Guide to the Records of J. C. Williamson
MS 9145
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- J.C. Williamson
- Title
- Records of J. C. Williamson
- Date Range
- 1913-1960
- Collection Number
- MS 9145
- Extent
- 0.28 metres (2 boxes)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- National Library of Australia
Introduction
Scope and Contents
Collection of agreements, contracts and related correspondence between the theatrical company and forty-three artists, dating from 1913 - 1960. The collection also includes Australian and American theatre programs.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn168957).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Records of J. C. Williamson, National Library of Australia, MS 9145, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
The records were purchased at auction in August 1997. They comprise half of a collection sold in two lots, of which only one was purchased by the Library, so explaining the incomplete nature of the archive.
Related Materials
A large collection of J.C. Williamson records is held at MS 5783 (79.3 metres). Other related collections are J.C. Williamson [MS 7256]; the Tait family [MS 309]; Nineteenth century manuscripts [MS 1482] and the papers of James Smith [MS 2398].
Arrangement
The contracts were arranged alphabetically and this order has been retained.
Administrative History
The theatrical organisation, J.C. Williamson Ltd., began in 1874 when the American actor/manager James Cassius Williamson (1845-1913) decided to remain in Australia after the success of his production, 'Struck Oil', at the Melbourne Theatre Royal. A partnership formed in 1882 lasted nine years and, in 1911, the organisation became known as 'J.C Williamson Ltd'.
For many years, J.C. Williamson Ltd was the dominant theatrical agency in Australia, owning several theatres and bringing out a succession of notable singers, dancers and actors to Australia. The company's theatres were sold and the name was leased in 1976.
Item Descriptions
Correspondence, programs and cuttings (File 1) - Box 1
Includes three signed letters from Yehudi Menuhin, 1954, two typed and one handwritten. Also included are programs featuring Anna Pavlova and Madame Melba.
'B' contracts and related correspondence (File 2) - Box 1
Joe E. Brown & Company, 1949-50
Dorothy Brunton, 1931-32
Gus Bluett, 1933-35
'C' contracts and related correspondence (File 3) - Box 1
Sir Lewis Casson, 1957
'Chang' (Juan Jose Pablo), 1938
Alexander, Leo, Jan & Mischel Cherniavsky, 1921, 1924, 1933, 1944
Maurice Chevalier, 1959-60
Chorus for Moncrieff tour, 1946
Fay Compton, 1937-38
Mr & Mrs Conabere, 1946-47
Campbell Copelin, 1936
Mr & Mrs Cornell, 1917
'F-G' contracts and related correspondence (File 4) - Box 1
Gracie Fields, 1944-45
Gilbert & Sullivan Far East tour, 1922
Neva Carr Glynn, 1944
'K-L' contracts and related correspondence (File 5) - Box 1
Cecil Kellaway, 1926, 1928
Marie Lavarre, 1920-21
Marjorie Lawrence, 1944
Ernest Lotinga, 1929
Minnie Love, 1913-15
'M' contracts and related correspondence (File 6) - Box 1
Dame Nellie Melba, 1922, 1926-27
Gladys Moncrieff, 1914-15, 1917, 1919, 1920-21, 1932-33, 1949
'P-R' contracts and related correspondence (File 8) - Box 2
Ignace Paderewski, 1926-27
Anna Pavlova, 1925, 1928-29
Roy Rene, 1925
'S' contracts and related correspondence (File 9) - Box 2
Toscha Seidel, 1922
Peggy Shea, 1940-44
Ivy Shilling, 1920-21
D. Sisserman, 1933
Cornelia O. Skinner, 1960
T. Slavinsky, 1944
Jascha Spivakovsky, 1922
Sophie Stewart, 1949-50