| Dates: | 1914-1969 (Bulk dates, 1955-1965) |
| Size: | 2 linear feet in 4 boxes, plus 1 scrapbook |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60605 |
| Collection Number: | Spe.t00170 |
| Immediate source of acquisition: | Programs found in collection; no documentation concerning the provenance of these materials exists. The Ruth Page scrapbook was donated to Chicago Public Library by Ms. Page in 1972 |
| Conditions governing use: | Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection |
| Conditions governing access: | Materials are open without restrictions |
| Preferred citation: | When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: Chicago Theater Collection-Dance Programs, [Box #, Folder # OR Ruth Page Scrapbook], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library |
| Finding aid author: | Original author unknown. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Sarah Zimmerman, 2021 |
Abstract
Special Collections holds over 100 dance programs and souvenir books. Collection includes material on the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, especially in its earlier incarnations as Col. W. De Basil’s Ballet Russe, the Original Ballet Russe and the Monte Carlo Ballet Russe, as well as a scrapbook of programs donated by Ruth Page.
Biographical/Historical
The theater archive in Special Collections includes a collection more than 100 dance programs and souvenir books. Their source is not known, although there is some suggestion they were donated by Chicago dance teacher, Edna McRae. The collection is particularly strong in material on the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, especially in its earlier incarnations as Col. W. De Basil’s Ballet Russe, the Original Ballet Russe and the Monte Carlo Ballet Russe. There are also lavish souvenir books for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe and Anna Pavlova, although these do not document specific Chicago performances.
In addition to the loose material there is a bound volume of Ruth Page programs, predominantly for Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet. This volume was donated to the Library by dancer and choreographer, Ruth Page in 1972 and transferred to Special Collections at an unknown date.
Scope and Contents
The collection includes more than 100 programs, and is particularly strong in material on the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, especially in its earlier incarnations as Col. W. De Basil’s Ballet Russe, the Original Ballet Russe and the Monte Carlo Ballet Russe.
In addition to the loose material there is a bound volume programs, predominantly for Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet.
Arrangement
The Chicago Theater Collection-Dance Programs collection is arranged in two series:
- Series 1: Programs and Souvenir Books, 1914-1966, undated
- Series 2: Ruth Page Scrapbook, 1954-1969, undated
Separated Materials
Programs that document named performances at specified theaters have been removed and interfiled with the appropriate theater in the Chicago Theater Collection programs collections.
Related Collections
- Chicago Theater Collection-Historical Programs
- Chicago Theater Collection-Miscellaneous Programs
- Chicago Dance Collection
Subject Headings
- Dance – Illinois – Chicago – 20th
- Ballet – Illinois – Chicago – 20th
- Ballets russes du Col. W. de Basil.
- Ballet russes de Monte Carlo.
- Ballet russes.
- Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
- Page, Ruth, 1899-1991.
- Pavlova, Anna, 1881-1931.
- Programs (Publications)
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Programs and Souvenir Books, 1914-1966, undated
Scope and Contents
Series 1 includes loose dance programs and souvenir booklets.
Arrangement
Programs and souvenir books are arranged alphabetically and by size in boxes 1-4. Boxes 1 and 2 include smaller sized souvenir books, boxes 3 and 4 include larger sized souvenir books.
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | American Ballet Theatre | 1962-1963 |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | American Ballet Theatre | 1963-1964 |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | American Ballet Theatre | 1964-1965 |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | Antonio/Ballets de Madrid | 1964-1965 |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | La Argentina | 1934 |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | La Argentina | undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | Arirang | 1964 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | Ballet Espanol Roberto Iglaesias | undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | Ballet Espanol Ximenez-Vargas | 1962-1963 |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | Ballet Folklorico of Mexico | 1963-1964 |
| Box 1 | Folder 11 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1954-1955 |
| Box 1 | Folder 12 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1956 |
| Box 1 | Folder 13 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1959-1960 |
| Box 1 | Folder 14 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1960-1961 |
| Box 1 | Folder 15 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1961-1962 |
| Box 1 | Folder 16 | Ballet Theatre | 1940 |
| Box 1 | Folder 17 | Ballet Theatre | 1951-1952 |
| Box 1 | Folder 18 | Ballet Theatre | 1952-1953 |
| Box 1 | Folder 19 | Bolshoi Ballet | 1962-1963 |
| Box 1 | Folder 20 | Col. W. de Basil’s Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 21 | Yvonne Georgi and Harald Kreutzberg | undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 22 | Jooss European Ballet | 1936-1937 |
| Box 1 | Folder 23 | Jose Molina Bailes Espanoles | undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | Leningrad Kirov Ballet | 1961-1962 |
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | Leningrad Kirov Ballet | 1965-1966 |
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | Littlefield Ballet | 1938 |
| Box 2 | Folder 4 | Martha Graham and Dance Company | undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 5 | Mata and Hari | undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 6 | Anna Pavlova | undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 7 | Joffrey Ballet | 1962-1963 |
| Box 2 | Folder 8 | Sergelifar | 1933 |
| Box 2 | Folder 9 | Royal Ballet | 1963-1964 |
| Box 2 | Folder 10 | Royal Ballet | 1964-1965 |
| Box 2 | Folder 11 | Royal Danish Ballet | 1965 |
| Box 2 | Folder 12 | Sadler’s Wells Ballet | 1949 |
| Box 2 | Folder 13 | Sadler’s Wells Ballet | 1950-1951 |
| Box 2 | Folder 14 | Sadler’s Wells Ballet | 1953-1954 |
| Box 2 | Folder 15 | San Francisco Opera Ballet | 1939 |
| Box 2 | Folder 16 | Slavenska Franklin Ballet | 1952-1953 |
| Box 2 | Folder 17 | Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet | 1964-1965 |
| Box 2 | Folder 18 | Vincente Escudero and his Ensemble | 1932 |
| Box 2 | Folder 19 | Mary Wigman | 1931 |
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | Ballet Caravan | undated |
| Box 3 | Folder 2 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1938-1939 |
| Box 3 | Folder 3 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1939-1940 |
| Box 3 | Folder 4 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1940-1941 |
| Box 3 | Folder 5 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1941-1942 |
| Box 3 | Folder 6 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1943-1944 |
| Box 3 | Folder 7 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1944-1945 |
| Box 3 | Folder 8 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1947-1948 |
| Box 3 | Folder 9 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1949-1950 |
| Box 3 | Folder 10 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | 1957-1958 |
| Box 3 | Folder 11 | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | undated |
| Box 3 | Folder 12 | Ballet Theatre | 1940 |
| Box 3 | Folder 13 | Ballet Theatre | 1941-1942 |
| Box 3 | Folder 14 | Ballet Theatre | 1942-1943 |
| Box 3 | Folder 15 | Ballet Theatre | 1944-1945 |
| Box 3 | Folder 16 | Ballet Theatre | 1945-1946 |
| Box 3 | Folder 17 | Ballet Theatre | 1946-1947 |
| Box 3 | Folder 18 | Beryozka | 1958-1959 |
| Box 3 | Folder 19 | Bolshoi Ballet | 1959 |
| Box 3 | Folder 20 | Col. W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes | 1934 |
| Box 3 | Folder 21 | Col. W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes | 1935-1936 |
| Box 3 | Folder 22 | Col. W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes | 1937 |
| Box 3 | Folder 23 | Col. W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes | 1937-1938 |
| Box 3 | Folder 24 | Les Chave-Souris | 1921 March |
| Box 3 | Folder 25 | Les Chave-Souris | 1924-1925 |
| Box 4 | Folder 1 | Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe | [1916-1917] |
| Box 4 | Folder 2 | Mikhail Mordkin and His Russian Ballet | 1926-1927 |
| Box 4 | Folder 3 | Original Ballet Russe | 1940-1941 |
| Box 4 | Folder 4 | Original Ballet Russe | 1941-1942 |
| Box 4 | Folder 5 | Anna Pavlova | undated |
| Box 4 | Folder 6 | Anna Pavlova | 1914 |
| Box 4 | Folder 7 | Anna Pavlova in The Dumb Girl of Portici | 1916 |
| Box 4 | Folder 8 | Anna Pavlova | 1920 |
| Box 4 | Folder 9 | Anna Pavlova | 1921 |
| Box 4 | Folder 10 | Royal Ballet | 1959-1961 |
| Box 4 | Folder 11 | Royal Ballet | 1963-1964 |
| Box 4 | Folder 12 | Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn and Their Denishawn Dancers | undated |
Series 2: Ruth Page Scrapbook, 1954-1969, undated
Scope and Contents
Series 2 includes a single bound volume of programs compiled and donated by dancer and choreographer Ruth Page.
Arrangement
The Ruth Page Scrapbook is indexed individually by program in the order bound.
| Scrapbook 1 | Page-Stone Ballet, souvenir book | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Chicago Grand Opera Ballet, flyer | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | ‘Revanche’ (Revenge) de Ruth Page, scrapbook | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Lyric Theatre, program | 1954 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, clipping | 1957 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page Ballets, flyer | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, program | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, flyer | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | 1958 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Souvenir Book The Nutcracker (Ruth Page), souvenir book | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Souvenir Book Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Clippings Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, clippings | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Flyer Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, flyer | 1958-1959 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, clippings | 1960 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | 1960 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | undated |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | 1963-1964 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, clippings | 1964 January 6-March 15 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | 1965 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet, souvenir book | 1966 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s International Ballet, souvenir book | 1967 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s International Ballet, souvenir book | 1968 |
| Scrapbook 1 | Ruth Page’s International Ballet, souvenir book | 1969 |
