Conservation and Digitization of the Museum of the City of New York’s Theatrical Broadsides

FAIN: PW-259028-18

Museum of the City of New York, Inc. (New York, NY 10029-5221)
Morgen Stevens-Garmon (Project Director: July 2017 to December 2019)
Lindsay Turley (Project Director: December 2019 to January 2022)

The preservation and digitization of 700 early, one-sheet playbills from New York theaters from 1785 to the 1880s. The Museum of the City of New York would complete the conservation, description, and digitization of its Collection of Theatrical Broadsides, ensuring the survival of documents important for the study of early American performing arts.

This two-year project will improve stewardship of and increase public access to 700 early one-sheet playbills comprising the Collection of Theatrical Broadsides. In addition to providing a record of theatrical history, these items provide diverse scholarly perspectives on New York City, and hold value for scholars interested in cultural history, as well as evidentiary documentation of day-to-day life. Dating from 1785 through the 1880s, the Collection of Theatrical Broadsides is comprised of the earliest and most fragile group of materials in the Theater Collection. If successfully funded, this project would provide for the Museum to carry out conservation on half of the broadsides, digitize 95% of the items, and catalog and rehouse all 700 objects. Upon the project’s conclusion, the digitized broadsides will be publicly searchable and freely available via the Museum’s online Collections Portal—http://collections.mcny.org—and a descriptive finding aid will be posted online.

Media Coverage

19th-Century Playbills to be Restored and Digitized (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Andrew Chow
Publication: New York Times
Date: 4/8/2018
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/08/theater/19th-century-playbills-to-be-restored-and-digitized.html

NYC Museum to preserve and digitized hundreds of 19th-century theatre playbills (Media Coverage)
Author(s): John McGill
Publication: As It Happens
Date: 4/13/2018
Abstract: A radio interview with the Canadian Broadcast Corporation program "As It Happens."
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-full-episode-1.4618548/nyc-museum-to-preserve-and-digitize-hundreds-of-19th-century-theatre-playbills-1.4618553

19th-century New York playbills to be restored and digitized (Media Coverage)
Author(s): CBS This Morning - Saturday
Publication: CBS This Morning
Date: 4/14/2018
Abstract: Segment promoting the project televised nationally on CBS This Morning, Saturday edition.
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zku0fI2l-Tc

Associated Products

Collection highlights, online gallery for “Theatrical Broadsides” (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Collection highlights, online gallery for “Theatrical Broadsides”
Author: Museum of the City of New York
Abstract: The Museum of the City of New York’s Collection on Theatrical Broadsides illustrates the history and culture of performance in New York City, the city’s emergence as the theatrical capital of the United States, and the stage as a mirror for reflecting the social mores, economics, and tastes of a nation. By listing the productions, performers, theaters, admission costs, and broadside printers, these items provide diverse perspectives on New York City and carry value for anyone interested in New York City’s cultural history.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://collections.mcny.org/Explore/Featured/Theatrical%20Broadsides/
Primary URL Description: Theatrical broadsides conserved and digitized as part of project activities are included in this featured online gallery.
Secondary URL: https://collections.mcny.org/
Secondary URL Description: Home page of the Museum’s online Collections Portal makes the Collection on Theatrical Broadsides accessible through the scrolling banner.
Access Model: Digital images and object records are freely available to anyone anywhere in the world with Internet access.

Theatrical Broadsides (Blog Post)
Title: Theatrical Broadsides
Author: Museum of the City of New York
Author: Lauren Robinson
Abstract: From New York City's first permanent playhouse to the next rising starlet, the Museum's theatrical broadsides collection provides a unique glimpse into the city's cultural life.
Date: 06/18/2019
Primary URL: https://www.mcny.org/story/theatrical-broadsides
Website: Museum of the City of New York: Stories

Collection on Theatrical Broadsides (Blog Post)
Title: Collection on Theatrical Broadsides
Author: Lauren Robinson
Abstract: The Collection on Theatrical Broadsides is an artificial collection physically united by Morgen Stevens-Garmon, Associate Curator for the Theater Collection, in 2015, in order to better accommodate their continued preservation and access, and assess their conservation needs. As an artificial collection, the Collection on Theatrical Broadsides consists of objects from dozens of individual gifts donated to the Museum between 1928 and 1996. The majority of the material was donated either by audience members or collectors of theatrical memorabilia, few of whom had any connection to the professional theatrical world. Maintaining this material as an artificial collection based on subject matter allows for faster and more comprehensive organization and description, and is consistent with Museum practice in relation to its ephemera collections.
Date: 6/4/2021
Primary URL: http://mcnycatablog.org/2021/06/04/collection-on-theatrical-broadsides/
Primary URL Description: Blog post
Secondary URL: http://mcnycatablog.org/
Secondary URL Description: Main page for Museum of the City of New York Catablog
Blog Title: Museum of the City of New York Archival Collections
Website: Museum of the City of New York Catablog

Finding Aid, "Collection on Theatrical Broadsides, 1785-1890s" (Web Resource)
Title: Finding Aid, "Collection on Theatrical Broadsides, 1785-1890s"
Author: Morgen Stevens-Garmon, Associate Curator for the Theater Collection, 2015
Author: Marc Castellini, Theater Collections Archivist, March 2020
Author: Sierra Pasquale, Institutional Archivist, 2021
Author: Lauren Robinson, Manager of Collections Licensing and Digital Assets, 2021
Abstract: The Collection on Theatrical Broadsides is an artificial collection physically united by Morgen Stevens-Garmon, Associate Curator for the Theater Collection, in 2015, in order to better accommodate their continued preservation and access, and assess their conservation needs. As an artificial collection, the Collection on Theatrical Broadsides consists of objects from dozens of individual gifts donated to the Museum between 1928 and 1996. The majority of the material was donated either by audience members or collectors of theatrical memorabilia, few of whom had any connection to the professional theatrical world. Maintaining this material as an artificial collection based on subject matter allows for faster and more comprehensive organization and description, and is consistent with Museum practice in relation to its ephemera collections.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: http://mcnycatablogdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/broadsides_finding_aid.pdf
Primary URL Description: Finding Aid, "Collection on Theatrical Broadsides, 1785-1890s"
Secondary URL: http://mcnycatablog.org/2021/06/04/collection-on-theatrical-broadsides/
Secondary URL Description: Blog post on Museum of the City of New York Archival Collections Catablog

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