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Performing Arts Collection, 1795-2018

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Title
Performing Arts Collection
Dates
1795-2018 (inclusive)
1890-1992 (bulk)
Quantity
79.3 cubic feet:, (98 document cases, 40 flat boxes, and 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
Mss 1523 (collection)
Summary
Collection of programs, clippings, sheet music, scrapbooks, and related ephemera concerning primarily dance, theater, and music, mostly in Portland, Oregon. The materials came from many different sources and were compiled by the Oregon Historical Society over a long period of time. The items date mostly from the period 1890 to 1960 and include an extensive series of printed sheet music, mostly of popular songs and piano pieces.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English, French, German, Italian
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through the Peforming Arts Fund of the Oregon Historical Society, and a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

The Performing Arts collection is an artificial collection compiled by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library staff.

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Content Description

The collection contains programs, news clippings, sheet music, scrapbooks and other ephemera related to performing arts, primarily in Oregon but also in other locales. Most materials relate to dance, theater, and music, and date from the period 1890 to 1960. The primary geographical focus is Portland; however, there are also materials from elsewhere in Oregon and out-of-state venues.

Scrapbooks include programs, clippings, and some photographs. A number of scrapbooks inlcude hand-written notes on the performances. Both scrapbooks and posters pertain to all the performing arts. Among the scrapbooks are those assembled by Edna Agler, Linley Morton Crichton, Al Franks, Mae Herbers, Nan Wood Honeyman, Samuel James, and Ariel Rubstein.

The extensive sheet music series contains items published mostly between 1880 and 1940, primarily popular songs and piano pieces. The series contains piano-vocal scores, orchestral scores, piano scores, and a small amount of music for other instruments. Most of this music was published in New York City, but many items were sold by retailers in Portland, Oregon, or owned by people who lived in Oregon. Interspersed within the printed sheet music are some original manuscripts, most notably by composers Charles E. Bray and Averta Terney.

A small series containing motion picture-related materials is also included with the collection.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Performing Arts Collection, Mss 1523, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into eight series as follows:

  • Series O: Arts organizations
  • Series I: Dance
  • Series II: Music
  • Series III: Theater
  • Series IV: Scrapbooks
  • Series V: Sheet Music
  • Series VI: Motion Pictures
  • Series VII: Posters

Acquisition Information

The collection was assembled by the Oregon Historical Society from a variety of sources, beginning in the late 1960s. Many of the materials were acquired through the Society's Peforming Arts History Resource Committee. For more acquisition information, see the records of the Committee in Mss 314, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Separated Materials

Bound volumes of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra programs are cataloged as serials in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Bibliography

Music in Oregon : a finding aid for resources in the Oregon Historical Society Library, compiled by Bob Kingston. Portland, OR: Oregon Historical Society, 1998.

Related Materials

Programs, posters, and photographers for the Portland Civic Theatre are housed with the Portland Civic Theatre Records, Mss 2965, and Portland Civic Theater Photographs Collection, Org. Lot 847, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Photographs from the Heilig Theater (Portland, Or.) are located at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, Org. Lot 76.

Records of the Performing Arts History Resource Committee, which collected most of the materials in the present collection, can be found in Mss 314, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Actors and actresses--Oregon--History
  • Conservatories of music--Oregon--Portland--History
  • Dance--Oregon--History
  • Dancers--Oregon--History
  • Music title pages
  • Music--Oregon--History
  • Musical groups--Oregon--History
  • Musicians--Oregon--History
  • Opera--Oregon--Portland--History
  • Performing arts--Oregon--History
  • Singers--Oregon--History
  • Theater--Oregon--History

Personal Names

  • Agler, Edna
  • Bray, Charles E.
  • Crichton, Linley Morton
  • Franks, Al
  • Gershkovitch, Jacques
  • Herbers, Mae
  • Honeyman, Nan Wood, 1881-1970
  • James, Samuel
  • Rubstein, Ariel, 1901-
  • Terney, Averta

Corporate Names

  • Peter Britt Music Festival (Jacksonville, Or.)--History
  • Baker Theatre (Portland, Or.)--Archives
  • Columbian Conservatory of Music
  • Heilig Theatre (Portland, Or.)--Archives
  • Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association--Archives
  • Oregon Symphony--Archives
  • Portland Youth Philharmonic--Archives

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--Social life and customs
  • Portland (Or.)--Social life and customs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Clippings
  • Diaries
  • Plays
  • Programs
  • Scores
  • Scrapbooks
  • Songs

Guide edited and prepared for encoding by Shawna Gandy and Geoffrey Wexler
2004 September

CC0

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