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Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia records, circa 1820-1994 (inclusive)

Extent:

126 box(es)

Abstract:

The correspondence and business records of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia contain minutes of its earliest meetings; the membership, repertoire, and organization of its orchestra and chorus; information regarding financial relief afforded to its professional members and their families; programs and other materials related to the history of Musical Fund Hall (1848-1982); committee files; financial records; photographs of portraits painted by John Clarendon Darley, Thomas Sully, Rembrandt Peale, Charles Willson Peale, and others; and administrative records for the Musical Fund Society Foundation, a separate corporation formed in 1983.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Savoy Company records, 1901-2017 (inclusive)

Extent:

226.2 linear feet (327 boxes)

Abstract:

The Savoy Company is the oldest amateur theater company dedicated to the production of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The collection contains administrative material, programs, musical and vocal scores, scrapbooks, audio-visual material and photographs which document its annual performance.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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English legal documents collection, 1592-1810 (inclusive)

Extent:

1 box(es)

Abstract:

This collection contains 52 assorted English legal documents. Most are brief transactional records attesting to land sales, contracts, or estate settlements. Though mostly unrelated, there are a few small groups of connected documents, such as the five certificates of payment by Captain Roger Martin to various parties executed during December 1685. Beyond these transactional documents are a 1679 record of arguments before the Privy Council as well as a 1770 warrant for the arrest of Nicholas Gwyn, an Ipswich medical doctor.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia Orchestra 1966 Latin American Tour collection, 1961-1966 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.6 linear feet (2 boxes)

Abstract:

In the 1960s, the Philadelphia Orchestra was led by music director Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985), who, with his predecessor, Leopold Stokowski, brought the Philadelphia Orchestra to international attention. The concert promoter, Oscar Humberto Alcazar Vega, determinedly spent five years planning for the Philadelphia Orchestra to tour Central and South America. This collection documents the Philadelphia Orchestra's 1966 Latin American Tour and includes material created and collected during the planning, from 1961 to 1966, as well as the tour which took place from May to June 1966.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Dorothy E. Withrow collection of World War memorabilia, 1892-1951 (inclusive)

Extent:

2.2 linear feet (5 boxes)

Abstract:

The Dorothy E. Withrow collection of World War memorabilia documents the Withrow family's homefront activities during both World War I and World War II, as well as documenting the wars generally through propaganda, pamphlets, and publications. This collection is significant in that it provides perspective of those who were active in the war effort in Philadelphia, specifically through civil defense activities and bond sales.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Chester G. Fuson papers, 1909-1963 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.8 linear feet (2 boxes)

Abstract:

Chester Garfield Fuson (1881-1965) taught English, geography, and Bible studies at the Canton Christian College in Canton, China. He participated in a magnetic survey across Asia, and served as a teaching missionary under the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions from 1917 to 1949. The collection documents Fuson's life in China from 1909 to 1917, as well as his continued interest in the country from 1943 to 1963.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Doris Samitz papers, 1956-2008 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.4 linear feet (1 box)

Abstract:

Doris Samitz (1923-2008), an art enthusiast, was involved in the Philadelphia art scene. This collection documents her involvement with the Arts Council of the Broad Street "Y" and the Barnes Foundation from the 1950s until her death, but particularly during the 1960s and the 1970s.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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British Gurkha Mission to Nepal photograph album, 1947 july-1948 january (inclusive)

Extent:

0.25 linear feet (1 box, containing 1 volume)

Abstract:

Following Indian independence in 1947, the British and Indian armies agreed to divide the Gurkha regiments between the two armies. British, Indian, and Nepalese delegations met in Nepal from July 1947 to January 1948 in order to discuss the terms of service of the Gurkha soldier as well as specific rights granted to them in relation to religion, rates of pay, performance and conduct, and leave from duty. This photograph album, containing 90 photographs, documents the three delegations' tour through Nepal. The images, probably created by a British delegate of the Mission, are labeled and the album includes photographs of people, landscapes, and historical and religious sites.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Gordon Block collection of Lincolniana, 1760-1963 (inclusive) 1840-1950 (bulk)

Extent:

2.5 linear feet (13 boxes)

Abstract:

Gordon Alexander Block (1885-1964) was a Philadelphia lawyer and collector of Lincoln documents and memorabilia. The collection includes twenty-three documents either signed by Lincoln or in his hand including a number of pleadings and court documents from his years as a lawyer in Illinois. The collection also contains a variety of ephemera from the Civil War era, including campaign ribbons and songbooks from 1860 and 1864 as well as broadsides, ribbons, and mourning cards issued after Lincoln's assassination. In addition, researchers will find a rich selection of visual representations of Lincoln in the collection, including lithographs, prints, photographs, and engravings of the sixteenth president.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Ann Jane Mitchell McAllister commonplace book, 1832-1836 (inclusive)

Extent:

1 volume(s)

Abstract:

This commonplace book belonged to Ann Jane Mitchell McAllister of Philadelphia, PA. The entries in this book date between 1832 and 1836, before she married William Young McAllister. Her name is signed simply as Ann Jane Mitchell. This volume contains various copied poems by poets such as Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, and L. E. L. (Letitia Elizabeth Landon). There appear to be two hands active in the volume and the poems are copied from literary magazines such as Blackwood's Magazine, The Literary Gazette, and The Athenaeum.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]