No. 131 NOVEMBER 2004

A Library Letter rom The Boston Athena:um

articles about the Athen

...... ------~------was a real tragedy, one from which the otherwise tough little completed. It remamed in his family until very recently American never totally recovered. His impulse was ro and was carefully preserved through several generations. The abandon Europe and thereby avoid the places where he had type of subject undenaken in The Boston ( omrnon is an experienced early professional and more recen r personal unusual one for Om em:ck. He is cenainlv, nor known as a triumphs. Eventually he would return to Cmcmnari to pa1nrer of cttyscapes, although he did pamr 'Kws of Venice, become the most popular and influential teacher in that both c.lose up and from a d1srance, and, ltke Wh1sder, made "Athens of the West." But first he went to Boston. the city the subject of some of his etchings. Nor 1s Duveneck The primary reason for Duveneck's coming to Boston on normally associated with the state of Massac.husens, with the this journey of recovery was to place his and Linie's son, important exceptiOn of Gloucester, where he spent Francis Boon Duveneck, in the home of one of LizLie's aunts, summers in the early t\\enueth century. f·or the most a stable environment where the child could spend the rest of pare, however, the bnghdy colored seascapes and his youth. Frank Duveneck probably already had a favorable views of the seaside town basking m the summer sun that view of Boston, though; it was there, in an exhibition at the he painted there have little stylistic connec.rion to rhe Arhen<£um's new work. Boston Art Club in 1875, that his paintings received their In fact, The Boston ( ommon could nor d1ffer more. In th1s first positive critical attennon. And, as luck would have n, painting Duveneck g1ves us an urban landscape wherein the Duveneck also had at least one dose, long-term friend in city is represented not by Hs inhabitants, bur simply by the Boston: the painter, watercolorist, and illustratOr George dome of Bulfinch's Stare House. The structure is seen across H en ry Clements (1854-1935). Clements was a native of and through the trees of the Common, rhe heart and lungs of Louisiana, bur had mer Duveneck in Europe-they shared a the cit), which is not rendered in the bright colors of spring house near Paris \vith several other artists for a season or two. or summer, as one m1ghr expect, bur in tones from a darker Clements had come to Bosron himself in rhe 1880s in search palette typical of the Munich method. If one \\ere to judge of artistic patronage, but he had good reason for lingering the painting merely by its tide, it seems likely that an entirely there: he had recently married Caroline Curtis Dixwell, a different sort of image would be imagined. Undoubtedly the Boston Brahmin who was related to the Bowdirches and the artist's own depression, sense of loss, and feelings of abandon­ Bo.udmans, and a descendant of Epes Sargent. The depth of ment were affecting him here, leading h1m ro depict what the friendship between Duveneck and Clemencs is nor could easily have been a joyful or bnght scene .ls a mournful known, but the relationship appears to have survived both and dark place. In The Boston Common, in other words, we artists' peregrinations and was strong enough to compel them find Duveneck playing his part in the lare-nmeteenrh-c..entury to pJint each other's portraits, probably during the 1880s. tendency, to make art that abandons its former, didactic (They arc now unlocated , bur both were shown in the large mission to become, more and more, an expression of the retrospective exhibition of Duveneck's work held at the arnsr's own most personal feelings. It is here, in thts shift, that Cincinnati Art Museum in 1936.) we find the origins of modernism. The Boston Athene£um's recently acquired canvas is an David Dearinger even more direct and tangible evidence or Duveneck's Susan Morse Hdles Curator of connection to Clements. Duveneck may have painted the Pamtmg and Sculpture image specifically for Clements, but whether or not he did, it,.. as probably in Clements' possession shortly afrer it was The Dial first rwo issues, The Dial changed irs name to Art and Poetry, Bemg Thoughts Toward Nature, Conducted Prmczpally by The pecial Collections Department of the Boston Artists. Much sm aller in format than irs predecessor, it Arhen~um has recently been enriched by rhe addition of a contained no illusuations, but featured arricles conrributed handsome set of rhe English art nouveau periodical The Dltll by the most prominent Pre-Raphaelires. Special Coll ections Edited by Charles Haslewood Shannon and Charles de Sousy houses a complete set of the The Germ, which was purchased Ricketts, it was published in five issues between 1889 and by the Athenceum in the nineteenth century. In 1981 Mrs. 1897. As the first product of the Vale Press, it was a R. E. Danielson gave the Library a copy of the rare 1901 commercial failure with very small circulation; it nevertheless facsimile of the The Germ, which includes a highly valued attracted the anention of critics such as Oscar Wilde, who, preface by W. M. Rossetti. Happily, the Athenceum's Special ahhough he thought it "quire delightful," suggested that the Collections Department also houses a set of the other first issue be the last. Luckily Ricketts and Shannon instead possible precursor to The Dial, an arr periodical published dectded to Improve ir. For the second Issue they chose between 1884 and 1889 called The Century Gut!d Hobby hand made rather than machine-made paper for printing, Horse. This arts and crafts serial seems to be a closer cousm supplied their own origmal wood engravings and lithographs to The Dtal, possessing shared characteristics of hand-made for illustrations, and created a more innovative typographic paper and numerous artisricall y designed illustrations design. The ed1rors were accomplished artists and succeeded interspersed with the text. Perhaps Ricketts wanted The Durl in giving the periodical a tone of elegant decadence and ro be unlike any competitors; if so, he need not have worried. originality that was strengthened wlth each issue. The elegant quality of the publications of the Vale Press 1s clearly derived from the early stylistic experimemations of The Dial and the aesthetic sensibilities of irs publishers. tanley Ellis Cushing CuraLOr of Rare Books

Theater Programs at the Boston Ailienreum: An Introduction to the Collection The history of Boston's theaters often provides rhe researcher and theater aficionado with som e fascinating drama in itself In the nineteenth century, when Boston was the center of a thriving community of theaters, an ongoing confli ct between artistic freedom and the city's ubiquitous Puritan lineage was dearl} in evidence. Even as early as the eighteenth cenrun, going to the theater in Boston was regarded as a fashionable, if not entirely appropriate, pursuit. A quaint example of Boston's secret love affair with tht theater is witnessed in the names of early playhouses such as the Exhibition Hall and the beloved Boston Museum, which really were theaters in very thin disguise. Indeed, the term "banned in Boston" was one used either pejoratively or (frequently) as an mcentive to attract patrons. From public The Dzal had two possible precursors, though Charles condemnation by such patriots as John Hancock and Sam Ricketts onl} acknowledged one, the Pre-Raphaelite 71Je Adams to city censors starting in 1904, the history of the

Germ, \\ hich \\aS published m London 111 1850. After the Boston stage 1s one that clearly reflects deep religious and artistic divisions. In spire of these controversies, of Music, also played host to a grand ball honoring Edward , however - or perhaps because of them - Boston theater houses Prince of Wales. for rhts occasion, the theater's floor was laid flourished throughout most of the nineteenth century. The over with parquet for dancing. Boston Athemeum's collection of theater programs and Noteworthy Boston Theatre playbills in the Ltbrary's ephemera reflects the popularity and variety of the Boston collectt on include Edwin Forrest in Krng Lear and o thers theater scene during this period. The majority of playhouses featuring such thespian luminaries a~ Edwin Booth, were, and some still are, located within a half-mile radius of C harlotte C ushman, H enry Irving, and Ellen Terry. Also of Tremont and Boylston Streets, convenienrly situated nea r some historical interest is a program to The Lady of Lyons, Boston's commercial center and rhe residences of some of starring society beauty Lily Langtry. Boston's more affluent theatergoers around Beacon HilL For a more complete list of theaters, see the Boston A perusal of Boston Theatre programs daring fro m the Arhenre um's Web sire at www.bostonarhenaeum.org 1840s up to the turn of the century reveals the changing appearance and design of theater playbills m general. The The Boston Theatre earlier examples from about 1840 to 1880 are mainly broad­ (1 794-1852 and 1854-1925) sides, often printed on thin, fragile paper. As broadsides, W ith the first Boston Theatre, later called the Federal Street these programs could have been nailed or mounted on Theatre, Boston can be said to have inaugurated irs theater building walls, billboards, or even tree trunks. Use of a very history. One of C harles Bulfinch's early creations, the play­ large typeface and an imaginative layout made these si mple, house opened on February 3, 1794, with H enry Brooke's unadorned programs as effective as proclamations. By the GustazJUs Vasa and Modern Antiques. It was soon considered late 1870s, programs were printed in brochure formats, with to be the finest theater in the country. Four years later the ride and cast information on the cover customarily surrounded building burned to the ground, bur it was quickly rebuilt. and followed by pages of adverti sing and pieces of miscella­ Charles Stuart Powell was the theater manager in the early neous information and commentaries. In the 1890s Boston days and remained for two seasons. Julia Dean and Edwin Forrest were among the more prominent actors at the first Theatre programs had evolved into rhe quano booklet form Boston Theatre. The building continued to operate as a that most programs retain to this day: an often decorative theater until 1835, when it was converted into a lecture hall cover fo ll owed by several pages o f advertising and theater called the Odeon, but in 1846 it reopened as a playhouse miscellany- more of a magazine than a playbill. under irs old name, the Boston Theatre. The structure was razed in 1852, eventually making way for the lavish second The Bijou Theatre Boston Theatre on Washington rreet in 1854. (1882-?) Among the many theaters represented in the Arhenreum 's The Lion Theatre was originally on rhe same sire as the Bijou; theater collections, the programs of the second Boston erected in 1836, it was in 1839 called the M elodeon. In 1878 Theater are among the most numerous. Designed by Edward the name was changed to the Gaiety and finally, on and James Cabot and Jonathan Preston from plans by H enri D ecember 18, 1882, to the Bijou. The Bijou featured Noury, this playhouse had a noble history. Renowned for its musicals, operas, and plays on the building's second fl oor. It spaciousness and beauty - the much-admired auditorium was also the first theater in the United States to be entirely seared 3,000- rhe second Boston Theatre hosted such lighted by elecrrici ty. theatrical luminaries as Sarah Bernhardt, Maurice Barrymore, By the end of 1881, George H . Tyler, manager of the Park and Edwin Booth. Nor did the world-famous playhouse Theatre, had formed a partnership with Frederick Vokes to limit itself to theater: it was also where Bostonians first heard establish the Boston Bijou on the site of the completely Beethoven's opera Fidelw in 1854, Bizet's Carmen in 1879, renovated and e nlarged Gaiety Theatre. Vokes later and several other American operatic premieres of note until relinquished his share in the theater and a new partnership the Boston Opera House was built in 1909. It is no wonder was formed between T.N. and E.H. Hastings. On December that playwright and producer Dion Boucicault dubbed the 11 , 1882, the Bijou opened with a production of G ilbert and Boston Theatre the finest theater in the world. In October Sullivan's Iolanthe, and in 1882 Lillian Russell played rhe lead 1860 the playhouse, by then known as the Boston Academy in Patunce at the Bijou. By eptember 27, 1886, the reins of ownershtp and management passed ro George R. Batcheller after she died, Mrs. Vincent continued to benefit the Bosron and a shO\\ man from Htllsborough, New Hampshtre, community through her private charities, which led ro rhe

Benjamin Franklin Ketth. Keith played a leading role tn the founding of the Vincent Memorial Hospital and the Vincent Bosron theater world as rhe founder of B.F. Keith's Theatre, Club, whose members regularly continue ro pur on a show one of the first vaudeville theaters in the country. Keith for the benefit of the hospital. William Warren was another eventually took over rhe Bijou, developing variety theater inro prominent acror, staying with the Bosron Museum for more what he first termed "vaudeville"; he opened a number of rhan thirty-six years. theaters in other cities and eventually, on the ground floor of the Bijou, B. F. Keith's Theatre, which opened on March 24, 1894. The Bosron Athena:um's collection of Bijou programs The Castle Square Theatre is limited ro the period between 1883 and 1891. (1894-1932) The Boston Athenceum owns a sizable collection of playbtlls The Boston Museum from rhe Castle Square Theatre in Boston's South End. E.M. (1841-1846 and 1846-1903) Maynard built this relatively small bur grand playhouse m Perhaps rhe most beloved of all the Boston theaters was rhe 1894. Often the home of opera and touring plays, Castle second Boston Museum (1846-1903). As its name implies, Square's stock company ( 1908-1916), opera red by John Cratg this performance hall housed a gallery of curiosities in and Mary Young, was popular in irs day. Between 1912 and addition to its theatrical features, which initially made tt best 1914, a young actor named Alfred Lunt was a new member known for irs wax tableaux, music programs, and displays of the company and later toured with Lily Langtry. Lunt from rhe New England Museum. Built by Moses Kimball in married Lynn Fontanne in 1922, forming what some regard 1841, the first Boston Museum had become so successful that as the greatest American acting team of the twentieth a new building was erected on Tremont Street in 1846, and century. Several programs in the Athenceum's Jenks performances continued there until 1903. Kimball himself Collection feature Lunt among the cast. was a self-made showman, whose initial decision to create a An excellent description of the Castle Square Theatre is cabinet of curiosities is not surprising considering hts found in a souvenir playbill that describes and praises the association wirh that ultimate showman, P.T. Barnum. A Rococo/Renaissance style of irs interior and also mentions the collection of Barnum's letters to Kimball dating from the playhouse's new system of dimming the stage lights more 1840s can be found m the Athenceum's manuscript collection gradually through rhe use of a switchboard. Gradually and provides a fascinating window into the nineteenth-century succumbing to the popularity of the moving picture, rhe world of sensationalisnc entertainment, a precursor ro the Castle Square Theatre, now re-christened the Arlington, was circus and amusemem park industry. razed in 1932 and its furnishings auctioned off. The Boston Museum had the distinction of staging the Our Castle Square programs include ones for George M. first American performance of many Gilbert and Sullivan Cohan's Broadway jones and David Belasco's The Girl of the operas, notably H.M.S. Pinafore on November 25, 1878. Golden West. The operas were instant successes with the Bosron public. Among rhe luminaries of the Bosron Museum stage were The Colonial Theatre Edwm Booth, Annte Clark, E.H. Sothern, and Richard (1900- ) l\.1ansfield. In 188"7 Mansfield played the lead role m the The oldest Boston theater to survive inracr as a legitimate Museum's first American production of Dr. jekyll and Mr. Hyde. stage theater and one of C.H. Blackall's finest creations, the The acwr \\as later one of several individuals briefl} suspected Colonial Theatre opened on December 20, 1900. Apart of pia\ tng an C\en gnslter role in real life, namel} that of from the Tremont Theatre, it was rhe first playhouse in Jack the Rtppcr Of the older generation were Mrs. J. R. Boston to be erected in the theater disrrict thar originated Vincent (t¥1ar) Ann Farley), an English-born actress who around the turn of the century at the southern end of made her c.areer at the Museum from 1852 until her death in Tremont Street. Outwardly modest in appearance, the 1887; she was muc.h beloved by Boston theatergoers. Fven Colonial's interior is in the Rococo style, featuring lavishly carved derail and pain rings m rhe sryle of Fran<;ots Boucher. through 1997, when the theaters restoration proJect received An ex tensive sequence of murals by Blackall and H . B. Pennell a Preservation Achievement Award from the Boston are unique within Boston. T he Colo nial opened wirh a Preservation Alliance. production of Ben-Hu r, fe,lturing W illiam Farnum and W.S. The Athenceum owns an intact copy - that 1s, wirh all its H arr in the principal roles, a cast of 350, and an on-stage pages of the Colonial's openmg mghr program of Ben-Hza; chariot race wirh twelve horses. Both lead actors later became as well as other early programs. Playbills follow rhe baste silent film stars. T he Colontal was also where Flo Ziegfeld quarto booklet format. Imact programs dating from 1912 launched his follies, playbill exam ples of which can be found and later feature colorful cover illustrations with characters in in the Library's coll ection. The Colonial is notable for its eighteenth-century cosrume; additional advernsements are association with Irving Berl in, Sigmund Romberg, R.tchard perhaps an indication of the Colonial's growing prosperity. Rogers, and O scar H ammersrein II. Classics of the Amencan musical theater such as Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma, Carousel, and La cage aux folies also had their first performances here. The Columbia Theah·e (1891-1955) n=------~ Built by Leon H . Lampert & Sons, the Columbia T heatre on II - I Washington Street opened in 189 1. Built in the St}le of a Theatre I Moonsh temple, rhe theater also had tts own stock company. Colonial I OPENINC NICHT, DECEMBER 20th, 1900. I I [ \entually the Columbia became a movie hous<., only to RICH, HAIUIIS a: CttAIUA~ FNOHMAN, LHteu and lt1anaa~n. 1 ISAAC 0 RICH, • • Ruldent lt1anaster 1 I degenerate gradually into a burlesque hall b<.fore tt \Vas razed I ---- I WEEK OF llECEnBER 17, 1900. I m 1955. Judging by illusrranons found mstde several of the I1 1 urtaln will rlso E\ rnlng• at 7. 4~ . We•1nd•l.ay anllli:ltur•l~> Matlneee at 2 lI Library's Columbia playbills - all, thankfully, Intact - the I I~ J ..... A,,,... 4..4C .E H J .... .t-'-. N (:; E ]~ ~ ~ ! 1 Production o f OBN. l.EW W A L L ACE'.S I inside was decorated in rhe same Moorish st) le, wirh rounded arches, onion-shaped turrets, and slender pillars. II BEN-HUR I The Arhenc.eum's collec.non of theater programs from the Under the direction of JOSEPH BROOKS. Arranged for thr etage b) WM Columbia Theater dare from 1891-1894 and represent such ' OliNG. \'oealond lnehumental Music cornpo&ed for tht- production bj EDGAR I I STII.LMAN KEI. LEY. Entire production under &tn~e dir«tlon of Ben Tul. I plays as Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Ft1n and Brandon I

CHARACTF.RS I N THE PREL UDE: i Thomas's Charley's Aunt, among many others. t nalt haur. the Egyptian I ••••••••••• • •••• • •••• • •••••••••••••• • ]-~·r~ncfe Kingdon (~atpar, the Greek •...... ·· .. .. · · · · • · ·. · ... · · · · · · · · · · · • • · • J~. S. Thr_.rpe ' ! 'I • ~f etch l u r , 1he li \ndoo ...... · ...... · · ···· · ··. ·· Chafi, J. \\'IUon 'I I I ' The Copley Theater I CHARACTERS I N THE DRAMA: Bc:n· liur, Judah, •on of ltharnnr ...... • • • • William Farnum (1916-1957?) t.fea&.al.a...... • ...... • • ...... • . .. ·. · · · · · · • ·• · · • · · · \\'. S. Hart Slrnon ldea...... •...... · ·. ·. · · ·. • • • Ernmett Corrigan The Copley Theater began as the second Toy Theater, Arrtua. the Tribune .•...... · · ... · · •. · · · · ·• ····Robert Elliot erected tn 1914 and re chnstened the Cople} in 1916. In llalthatar ...... •...... · ...... ••.. ·• .. • • .Francis Kingdon I Jldertm ...... · · · · .Jienry \Vea,er. Jr. a 1922 the Copley moved to ~tuarr Street, between Darrmourh ' ~ l a1lucl•· ...... , ..... •...... • • · • · • • • • • • •JOiln F. Cook 'i' tlortat,lr .• ...... • .•...... •. ··~ ...•.••...... ··· ...... L.. llatl J~ \\'"ll~on and Huntington Avenues. It became the Capri movie house ~1 ete11u . • • • • • • • • • • . • • ...... •••••..••• , • • . . • • . · .•• 1-~ rancl) n l{obrrtl llrUIUI•...... • . . • ...... • ...... · ...... \V. J KeliJ in 1957 and has long since been razed to make. room for the Ceclllua...... • ...... ,Jienr.' T. Del ere Sanballat ••.. .•.•...... · •..... · ..... · .... · · · · · · · · · · · Roht'rt ~tan afield J\1assachuserts Turnptke ExtensiOn. Kl1o led...... • ...... · .. · ...... Chnrle1 Cra lg ,. Cof'nturlon...... • ...... · · ...... JJenr) l\1ontro6e I ocated in what archttectural historian Douglass Shand­ l Officer of the Calley.... • • • • . • . .. • . • • • • • .. .. • ••••••. . • . • William Ford Eethc:r . . . . • ...... ••••...... •..... 1,. • • • • • • • Nellie Thorne fucci has called the achmg void" in Cople\ quare, the Ira' I •••• , •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I Adele Block ~1 otller of llur...... • ... ~label Burt Copley Theater was one of the pioneering "little theaters" of

Tlt&ah . , . , 1 1 •• 1 •••••••••••••• I. I •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • Adeline Adler ~-- ...... ·~· , •• . ••...... •.•..•...•••...... ~~t:ihn\\· America that sought to present viral, contemporary plays in t 'lllt Oil tiDUiltl On 1!1\g<' 11! m timate settings. The Copley was also known for 1ts ~------'lbll progm pullllsh !l b --I -IJ--- ::kelton,------....--T \\- --aabl~n---·--- titruot,------11< el n ------~ American premieres of Bernard haw's dramas. The theater's Al though the Colonial T hearre had been extensJvelv restored beaunful staircase \\as the gtft of Isabella Stewart Gardner, in 1960, major work was agam needed by the early 1990s. \\ ho was a regular patron of the Cople} (so \\as thL '\.rnerican Renovations were im p lemented in 1992 and connnued soctet) pamrer John mger argent). From 1917 to 1923 the Copley was under the direction of Henry Jewerr, who also advertising and c.over art. The covers of the earliest programs had hts own repertory c.ompany there. E.E. Clive assumed (1886) represent exterior and interior vtews of rhe theater the d1rec.rorship of the Copley in the 1920s. itself- valuable images of a playhouse and street rhat no Unfortunately, the Athen;£um's collection of Cople} longer exist. ] udging by the covers, the theater was decorated playbt!ls IS nor Intact. All of rhem can be found in the Swan in a sumptuous, nco-Baroque sryle, lending credence to its collection of sc.rapbooks. Players featured at the Copley fashionable status. The AthenCEum's collection of Hollis include Lionel Arwill and Joseph Cotten. Theatre programs dates from 1886 to the 1920s.

The Globe Theatre The Howard Athen12um (1870-1873, 1874-1903, and 1903- ) (1845-1953) No fewer than three Boston theaters were called the Globe. Of all Boston theaters, the history of the Howard Athenaeum When rhe first theater was erected in 186.. ", it \\.as initially is one of the most famous as well as the saddest. To those called Selwyn's, but this theater burned down in 1873. The Bostonians who still remember it, the theater was affection­ second Globe existed between 18'4 and 1903, and Arthur H. ately called "The Old Howard." Originally the sire of a Vinal built rhe thtrd Globe in 1903. Most of rhe Athen~um's Millerite temple awaiting Armageddon, the building was Globe Theatre programs originate from the first and second rebuilt as a playhouse in 184 5, only to burn down a fe\\. playhouses. All three theaters were known for their celebrat­ monrhs later. In 1846 Isatah Rogers destgned a new structure ed stars. Among rhe actors featured at the Globe in the 1870s in a Gothic sryle unique among American theaters. The pia)­ and 1880s were Helena Modjeska, Henf} Irving, Ellen Terry, house soon became famous for irs opera productions. Verd1's and R.lchard Mansfield; programs from their performances opera Ernani, which was performed at the Howard in 1847, are well represented in the Library's theater collectton. may ha\e been Boston's first exposure to Italian opera. In the earl} 1880s, Madame Modjeska starred in several Plays and ballets were also featured at the Howard. plays ar the Globe opposite rhe handsome Maurice Gradually, however, as the theater lost much of irs audience Barf} more, father of the tllustrious Lionel, Ethel, and John. A to the Boston ~Iuseum and the Boston Theatre, it began large number of programs featuring Modjeska and Barrymore presenting variety shows, which in the first decades of the are found in rhe Athenceum's collection of theater scrapbooks. twentieth century changed into burlesque. From irs fashion­ able grand opera days in the mid-nineteenth century, the Old Howard became a tawdry establishment especially beloved bv Hollis Street Theatre Harvard undergraduates for its strip-tease acts. The Boston (1885-1935) Arhenceum has a small but interesting collection of programs Located on Hollis Street, which formerly ran between from the Howard's golden early years, dating from 1847 ro Washington and Tremont Srreers, rhe Hollis Srreer Theatre 1848, including the program for Ernani. was in irs day the most fashionable theater in Boston. Built in 1885 by John R. Hall, rhe Hollis rreer Theatre opened with B.R Keith's Theatre Gilberr and Sullivan's operetta The Mikado, and featured such (1894-1952) well-known actors as Dion Boucicault, Madame Modjeska, New Hampshire showman Benjamin Franklin Keith opened 1\faunce Barrymore,- Sarah Bernhardt, and, around rhe turn his theater next door to the second Boston Theatre in 1894. of the century, William Gillette and Maude Adams. Isaac B. Earlier, Keith had successfully opened a chain of theaters in Rich 'A as rhe theater's general manager and propnetor until several c.iries where he produced performances rhat he trs management passed ro Charles Frohmann sometime dubbed vaudeville. Keith's Theatre was an elegant vaudeville between 1907 and 1910. The theater was razed in 1935. playhouse with reserved sears and rwo shows a day- includ­ l\1any of the Boston Athen~um's theater playbtlls have tng comedy skits, musi<..al and dance routines, and daredevil survived intact. The Hollis Street Theatre scrapbooks include acts - with an orchestra. A theater program for May 19, programs rhar, with a few exceptions, retain all of rhe 1902, mentions, among other entertainers, an "eccentric, juggling comedian II named we. Fields. had taken ownersh1p of the Park, it became I\fimk} s Park Built by J. B. McElfatrick, B.f. Keith s Theatre became a Burlesque, where Gyps) Rose Lee did htr stnptease acr. landmark of American theater htsrory, and some 400 orhet 'I hroughout this century, the Park has been vanoml) known

Keith theaters were soon built throughout the country. In as the Hub and the Trans-Lux. Blackall remodeled lt 111 1903. 1909 B.I . Ketth's fheatrc rook over its great competitor, the I he I ibrary's collect ion of Park Theatre programs

Boston Theatre, which after the Boston Theatre burned includes cl premiere theater program for l.tt cigtz!{', which also dO\\ n became one of Keith's three-theater c.o m plexc~. contains fasunating information on the design and seattng 7,000 people in all. decorauon of the theater as well as on the demolition of Beethoven H all, formerly located on the same site • Majestic Theatre (1903- ) Plymouth Theatre NO\\ known as the Curler Majestic Theatre, this theater ts the (1911 ) only known loc.ll building designed by Jo hn Galen I {oward . The Plymouth Theatre was originally known as the Cary and Built tn an opulenr sryle rcminiscenr of Viennese Roc.oco, the was eventually convened to a movie theater. Yet another Majestic. was also the first Boston playhouse ro make exten­ Blackall creation, the theater was dubbed "one of the sive me of elecrriciry, inregrating lighting fixtures into Its cruCibles of the American drama' b\ Elltot Norton because of architectural framework. After presenting vaudc\ die shows the man} stgntflc.anr pia\ s rhat reached their maturity there. in rhc 1920s, the Majestic was rechristened the Saxon in 1958 The Plymouth opened on Oc.robcr 16, 1911, with John and bec..1me a movie theater. U nfortunately, the c.onvers10n \rftllmgton Synge's controversial Pf,,yboy ofthe Western \Vorlrl, ro a movie theater transformed the lobby, covenng much of at which theatergoers Wt!ltam Butler Yeats and Lad} C1regor} the l Ioward's beaux-arts work. In the 1980s Emerson were forced to h1re a pack of H arvard graduates for protecnon College bought the theater and restored it to its o rigmal agamst local agitators. T h1s theater\\ as apparently nor afra1d splendor. After the second phase of the renovations was of srag1ng contemporary, m ore daring plays. Of speciJ.I completed in the fall of 2003, the Curler Majestic. became a mreresr is a Plymouth program for Elmer RKe's play performing ans cenrer for both Emerson College and the Counselor at Law starring future H ollyvvood actor P.lUI Munt. communiry at large. Of the few Majestic Theatre programs held by the Shubert Theatre Athencrum, only one, dated O ct. 6, 1906, has survived with (19 10- ) all its p.1ges intact. The Athen~um owns only two programs ( 1911- 1912) from Park Theatre the Shubert Theatre, which was designed by Thomas James. Originalh conceived as rhe Lyn c. Theatre until Ne\\ York's (1879- ) Shubert Orgamzation purchased the property in 1908, it saw Now known as the State Theatre, at 611 Washingron Street, the pre-Broad\\J}' tryouts of suc.h classics of the Americ..m and one of only rwo surviving Boston theaters from the nme­ musical theater as The Kmg and!, South Prurfic, Camelot, and teenrh c.enrury (the other being the fo rmer Tremont Theatre), Mame. From its opening-night production of The Timzmg of the Park Theatre was erec.red by the successful actress Lotta starnng E. H . 5othern and Julia l\farlowe, the Crabtree, who reputedly became rhe ciry's largest taxpayer. the Shrew, The wealthy Ms. Crabtree opened the theater with La cigale Shuben has had a long luscory or first-rare theatrical produc­ on April 14, 18""'9. Apart from Lotta herself, prominent nons. Here was where Lmrence Oln 1er first tntroduced John actors at the Park included Madame Janauschek, Edwm Osborne's crinc.ally-acclaimed drama The Entertamer ro Booth, and Richard Mansfield. A m erican audiences and where Erhel ~1erman starred At her death in 1924, Crabtree left more than $4 million tn Call 1\fe A/adam 1n 1950. The ~hubert was also co vario u charities that still are administered in Bosron by the where Robert C. herwood's The Petrified Forest opened Its C rabtree Trust. In the early 1930s, after the Minsky brothers pre-Broadway tour 111 1936. tarring Leslie H oward, this production also featured a then unknown actor named Books of Interest Humphrey Bogart in the role of Duke M antee. The Shubert's by Athene£um Members marquee is the last of tts kind in Boston. Now managed and operated by the Wang Center for the National Academy ofDesign CatAlogue Arrives Performmg Arts, the extensively renovated Shubert Theatre Readers should look for rhe handsome first volume of was again unveiled in October 1996. The first national tour Paintings and Sculpture in the Collection of the National of]onarhan Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent premiered at Academy of D esign (2004), edited by the Athenceum 's rhe Shubert, generating sold-out crowds and mighty ovations. Susan Morse HiJles Curator of Paintings and Sculpture, David D earinger. Years in preparation, this volume, which Tremont Theatre covers the years 1826-192 5, is the first installmen r of a fuJly ( 1889-1949) illustrated two-volume catalog of rhe Academy's priceless Several Boston playhouses were named the Tremonr Theatre, coll ection of paintings and sculpture. Irs pages con rain but rhe major one represented in rhe Athenceum's playbill information about a total of 1,300 objects and biographies of collection is the theater built in 1889 by J.B. McElfatrick and 581 artists- all bur 24 of whom are American. Sons, located on Tremont Street at rhe corner of Avery. Founded in 1826, the Academy is one of the oldest art Extremely successful and fashionable in the 1890s, this organizations in the United States. It was rhe brainchild of theater is famous for hosting the great Sarah Bernhardt, who painter and scientist Samuel F.B. Morse, who established its enraptured Bostonians in 1891 with her performance of La mission - the promotion of American arr - and guided ns Tosca. fulfillment through annual exhibitions of contemporary When D.W Griffith's Birth of a Nation opened at rhe American art, a school of fine arts, and a m embership of Tremont in 1915, a riot broke out. Until that time, motion professional artists. pictures had been a relatively minor entertainment medium, Editor of the catalog David D earinger, who came to the bur Griffith's pioneering, albeit admittedly racist, epic Athenceum from rhe Academy in February 2004, was inaugurated a new era for films and filmmaking. Twelve years previously Chief Curator there for seven years. H e was later, the first sound film, The jazz Singer, was also seen h ere. principally responsible for the editing and production of rhis One can say that the Tremont Theatre exemplified rhe cultural handsome volume, which should be on one of the new book transitions of an era when many "legitimate" stage theaters tables in the Art D epartment by September. were either being razed or converted into movie houses. The Tremont eventually did became a movie theater called the Astor, bur it has since been razed. Extravaganza King! Rebecka Persson Extravaganza Kmg (Northeastern University Press, 2004) is Rare Book Cataloger/ Reference Librarian the entertaining tale of Robe rt Barner ( 1853- 1933), a prosperous Boston sugar merchant, and the popular musical theatricals he wrote and produced for the First Corps of Cadets, a volunteer militia of young, upper-class Boston busi n essmen who sought money to build an armory as protection against feared immigrant uprisings. In this lively and light-hearted account by Barnet's great-granddaughter, Arhenceum member Anne Alison Barnet, we learn the lirrle-known story of the Cadet theatricals and the creative force behind the huge productions, many of which later toured the country and had Broadway runs. Barne t had alread y made a n a m e for himself in Imrrior ofthe Boston Thl'tltre local amateur theater circles when the Corps hi red the middle .1ged father of fi ve to srage fund-raisers to erect the In April Children's Librarian )uzanne Terry and \ tlphcn .u mory, known today as dK P.1rk Plaza Castle. BeC\.veen 189 1 Nonack held a program on "J usnce" for the seventh- and and 1906 Barnet almost singk handedly managed the lavish eighth-grade students ar the Charles Rivu \d nol in Dover; musical farces and Ivfm her Goosl burlesques, acting as libret- the smdenrs are all focusing on the subject over two years of risr, din:c ror, and costumL des rgner. fhe male Cadets swdy )ul and )rcphen held the audience in thrall as they including several Han .ud graduates trained in tl1l H asty discussed the murdet of George Parkman, tht \acco-Vanzerri Puddrng tradition, played .tll the roles m the\c overblown case, the Bram trial ("murder on the high seas ) and the gorv .1ffar rs, .111d Barnet himself \tarred as Queen h .1 bella of pain talc of James Allen (alias George Walton, Jonas Piucl Burle) in 1192, his most famous work. Donning dresses .llld \\ tgs Grove, et al.), "rhe highwayman,' whose narrati\(:- ts on rhc for the female parts, the hefry, muscular Jeadmg ladr cs rarsed Athcnxum s shelves, bound in his own skin. laughter rather than C} ebrO\\S fro m the aud icncls of prominem Bostonians \\ho anended the sh O\\~. B .uncr '~ book transport\ the reader back to rhe turn of rhe Newspapers and Journals last u:ntury, a time when e>.. travaganLas- musical theater with enormous casts, elaborate scenery and costumes, special Deborah Jensen, )en.lls L ibrarian, reminds reader\ that jour­ effects, .md tmprobable, lrghrweight plots - were rhe rage in nals .md newspapers w \\ hrch the Athcna:um dot~ nor sub­ popular cnrerrainmenr. scnbc may be accc.ssed on sc\eral of our computers on rhe second Hoor. In Athena, simpl) search "Arts and I errers Mercy College Visits the D arl y" as a senal tttk se.1rc.h, then click on the "lmked Athenreum resources" hypcrlink to access the web sne Ncv·.. spapers mcludc: !he Australum, ( .S Afonito1; ChictJgo C,rudems and faculty in rh c McNair Post-B.Kcalaureate Achtc\<.:mcnr Program at I\1crcy College ( D o bb ~ f- err), New 'Ii-I bunt, Globe & Alai!. ! fa itretz, The lndept·ndem, Times of York) 'isircd rhe Athena:um at rhe end of !\fay, pursumg lndirT- jerusalem Post, London Telegraph. Los Angeles Times, rcsearl h on "Terror (ism) and the American Revolunon." New /et~land Herald, S' H/ /, and USA Todtty Follm, mg a tour of the L1b rary, H ead of Reference tephen Magazmes tnclude: Amencan Consen)(lfll'l', Amerzcan Nonatk .md Associate C urator of Prints and Phorographs Fnurpnse, Amencmz journal Revznu, Anze11Crlll Outlook, Carharuu )Jautterback offered an introducti on ro the use of Amencan .Spectttt01; Art 1Vezw On/me, Bo:iton (,/obe fdtas, The pnnu n source matenals relating to the toprc. Broads1 des, Bulll'fin, CIA Studies, City journal, Columbia journal Rez,ieuJ, colonial newspapers, polrrrcal c.a rroo ns and pnnrs, and Common-place, Cross Currems. Dwoz•er, Di.ssem. Far East contemporary memoirs from the Ath e n ~um collecti on were p re~e IH ed . Fronomic Review, F-AZ \'t'1.•t•k6~ f!rst Things, Forwm£1, Gmnta, Hool'C1 Dtgest, Independent Rez,uw, In These f'imes, Le monde diplon'lllt!que, Afother jones, A1onth!y Relltew, A1s. ;\1,zgazme, JVational journal, 1\"uiona/ Rez,iew, JVew York Press, P/;i/osophers' 1\1agazine, Philosophy and Litcrntutr, Philosophy 1\'ow, Pb)'sics Toda)', PoetJ & \\'friro:r, Polic_g Policy Rez,iew, The Progressiue, Prospect, Public !merest, Quadmnt, Reason, .Salon,

.Skeptical InquireJ, Slate, T!Jt Spt-ctatoJ~ Dt, Sp t>gel, Tikkun, [ S JVews, Utne Readn; \\.. Sf Opinio11, 7/u \\'ldrus,

\\''ashington A1omh6~ \\7eekh \1 ndard, and \\'li/son Quarter~}~ Miss Sterling discussed a number of ways to meet A Thank You to personal, financial, and philanthropic goals, one of which Our Annual Appeal is the Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA). A CGA is a simple Supporters contract in which the Arhenceum - in exchange for a charitable gift of at least $10,000 - promises ro pay an annual income ro the donor (or other beneficiary designated At rhe time this issue of Items went ro press, the by the donor). 2003-2004 Annual Appeal was close ro reaching its goal of $500,000. As of September 20, we had CGAs are an exceptionally popular way of giving because the annual income is fixed and will nor fluctuate received 954 gifts totaling $489,000. Nine hundred over time. The income amount, or "payout rate," is a thirty-four members and other friends contributed ro that total. percentage of the gift that is based on the age of the "The generosity of our members is extraordinary," income beneficiary (or "annuitant") at the time the annuity our Director and Librarian, Richard Wendorf, is established. The payout rare for a 60-year-old is 5.7% happily notes. "The unrestricted funds raised annually. An annuitant aged 70 receives a rate of 6.5%. An through the Annual Appeal now underwrite a full 10 80-year-old receives a rare of 8.0o/o. The minimum age for percent of the Library's operating expenses and are an annuitant is 60, but younger members may establish a viral ro maintaining our programs and services." We Deferred Charitable Gift Annuity in which the payments thank all of you whose generosity helped us meet our are delayed until the annuitant reaches age 60 or older. annual goal and continue the momentum that the The payout rate for deferred annuities is considerably Annual Appeal has gained over the past few years. higher. The 2004-2005 drive begins on October 1 with a Key advantages of goal of $525,000. (The slight increase in the goal Charitable Gift Annuities: reflects increased operating expenses.) If you would • They can be established with a minimum gift of like information about malcing an unrestricted gift, $10,000. please call Nancy Baker, Director of Development, at • The annual income is fixed. 61 7-720-7607, or Kirsten Thornton, Annual Giving • The donor receives a tax deduction at the time of Officer, at 617-720-7641. the gift. This fall you can make your gift online by going • A portion of the income is tax-free. ro our secure web sire at www.bosronarhenaeum.org • The contract is guaranteed by the resources of the Athenceum. Planned Giving News • You support the Athenceum while protecting your own financial security. Last spring the Athenceum held irs annual planned giving information program and lunch for those interested If you would like a personalized illustration of how a in learning more about innovative- and financially gift annuity would work for you, please call Nancy Baker, advantageous - ways ro support the Library. "Smart Director of Development, at 6 17-720-7607. All inquiries Philanthropy in 2004: Increase Your Income, Enjoy Tax are strictly confidential. If you would like ro be placed Benefits, and upporr Your Favorite Charities" was led by on the guest list for future planned giving events, Cindy Sterling, a financial and gift-planning consultant please call Nicole Leonard, Development Assistant, and former Director of Planned Giving at Vassar College. at 617-720-7640. STAFF ACTMTIES Paper and Book Intensive: Sununer 2004 }anzes Reid-CunninghctJll~ Chief Conservator

Currently in its twentieth year, the Paper and Book most fanatical students to work all night if they felt Intensive is an annual eleven-day training course for rhe urge -which happened with alarming frequency. practitioners of the book arts, with seminars in book­ I taught two courses on binding miniature books. A binding, papermaking, calligraphy, marbling, printing, true miniature book is less than three inches tall, and the conservation, printmaking, and related fields. By bring­ course involved constructing three models of bindings ing together expert craftspeople and artists from a wide of decreasing size. Ir is often said that the challenge of range of specialties, the program fosters interdisciplinary working with miniature books is that as the books collaboration and innovation. When offered the oppor­ diminish in size, your fingers remain unchanged. On tunity to reach bookbinding at PBI, I jumped at the occasion students had difficulty seetng m} demonstra­

chance. tions because my fingers were In the way. The scale of This year PBI was held at a YMCA camp beside a these volumes creates technical dtfftculries that are nature preserve near Portland, Oregon; the isolated loca­ among the most challenging in bookbinding. tion ensured attendees a period of total immersion in Students began by making a two-mch-talllong-stitch books, with no pesky distractions from work or family. binding, a variant of a temporary bmding common in Each student took three courses, and the workshops Europe from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. The were open twenty-four hours each day, allowing the second project was a quarter-leather binding with mar- bled paper boards. The final, mind-numbing project was Young Readers' Book Group a concertina in a wrapper measuring only half an inch Suzanne Terry, Children 's Librarian tall. Many students chose ro decorate their bindings or The Young Readers' Book Group, approximately fifteen illuminate their text blocks with an array of artistic young people between rhe ages of nine and fourteen, mer

techniques. ome chose to do additional books, including once a month from September 2003 to May 2004 on bindings sewn on raised cords, limp paper cases, link-stitch Monday evenings. We read everything from the Hardy Boys bindings - almost any imaginable structure. Their creativity and Nancy Drew to books of fantasy, historical fiction, and and drive were amazing. The quality of the work done by my more mystery. The group gave most of rhe books high marks, students ar PBI was the best I have encountered in ten years and our discussions were always lively and thoughtful. One of of teaching bookbindmg and conservation. our meetings even included an arr and architecture scavenger One of the benefits of teaching at PBI is that instructors hunt on the first floor of the Athenceum. Although the group can also rake courses, so I spent five days learning to fabncare takes irs reading seriously, there is always plenty of fun. metal clasps and bosses for books with wooden boards. This Titles we read this past year included : was an arcane bur pleasurable pursuit. Pounding on a c.hunk Ttme Stops for No Mouse, by Michael Hoeye of metal fclr especially good after a finicky week spent Dzal-a-Ghost, by Eva Ibbotson binding miniatures. The Slippery Slope, by Lemony Snicker The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson The City ofEmber, by Jeanne DuPrau Skellig, by David Almond From the Mixed-up Files ofMrs. Bast! E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg Lord ofthe Nutcracker Men, b} lain Lawrence Nighfjohn, by Gary Paulsen The Witch ofBlackbird Pond, b} Elizabeth Speare Cheaper By the Dozen, by Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth The ThiefLord, by Cornelia Funke Harriet the Spy, by Louise FitL.hugh

Meetings of the group will resume in September 2004. For more information, or to sign up for email notices, contact Children's Librarian Suzanne Terry ar 617-720-7656. / Recent Events and Exhibitions

On O ctobe r 19, the Boston Athenceum hosted Its second annual Conservation evening. At press rime, conservation trearments have been underwritten fo r nine items, including rare books, manuscripts, and prints. If you are interested in learning more Jbout sponsoring an it em in need of conservation, please c.all Nancy Baker, Direuor of Development, at 61 7-720- 7607. /;i'flpl and Geo./fn)' Farnum admm· L't'IWS of Cluuau Ia Grange with Peter rlcRuetth, as Trwree Alice De Lana exam mrs a mmmscript alplmbrr for Carror­ f>OJnttdt• T he Athenxum's summer exhibition "World War II Pos ters: Inspiring the Workforce," which opened on Tuesday, l\1ay 2), featured posters produced by the Office of War Informati on during World War II for distribution to fa ctori es engaged in the war effon. The posters and Newsmaps in the exhibition were the gift of J. Roger Flather, w h ose father was assistant treasurer of the Boorr Mills in Lowell, Massachusens. l\1r. Fla the r was unable to attend the exhibition '• opening, but his family ably and happily represented him. From left to right they are: cousin and Proprietor J.Louis Newell, brother-in-law Donald Breen. ststu Katherine Breen, brother and Proprietor Newell Flather, and sister Alic.e Blodgett. Kneeling are Katherine Breen's daughter and son-in-law.

David D ea ringer's article on the acquisition of William Morris Hunt's painting Boy with Butterfly appeared on the cover of the April issue of Items. On May 4, 2004, Director a nd Librarian Ri c h a rd Wendorf and President Marshall Moriarry hosted an evening devoted to the life and work of Hunt in honor of the new acqui ition. David Dearinger and ally Pierc.e. C urator of Prints and Phorographs, shared their insights about the artist and his work with 35 guests. In thi pho­ rograph, Nathaniel tevens, son of Proprietor Ellen Stevens, and Proprietor Barbara Marshall v iew a selec tion of prints by William Morris Hun t with Sally Pierce.