Historic Scenic Collection, 1865-2012 | Northern Illinois University

Collection Overview

Title: Historic Scenic Collection, 1865-2012

ID: RBSC/SPX/012

Extent: 250.0 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

Series I: Production Notebooks, Series II: Blueprints, Series III: Floorplans, Series IV: Photographs, Series V: Illustrations, Series VI: Programs, Series VII: Libretto, Series VIII: Scripts, Series IX: Correspondence, Series X: Timesheets, Series XI: Accounts, Series XII: Expense Reports, Series XIII: Purchase Orders, Series XIV: Material Orders, Series XV: Receipts, Series XVI: Property Lists, Series XVII: Inventory, Series XVIII: Reference Material, and Series XIX: Miscellaneous.

A copy of the old finding aid is located in Series I, Box 1 and it provides details of the orginal inventory made for the collection. When the collection was fully processed this inventory was adapted and used in the current finding aid which includes how some series were arranged.

Languages: English, French, German, Italian

Abstract

The Historic Scenic Collection contains intriguing documentation, photos, blueprints, and advertisements of the Chicago Opera dating back to the early 1900s. This collection is 250 linear feet that spans an entire century of theatre performances. Some of the highlights are production photos of scenes and play actors, blueprints of the sets and stages, and old-time programs that were handed out to avid theatre goers.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection consists of printed paper-based materials, photographs, books, correspondence, illustrations, and blueprints that relate directly to the Lyric Opera of Chicago. This collection is divided into series based upon format. Series I is composed of production notebooks; Series II and III are Blueprints and Floorplans respectively (which are currently still being processed). Series IV consists of photographs; Series V is Illustrations of sets, stage design, and costumes; Series VI consists of Programs that describe the opera acts and story; Series VII is Libretto (which are the texts of the opera, translated from their original language into English). Series VIII is Scripts; Series IX is Correspondence; Series X consists of Timesheets, which are further broken down into Timesheet subseries of Anuual Tours, Rehearsal Timesheets, and Performance Timesheets. Series XI is Accounts; Series XII Expense Reports; Series XIII is Purchase Orders; Series XIV is Material Orders; Series XV is Receipts; Series XVI is Property Lists; and Series XVII is Inventory. Series XVIII is Reference Material that includes books (some of these books have call numbers listed that can be found in our online catalogue). Lastly, Series XIX is Miscellaneous material.

Administrative Information

Repository: Northern Illinois University

Access Restrictions: no restrictions

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series I: Production Notebooks],
[Series II: Blueprints],
[Series III: Floorplans],
[Series IV: Photographs],
[Series V: Illustrations],
[Series VI: Programs],
[Series VII: Libretto],
[Series X: Timesheets],
[Series VIII: Scripts],
[Series IX: Correspondence],
[Series XI: Accounts],
[Series XII: Expense Reports],
[Series XIII: Purchase and Work Orders],
[Series XIV: Material Orders],
[Series XV: Receipts],
[Series XVI: Property Lists],
[Series XVII: Inventory],
[Series XVIII: Reference Material],
[Series XIX: Miscellaneous],
[All]

Series VII: Libretto

Definition: Text of an opera

Box 1

Folder 1: Aida [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 2: L'Amore Dei Tre Re [The Love of Three Kings] [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1913
Folder 3: Un Ballo in Maschera [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 4: IL Barbiere Di Siviglia [Barber of Seville] [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 5: The Bartered Bride [1 booklet in German and English], 1908
Folder 6: La Boheme [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1898
Folder 7: Boris Godunoff [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1911
Folder 8: Camille [1 booklet in French and English], 1930
Folder 9: Cavalleria Rusticana [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 10: Les Contes d'Hoffmann [1 booklet in French and English], circa 1920s
Folder 11: Le Coq d'or [The Golden Cockerel] [1 booklet in French and English], 1918
Folder 12: Egypt [1 original booklet in English|copy number 10 of private distribution of 50], 1914
Folder 13: L'Elisir d'Amore [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 14: Falstaff [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1893
Folder 15: Faust [1 booklet in French and English], no date
Folder 16: Fidelio [1 booklet in German and English], no date
Folder 17: La Figlia Del Reggimento [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 18: Die Fledermaus [1 booklet in German and English], 1905
Folder 19: La Forza del Destino [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1865
Folder 20: Gianni Schicchi [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1918
Folder 21: La Gioconda [1 booklet in Italian and English], circa late 1800s, early 1900s
Folder 22: Jewels of the Madonna [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1912
Folder 23: Le Jongleur de Notre Dame [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1907
Folder 24: La Juive [1 booklet in French and English], 1919
Folder 25: Lakme [1 booklet in French and English], no date
Folder 26: Lohengrin [1 booklet in German and English], no date
Folder 27: Loreley [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1907
Folder 28: Lorenzaccio [1 booklet in English], 1930
Folder 29: Louise [1 booklet in French and English], 1907

Box 2

Folder 1: Luica di Lammermoor [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 2: Madame Butterfly [1 booklet in Italian, French, and English], 1906
Folder 3: Manon [1 booklet in French and English], no date
Folder 4: Martha [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 5: Mefistofele [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1920
Folder 6: Die Meistersinger [1 booklet in German and English], 1886
Folder 7: Mignon [1 booklet in French and English], 1927
Folder 8: La Navarraise [1 booklet in French and English], 1895
Folder 9: Norma [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 10: Le Nozze Di Figaro [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 11: L'Oracolo [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1915
Folder 12: Otello [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 13: Pagliacci [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 14: Resurrection [1 booklet in French and English], 1925
Folder 15: Rigoletto [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1927
Folder 16: Romeo et Juliette [1 booklet in French and English], no date
Folder 17: Der Rosenkavalier [1 booklet in German and English], 1911 - 1912
Folder 18: Salome [1 booklet in German and English], 1906
Folder 19: Samson et Dalila [1 booklet in French and English], 1893
Folder 20: Sappho [1 booklet in French and English], 1909
Folder 21: Snow Maiden [1 booklet in French and English], 1921
Folder 22: La Sonnambula [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 23: Tannhauser [1 booklet in German and English], no date
Folder 24: Thais [1 booklet in French and English], 1907
Folder 25: Tosca [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1899
Folder 26: La Traviata [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 27: Tristan Und Isolde [1 booklet in German and English], 1865
Folder 28: IL Trovatore [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date
Folder 29: Turandot [1 booklet in Italian and English], 1926
Folder 30: Die Walkure [1 booklet in German and English], no date
Folder 31: Werther [1 booklet in French and English], no date
Folder 32: William Tell [1 booklet in Italian and English], no date