Description: Historical Society of Pennsylvania playbill collection

Historical Society of Pennsylvania playbill collection

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Author:	Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Creator)
Collection:	Historical Society of Pennsylvania Playbill Collection
Collection Number:	3131
Format:	Manuscript
Language:	English
Subjects and Genres:	Theaters > Playbills and Programs > 19th century. Theaters > United States > History > 19th century. Theaters > United States > History > 20th century.
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Physical Description:	53.0 Linear feet 53 linear feet, 114 boxes and 80 volumes
Summary:	This collection consists primarily of playbills and programs from various theatres in Philadelphia and other cities, 1754-1989. Eighteenth-century programs include London theatres as well. Theatre-related scrapbooks include programs, handbills, and reprints of a variety of costumed actors and actresses and scenes, and various ephemera including cigarette cards, 1857-1947. Material regarding programs at the Academy of Music is also included in some of these scrapbooks and there are Stagebills of the Philadelphia Orchestra performances at the Academy, 1987-1999. This collection also includes postcard portraits of actresses and actors, c. 1890, programs of some of Jenny Lind's performances in America, 1850-1851 (9 items) and a box of programs of the Ice Follies and Ice Capades, c. 1938-1955. There is also one box of miscellaneous material of local movie theatres, including weekly statements, c. 1930s, newsclippings about the Bijou, and a 1940 diary in which are noted the daily showing of motion picture studio feature films, newsreels, comedies and cartoons. Published volumes include "Players of the Present," 3 volumes (New York, 1901); "The Stage or Recollections of Actors and Acting" (Philadelphia, 1880) and "Specimen Book of Poster Cuts for the Use of the Dramatic, Variety and Minstrel Professions," an advertisement-related volume of miniature colored reproductions of posters, cards, programmes and other items (Philadelphia, 1875). There is also a short run of issues of a daily theatre-related newspaper published in Philadelphia, "The Evening Programme," 1866-1878.

Physical Description:

53.0 Linear feet 53 linear feet, 114 boxes and 80 volumes

Summary:

This collection consists primarily of playbills and programs from various theatres in Philadelphia and other cities, 1754-1989. Eighteenth-century programs include London theatres as well. Theatre-related scrapbooks include programs, handbills, and reprints of a variety of costumed actors and actresses and scenes, and various ephemera including cigarette cards, 1857-1947. Material regarding programs at the Academy of Music is also included in some of these scrapbooks and there are Stagebills of the Philadelphia Orchestra performances at the Academy, 1987-1999. This collection also includes postcard portraits of actresses and actors, c. 1890, programs of some of Jenny Lind's performances in America, 1850-1851 (9 items) and a box of programs of the Ice Follies and Ice Capades, c. 1938-1955. There is also one box of miscellaneous material of local movie theatres, including weekly statements, c. 1930s, newsclippings about the Bijou, and a 1940 diary in which are noted the daily showing of motion picture studio feature films, newsreels, comedies and cartoons. Published volumes include "Players of the Present," 3 volumes (New York, 1901); "The Stage or Recollections of Actors and Acting" (Philadelphia, 1880) and "Specimen Book of Poster Cuts for the Use of the Dramatic, Variety and Minstrel Professions," an advertisement-related volume of miniature colored reproductions of posters, cards, programmes and other items (Philadelphia, 1875). There is also a short run of issues of a daily theatre-related newspaper published in Philadelphia, "The Evening Programme," 1866-1878.

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania playbill collection

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