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Istomina, Anna
Capezio Dance Portraits "J", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Jeanne, Marie
Capezio Dance Portraits "K", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Kay, Lisan
Kaye, Nora
Kelly, Gene
Koner, Pauline
Krassovska, Nathalie
Capezio Dance Portraits "L", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Laing, Hugh
Lazowsky, Yurek
Lee, Kathryn
Lichine, David
Littlefield, Dorothie
Loring, Eugene
Capezio Dance Portraits "M", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Markova, Alice
Maslow, Sophie
Massine, Leonide
Mayfair, Mitzi
McCracken, Joan
Miller, Ann
Montes, Monna
Moore, Lillian
Moylan, Mary Ellen
Capezio Dance Portraits "N", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Nancy and Michael
Nemchinova, Vera
Nimura, Yeichi
Capezio Dance Portraits "O", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Osato, Sono
Capezio Dance Portraits "P", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Page, Ruth
Pavlova, Anna
Petroff, Paul
Platt, Marc
Powell, Eleanor
Primus, Pearl
Pryor, Ruth
Capezio Dance Portraits "R", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Reed, Janet
Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Robbins, Jerome
Robinson, Bill
Rosario and Antonio
Roudenko, Lobov
Capezio Dance Portraits "S", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Sergava, Katharine
Shawn, Ted
Slavenska, Mia
Stroganova, Nina
Stuart and Lea
Svetlova, Marina
Capezio Dance Portraits "T", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Tallchief, Maria
Tapps, George
Tennis, Eleanor
Toumanova, Tamara
Toy, Dorothea
Tudor, Antony
Capezio Dance Portraits "V", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Valentinoff, Valya
Varkas, Leon
Capezio Dance Portraits "Z", circa 1943, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Zorina, Vera