View XML QR Code

Blanche Kendall McKey papers, 1892-1971

Overview of the Collection

Creator
McKey, Blanche Kendall, 1879-1973
Title
Blanche Kendall McKey papers
Dates
1892-1971 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.5 linear feet, (3 boxes)
Collection Number
MS 0626
Summary
The Blanche Kendall McKey papers (1892-1971) illustrate the personal and professional life of this actress, playwright, and drama teacher.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

Blanche Kendall Thomas McKey was born on 30 June 1879 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Richard Kendall Thomas, a pioneer merchant, and Caroline Stockdale Thomas. The Thomas children grew up acting on a stage their father built, with Blanche's sister, Kate, writing plays for them. Blanche graduated from the University of Utah in 1900 with a normal certificate, and in the following year, left for New York with her older sister Kate. There, Blanche took private acting lessons. A few months later, she auditioned for Klaw and Erlanger, a prestigious New York agency, and was placed under contract. She worked for various other companies before her marriage to William Richard McKey in 1907. Blanche taught drama at Weber State after her husband's death from 1918-1923. She then attended the University of Utah and received her degree in 1924. She received her M.A. degree four years later. Blanche Kendall Thomas McKey died in 1973.

Return to Top

Content Description

The Blanche Kendall McKey papers (1892-1971) illustrate the personal and professional life of this actress, playwright, and drama teacher. The collection contains material about McKey (1879-1973) and her sisters, correspondence, and articles on various actors and actresses she was associated with and the theaters and theater companies she worked with. Also present are news clippings on the history of theater during her career, scripts of plays that McKey wrote, plays written by others that she acted in, theater playbills and magazines with articles on the theater, and University of Utah Founders Day programs and booklets. The collection holds books written by or about people McKey knew and a book of poetry written by her. There is also a book of photo cards on two actors and a souvenir album of the play Ben Hur.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Gift of Eily McKey Pierson in 1990.

Separated Materials

See also the Blanche Kendall McKey photograph collection (P0360) in the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Processing Note

Processed by Jane Brinkerhoff and Janet Smoak in 1992.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Related Materials

Forms part of the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women's Legacy Archives.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Actresses--Utah--Archives
  • Theater--Religious aspects--Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
  • Women dramatists--Utah--20th century--Archives
  • Women in the theater--Utah--20th century--Archives

Personal Names

  • Bean, Orestes U. (Orestes Utah), 1874-1937--Corianton
  • Lindsay, John S. (John Shanks), 1840-1906--Mormons and theatre
  • Margetts, Phillip, 1829-1914--Early theatricals in Utah
  • McKey, Blanche Kendall, 1879-1973--Archives
  • McKey, Blanche Kendall, 1879-1973--Lamps of glory
  • McKey, Blanche Kendall, 1879-1973--Light
  • McKey, Blanche Kendall, 1879-1973--Sir Henry Irving as Dante
  • McKey, Blanche Kendall, 1879-1973--Unequal yoke
  • Robinson, Ezra C. (Ezra Clark)--Zalmona

Corporate Names

  • Barnacle Theatre (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  • University of Utah--Alumni and alumnae--Archives

Form or Genre Terms

  • Book of Mormon plays
  • Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
  • Drama
  • Personal correspondence
  • Poetry
  • Religious drama
  • Scripts (documents)
  • Theater programs

Finding aid created by Jane Brinkerhoff and Janet Smoak.
1992 (last modified: 2019)

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...