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Fanny Davenport Collection
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Davenport first performed on stage at the age of eight. As an adult she performed in Philadelphia at the Arch Street Theatre, then with Augustin Daly's company at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York, acting in revivals, new plays, Shakespeare, and other plays. Around 1877 Davenport formed her own company with which she toured around the country. From 1883 to 1895 she also appeared in four plays, Fedora , Gismonda , Tosca ,and Cleopatra , by the French dramatist Victorien Sardou in roles originally performed by Sarah Bernhardt.
The collection consists of papers of Davenport, an actress and theater manager. Included in the collection is correspondence of Davenport with Frances Aymar Mathews, a playwright, T. Henry French, Elizabeth Marbury, Victorien Sardou, and other actresses, actors, real estate brokers, bankers, theater owners, costume designers, friends, and fans. Theater-related materials include scripts for Fedora and Gismonda , costume sketches, contracts with the Tremont Theatre and with Frances Aymar Mathews for her to write the play Warrior , and reviews of Fedora and Sarah Bernhardt. There is a large group of financial papers consisting of a log book of salaries paid to actors in various cities, over 1600 cancelled personal checks (1878-1896), journal pages of expenses for 1888 performances, 26 envelopes of accounts of performances for 1896-1898, and several hundred receipts for personal and company related purchases. Memorabilia includes two small silver-plate souvenir trays, a menu, stationery, notes, and newspaper clippings. There is also an account book (1859-1861) for the Howard Athenaeum kept by Davenport's father, Edward Loomis Davenport, and a framed photograph of him acting in "Blackeyed Susan."
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Folder inventory added by Feng Zhu '14 in 2012. Box of previously unprocessed materials added to inventory by Lauren C. Williams in March 2024.
People
Organization
Subject
- Actors -- United States -- 19th century -- Correspondence
- Actresses -- United States -- 19th century -- Correspondence
- Theater -- United States -- 19th century
- Theaters -- New York (State) -- New York -- 19th century
- Theatrical managers -- United States -- 19th century -- Correspondence
- Theatrical managers -- United States -- Finance, Personal -- 19th century
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Consists of the correspondence of Fanny Davenport, including Dittenhoefer and Gerber, Law Offices, Frances Aymar Matthews, and Victorien Sardou, and general correspondence.
Arranged by correspondent.
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
7 folders
1 folder
Consists of materials related to plays, including The Forrest Divorce Case and Fedora, as well as others.
Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
Includes Royal Lyceum Theatre program for 153rd Performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII , 1892 July 8-9, and undated supplement to El Mundo Artistisco, Buenos Aires, about Sarah Bernhardt in Fédora .
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Four composition books
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Includes handwritten script for part of Alfonso and letter discussing play
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Script in French with translation added in pencil. 2 copies, 1 with rodent damage
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Including a menu, source unknown, 1890
Physical Description1 folder
Consists of checkbooks, memos, contracts, ledgers, and expense accounts of theaters.
Arranged by genre of material.
Physical Description5 boxes
More than 1660 personal checks, as follows: 1878 - 1, 1884 - 1, 1886 - 2, 1887 - 89, 1888 - 137, 1889 - 64, 1890 - 32, 1891 - 228, 1892 - 222, 1893 - 210, 1894 - 243 (note an interesting check written to Sardou for $5000, which was torn into small pieces and then put together again), 1895 - 241, 1896 - 94, 1897 - 82.
Physical Description10 folders
Includes passbook savings book, check book stubs, and checkbook from Old Colony National Bank
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
For actors to sign after being paid for performances
Physical Description1 folder
Kept by Fanny Davenport's father, Edward Loomis Davenport
Physical Description1 folder
Includes 10 pages of Journal of Expenses for 1888 performances and Statement of Receipts and Percentages for Fanny Davenport Company, 1891-1892 season
Physical Description1 folder
Includes plot map of property near Washington Park, Chicago and unused stationery from Marcus R. Mayer Agency with Fanny's likeness
Physical Description1 folder
Contains accounting documents for performances in a particular city. Full index of packets available in Box 3 Folder 9.
Physical Description1 box
Arranged chronologically.
Physical Description2 boxes
Consists of Silver-Plated Souvenir Trays and a framed photograph of E. L. Davenport in "Blackeyed Susan".
Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.
Physical Description2 boxes
2 trays with receipts from the Forbes Silver Company
Physical Description1 box
1 box
1 folder
Consists of a leather folder with Davenport's initials, a notebook, correspondence, ephemera, and other materials.
Physical Description1 box