.
Collection Overview
Title: Theatrical Print collection, 1720-1927
Predominant Dates:1770-1893
ID: 02/Theatrical Prints
Primary Creator: Leavitt, Theodore
Other Creators: Hewitt, Barnard (1906-), Shattuck, Charles Harlen (1910-)
Extent: 9.0 Cubic Feet
Arrangement: Series 1 is alphabetical by actor's last name, except Box 22, which is by title of play.� Prints of theatres in Series 2 are arranged alphabetically by name of theatre.� Programs in Series 3 are arranged alphabetically by the name of the theatre. Photographs in Series 4 are arranged first by type (cabinet cards then photographs) and alphabetical by performer's last name thereunder.
Date Acquired: 01/10/1953
Subjects: Actors, Theater, Theater -- Great Britain -- History -- Pictorial works, Theater -- United States -- History -- Pictorial works, Theater -- United States -- History -- Sources, Theaters
Forms of Material: Broadsides, Photographs, Playbills, Printed ephemera, Prints, Theater programs
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Assembled by Theodore Leavitt. Prints (etchings, engravings, lithographs, mezzotints, wood engravings, aquatints, photogravures, photomechanical prints) of actors, scenes from plays and theatre exteriors. Also contains theatre programs/playbills, most of which are broadsides. The bulk of the prints are of actors, other performers and dramatists, and most of these represent the performer in costume for a particular role. There are some photographs, including cabinet cards, and original drawings as well. Filed along with the prints of actors are brief biographies written (ca. 1953) by students of professors Barnard Hewitt and Charles Shattuck.
Biographical Note
Theodore Leavitt was a print collector and the manager of the Bar Harbor, Maine, Playhouse. It is believed that he sold his collection of theatrical prints to A&B Booksellers in New York, and it is this collection that was later purchased by the University of Illinois in 1953.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Access Restrictions:
Open to researchers.
Use Restrictions:
The RBML reproductions policies can be found here:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/rbx/ReproductionServices.htm
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would damage materials or involve violation of copyright law.
Acquisition Source:
A & B Booksellers, New York
Acquisition Method:
The University of Illinois Foundation paid for the collection in February 1953 and the Department of Speech paid for the postage, according to a ledger in the Special Collections Acquisition File, 1905-1996 (University Archives record group 35/1/19, Box 7).
Related Materials:
Barnard Hewitt Papers (University Archives Record Series Number: 12/11/20).� Charles H. Shattuck Papers (University Archives Record Series Number: 15/7/39). Theatre Program Collection (#37). Alyene Westall Prehn Theatre Program Collection (#36).
Processing Information:
https://wiki.cites.uiuc.edu/wiki/display/librare/Home
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Prints: Portraits & Scenes],
[Series 2: Prints: Theatres],
[
Series 3: Theatre Programs (Broadsides)],
[
Series 4: Photographs],
[
All]
- Series 2: Prints: Theatres
- Etchings and engravings of theatres, mainly exteriors. Filed by the name of the theatre.
- Box 23
- Folder 1: Adelphi Theatre (London)
- Folder 2: American theatres (misc.), 1800-1900
- Folder 3: Arch Street Theatre (Philadelphia)
- Folder 4: Astley's Amphitheatre (London)
- Folder 5: Astor Place Opera House (New York)
- Folder 6: Bear Garden (London - 17th century)
- Folder 7: Booth's Theatre (New York), 1869-1870
- Folder 8: Boston Museum
- Folder 9: Boston Theatre, 1854
- Folder 10: Bowery Theatre (New York)
- Folder 11: Broadway Theatre (New York)
- Folder 12: Brougham's Theatre (New York)
- Folder 13: Chatham Theatre (New York)
- Folder 14: Chestnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia)
- Folder 15: Commedia Del Arte - characters
- Folder 16: Daly's Fifth Avenue (New York)
- Folder 17: Drury Lane (London), 1794-1809
- Folder 18: Drury Lane (London), 1812
- Folder 19: Duke's Theatre-Dorset Gardens (London)
- Folder 20: Duke's Theatre-Lincoln's Inn Fields (London)
- Folder 21: Federal Street Theatre (Boston)
- Folder 22: Fortune's Playhouse (London - 17th century)
- Folder 23: French theatres
- Folder 24: Globe Theatre (London - 17th century)
- Folder 25: Greek Theatres
- Folder 26: Italian Opera House - Haymarket (London)
- Folder 27: Lafayette Theatre (New York)
- Folder 28: Latin American theatres
- Folder 29: Marybone Gardens (London)
- Folder 30: Medieval theatre
- Folder 31: Metropolitan Opera House (New York)
- Folder 32: Niblo's Garden (New York)
- Folder 33: Palmo's Opera House/Burton's Theatre (New York)
- Folder 34: Pantheon Theatre (Oxford Street, London)
- Folder 35: Park Theatre (New York)
- Folder 36: Princess Theatre (London)
- Folder 37: Provincial theatres (England): B-E
- Folder 38: Provincial theatres (England): G-L
- Folder 39: Provincial theatres (England): M
- Folder 40: Provincial theatres (England): O-S
- Folder 41: Provincial theatres (England): W
- Folder 42: Ranelagh Gardens (London)
- Folder 43: Red Bull Theatre (London - 17th century)
- Folder 44: Roman theatres
- Folder 45: Royal Olympic Theatre (London)
- Folder 46: Royal Victoria Theatre (London)
- Folder 47: Royalty Theatre (Wellclose Square, London)
- Folder 48: Sadler's Wells (Islington, North London)
- Folder 49: Surrey Theatre (London)
- Folder 50: Swan Theatre (London)
- Folder 51: Tremont Theatre (Boston)
- Folder 52: Vaux-Hall Gardens (London)
- Folder 53: Wallack's Theatre (New York)
- Folder 54: Walnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia), 1831
- Folder 55: Theatrical companies -- group portraits
- Folder 56: Miscellaneous theatrical prints
- Box-Folder 26/6: OVERSIZE Materials
Arrangement: Oversize print materials will be stored in either oversize print shelving in UL6 South or will be stored in map cases in LL6 North. Oversize manuscript materials will, by and large, be stored in oversize boxes in UL 6 North. Collections are arranged in oversize locations by collection ID number.
These materials are filed in print shelving, as indicated below.
- Folder 6: Oversize prints
- Item 2: The Duke's Theatre-Dorset Gardens
- Item 3: Polander's performances at Sadler's Wells
- Item 4: Guy Bates Post, "The Masquerade" (ink drawing), 1925
- Publicity proof
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Prints: Portraits & Scenes],
[Series 2: Prints: Theatres],
[
Series 3: Theatre Programs (Broadsides)],
[
Series 4: Photographs],
[
All]