Robinson Locke collection

This collection is also available in Archives & Manuscripts
View In Archives »

Collection Data

Description
The Robinson Locke collection consists of scrapbooks and portfolios containing clippings, programs, photographs, prints, letters and other ephemera documenting American theater history.
Names
Locke, Robinson, 1856-1920 (Creator)
Locke, Robinson, 1856-1920 (Collector)
Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1680 - 1976
Library locations
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Shelf locator: NAFR+
Topics
Adams, Maude, 1872-1953
Anglin, Margaret, 1876-1958
Aoki, Tsuru, 1892-1961
Bara, Theda, 1885-1955
Barrymore, Ethel, 1879-1959
Belasco, David, 1853-1931
Bernhardt, Sarah, 1844-1923
Burke, Billie, 1885-1970
Carreño, Teresa, 1853-1917
Carter, Leslie, Mrs., 1862-1937
Chaplin, Charlie, 1889-1977
Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910
Cohan, George M. (George Michael), 1878-1942
Daly, Augustin, 1838-1899
DeMille, Cecil B. (Cecil Blount), 1881-1959
Dixey, Henry E., 1859-1943
Fairbanks, Douglas, 1883-1939
Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967
Faversham, William, 1868-1940
Fiske, Minnie Maddern, 1865-1932
Garden, Mary, 1874-1967
Gish, Lillian, 1897-1993
Griffith, David W., 1875-1948
Hopwood, Avery, 1882-1928
Houdini, Harry, 1874-1926
Hugo, Victor, 1802-1885
Irving, H. B. (Henry Brodribb), 1870-1919
Jolson, Al, 1886-1950
Black Patti, 1869-1933
Keaton, Buster, 1895-1966
Keller, Helen, 1880-1968
Kerrigan, J. Warren (Jack Warren), 1889-1947
Locke, Robinson, 1856-1920
Loos, Anita, 1893-1981
Mansfield, Richard, 1857-1907
Marlowe, Julia, 1865-1950
Nazimova, 1879-1945
Nethersole, Olga, 1870-1951
Paderewski, Ignace Jan, 1860-1941
Pavlova, Anna, 1881-1931
Pickford, Mary, 1892-1979
Russell, Lillian, 1861-1922
Sothern, E. H. (Edward Hugh), 1859-1933
Swanson, Gloria, 1897-1983
Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883
Weber, Lois, 1879-1939
Actors
Actresses
Athletes
cartoonists
Clowns
Comedians
Composers
Critics
dancers
designers
Directors (film)
Directors (stage)
dramatists
Humorists
Illusionists
journalists
Lyricists
Magicians
Managers (theater)
musicians
novelists
Playwrights
poets
Producers (film)
Producers (theater)
Singers
Socialists
Writers
African Americans in the performing arts -- New York (State) -- New York
Burlesque (Theater)
Child actors
Circus
Female impersonators
Film
Male impersonators
Minstrel shows
Motion pictures -- 20th century
silent films -- United States
Theater -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century
vaudeville
Women in the performing arts
Genres
Clippings
Correspondence
Photographs
Postcards
Programs
Scrapbooks
Notes
Biographical/historical: Owner and editor of the Toledo Blade, an Ohio newspaper founded by his father, Robinson Locke was a serious collector of material documenting American theater history. From the 1890s, Locke served as drama critic for his newspaper, writing under the name of Rodney Lee. Starting as a small reference collection of theatrical clippings to support his work, the collection expanded by gift and purchase. Soon a growing staff was required to clip all items of theatrical interest from the many national newspapers and magazines Locke received, and to paste the material into scrapbooks. Locke often traveled to New York to attend performances and many touring companies performed in Toledo. According to Locke's second wife, for many years until his death every musical or dramatic artist who visited Toledo also visited Locke and his collection and almost always donated an autographed portrait. Locke was married twice: in 1886 to Kate King who died in 1894, and in 1909 to Mabel Dixey, a former actress, who gave addenda to the collection after his death.
Content: The Robinson Locke collection consists of scrapbooks and envelopes containing clippings, programs, photographs, prints, letters, and other ephemera documenting American theater history. The collection documents the work of actors, singers, and other artists connected with the stage, including Maude Adams, Margaret Anglin, Theda Bara, David Belasco, Sarah Bernhardt, Billie Burke, Mrs. Leslie Carter, Henry Dixey, Geraldine Farrar, William Faversham, Minnie Maddern Fiske, Mary Garden, Henry Irving, Buster Keaton, Richard Mansfield, Julia Marlowe, Alla Nazimova, Olga Nethersole, Jan Paderewski, Anna Pavlova, Lillian Russell and E. H. Sothern. It also depicts the early film careers of Ethel Barrymore, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, D. W. Griffith, Lillian Gish, Cecil B. DeMille, Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson, Lois Weber, composers from George M. Cohan to Richard Wagner and hundreds of other performers. The collection also contains materials on African-Americans, Europeans, Asians, and Latin Americans in the New York theater and scrapbooks of notable vaudeville and burlesque performers. Some material falls outside the typical date ranges of the collection and was most likely added at a later date.
Physical Description
Extent: 107.94 linear feet (518 volumes, 574 other items)
Type of Resource
Text
Identifiers
Other local Identifier: NAFR+
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b14635247
MSS Unit ID: 21467
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 3eadea30-cc01-013b-9bff-0242ac110003
Show filters Hide filters
collection
x Robinson Locke collection
division
x Billy Rose Theatre Division
Date Range
to
2 results found
Filtering on:
x Division: Billy Rose Theatre Division
x Name: West, Mae